Kentucky Geography: Bluegrass, Appalachian Mountains, and Cave Country

Kentucky's geography is more varied than its reputation suggests — from the limestone karst topography of the Mammoth Cave area to the rugged Appalachian terrain of eastern Kentucky to the fertile Bluegrass horse country.

Bluegrass Region
Central Kentucky's defining landscape — a rolling limestone plateau with exceptionally fertile soils. The Inner Bluegrass (Fayette, Woodford, Bourbon, Scott Counties) has the deepest soils and finest horse farms. The limestone bedrock gives the water and grass high calcium content, producing strong bone structure in Thoroughbreds — the defining advantage of Kentucky horse country. The gentle rolling hills, white board fences, and stone wall field boundaries create one of America's most distinctive rural landscapes.

Pennyroyal (Pennyrile) Region
South of the Bluegrass — a broad karst plateau drained by the Green River. The karst topography (sinkholes, springs, caves — Mammoth Cave underlies this region) gives the Pennyroyal its distinctive character. Barren County and Hart County are the center of the karst region.

Western Coal Fields
Northwestern Kentucky between the Pennyroyal and the Ohio River — a region of underground coal mining (western Kentucky coal is bituminous, high in sulfur). The Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley) is the dominant recreation area of this region.

Eastern Kentucky Mountains
The Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mountains — the highest terrain in Kentucky. Black Mountain (4,145 ft — Kentucky's highest point) is in Harlan County. The Red River Gorge in the Daniel Boone National Forest has the finest natural arch and canyon terrain east of the Mississippi.

Ohio River Valley
The Ohio River (northeastern to northwestern border) — Kentucky's most important historical waterway. Louisville at the Falls of the Ohio (the only natural obstruction to Ohio River navigation) became the state's largest city because of the portage required.