Our Story….

You might be wondering how all this mess got started!  The answer can be found with a small group of outdoor trail enthusiasts and an undiscovered opportunity. In 2019, newly elected mayor, Jim Phelps, found that the city of Hodgenville owned over 400 acres of land surrounding and including McDougal Lake. Being avid trail users, members were absolutely surprised at the news.  Having traveled to various locations seeking trail adventures, and watching neighboring cities like Elizabethtown explode with recently developed green spaces, this small group  immediately thought, “We can do this here in Hodgenville.”  Mayor Phelps and Jim B. Phelps  reached out to two LaRue County natives, Damon Barnes and Ben Bryan, to share the news.  Both Damon and Ben had extensive experience working with the Greenspace organization in Elizabethtown, KY on trail development.  In January of 2019, Damon, Ben, Mayor Phelps, and Jim B.  sat down to explore the various options to create a trail system on the McDougal property.  In the Fall of 2019, the idea was revisited and some scouting actually began on portions of the land to determine the layout.  But the real excitement and action took place in January of 2020.  At this time, the small group started flagging trails and made the first headway on a newly formed path through the northwest section of the McDougal property. Help was solicited from volunteers.  Each volunteer had some experience with hiking, mountain biking, or trail running.  Each volunteer met and worked  tirelessly on Sunday afternoons to build a trail using their own equipment and resources.   

In the meantime, Damon, Matt Fortier, Tom Claycomb and Jim B. began working on a plan to solidify the protection of the trail, raise money for the trail, create a maintenance plan for the trail, and serve future interests in the development and conservation of green spaces in LaRue County.  We recruited locals with a vested interest to serve on a board. Hence, the Knob Creek Conservancy was formed.  With a mission to preserve, protect, and promote natural areas within the counties of the Knobs region of Kentucky, an official twelve member board was formed, and the organization was on its way to promote and secure a natural recreational area right in LaRue County’s own backyard. 

Since 2020, we have worked hard to revive the primitive trails at the Pearman Forest, and we created a small Nature Trail on the grounds of Hodgenville Elelmentary School. We have partnered with LaRue County Schools and several local businesses to enhance the outdoor experience in our community. We want to thank our supporters and volunteers, and we want to continue to find ways to connect folks to the outdoors. 

Current board members are Damon Barnes, Gary Canter, Jessica Castenir, Robina Fortier, Matt Fortier, Jim B. Phelps, Ben Bryan, Gabe Fortier, Eric Allen, Eric Hughes, Caleb Canter, D.J. Canter, Jimmy Shaw, and Tom Claycomb. 

Please contact us with any questions, concerns, recommendations, etc. that you might have.

We hope to see you on the trails!