Lexington Just Got 1.5 More Miles of Trail — and a 25-Year-Old Dream Got Closer

In late October, The Lane Report shared some news worth smiling about: Lexington received $3.76 million in federal funding to extend the Town Branch Trail by 1.5 miles, advancing a 22-mile connected trail network. That's a mile and a half more of Kentucky that anyone with two feet or two wheels can enjoy, no gate, no fee, no appointment necessary.

What happened

The grant funds a new stretch of the Town Branch Trail, one of Lexington's signature shared-use paths. Once completed, the extension will help establish 22 miles of uninterrupted shared-use paths connecting Town Branch Trail, Town Branch Commons and the Legacy Trail, linking downtown Lexington with the surrounding Bluegrass countryside. Think about that for a second: you'll be able to start among the buildings downtown and keep going until the horse fences and rolling pasture take over, without ever leaving the path.

The work isn't far off, either. Construction on the new extension is planned to begin in the summer.

Why it matters

Trail miles are quiet infrastructure. They don't make much noise when they open, but they change how a town feels to live in. The new section will provide additional connections among residential neighborhoods, parks, businesses and other destinations, improving access for pedestrians and bicyclists while supporting alternatives to automobile transportation. In plain terms: more kids biking to the park, more neighbors walking to lunch, more people getting outside because the outside finally comes to them.

And this isn't a flash-in-the-pan project. The Town Branch Trail project has been in development for approximately 25 years, with the long-term vision of creating an eight-mile shared-use route connecting Masterson Station Park with downtown Lexington along the historic Town Branch of Elkhorn Creek. A quarter century of people showing up to meetings, filing paperwork, and refusing to let the idea die. That kind of patience deserves a round of applause — or at least a good long walk.

A trail with Bluegrass roots

What makes this one special is the water it follows. The Town Branch of Elkhorn Creek is the stream Lexington literally grew up around, and the trail traces it back out of the city and into the countryside that made the Bluegrass famous. Once finished, Town Branch Trail will become one of Lexington's major shared-use pathways and an integral part of the city's 22-mile interconnected trail system. It's the rare project that stitches a city's history, its neighborhoods, and its horse country together into one continuous line you can actually travel.

If you've spent any time in central Kentucky, you know the landscape earns the affection. Limestone creeks, black fences, that particular green. We make a whole Kentucky collection because places like this are worth wearing on your chest.

Go walk it

You don't have to wait for the new section to enjoy what's already there. The existing Town Branch corridor and the Legacy Trail are open now, and fall in the Bluegrass is about as good as walking weather gets. Park downtown, pick a direction, and go until you're hungry. If you want to be useful, Lexington's trail projects have been carried for decades by locals who speak up at public meetings and volunteer for cleanups — joining them is as simple as showing up.

And if you want to look the part while you log your miles, the Script Kentucky Tee was more or less made for a long amble along a creek named Town Branch.

Common questions

Where does the Town Branch Trail go?

The long-term vision is an eight-mile shared-use route connecting Masterson Station Park with downtown Lexington along the historic Town Branch of Elkhorn Creek, and the trail ties into a larger network — 22 miles of uninterrupted shared-use paths connecting Town Branch Trail, Town Branch Commons and the Legacy Trail.

When will the new section be built?

Construction on the new extension is planned to begin in the summer, per The Lane Report's October coverage.

Who can use the trail?

It's a shared-use path, designed for pedestrians and bicyclists alike — walkers, runners, riders, strollers, and anyone else moving under their own power.

Reported by The Lane Report. Details as published at the time of writing.