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Big Bone Lick State Park, Big Bone, KY

Photo: Mattguyver, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

Big Bone Lick State Park

Kentucky state park in Boone County known for Ice Age animal fossils found near ancient salt springs.

Big Bone, KY

About Big Bone Lick State Park

Located in Boone County, this park takes its name from Ice Age animal fossils discovered on the grounds. Large mammals were drawn to a salt lick that formed around sulfur springs, and most of the remains found nearby date to the Wisconsin Glacial Period. Evidence of early human burials and habitation has also been uncovered here.

  • #fossils
  • #Pleistocene
  • #Ice Age
  • #state park
  • #Kentucky

What's around here?

The closest stops to Big Bone Lick State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Ark Encounter

    $50+

    Walk three decks of exhibits inside a 510-foot Noah's Ark built to the dimensions given in the Bible.

    20 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sports & Outdoors

    General Butler State Resort Park

    Check prices

    A Kentucky state park near Carrollton with a lodge, cabins, a campground, a lake for fishing and paddling, and trails for hiking and biking.

    26 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Clifty Falls State Park

    Check prices

    Indiana state park near Madison known for its waterfalls, canyon hiking, and fossil-rich creek bed.

    37 mi awayMore like this

  • Tours
    Foodie Favorite

    Buffalo Trace Distillery

    No admission fee

    Tour a working bourbon distillery on the Kentucky River and finish each guided tour with a tasting.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    47 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Kentucky Horse Park

    $25–$50

    Meet champion racehorses, see the Breeds Barn and tour the International Museum of the Horse on a working 1,224-acre horse farm.

    52 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Charlestown State Park

    Under $25

    A southern Indiana state park on former Army ammunition plant land, known for rugged hills, river views, and hiking trails.

    57 mi awayMore like this