Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Kentucky / Northeast Kentucky

Carter Caves Cross Country (4C's) Trail

Carter Caves State Resort Park, Kentucky State Parks (near Olive Hill)

Carter Caves State Resort Park, in northeast Kentucky, is known for its caves and natural arches, but its longest trail, the Carter Caves Cross Country Trail, better known as the 4C’s, is a backpacking loop with two reservable backcountry campsites. The park map lists the loop at 8.3 miles around Smoky Valley Lake.

Champagne Tastes counts “two natural arches (Shangra La Arch and Fern Bridge), two swinging bridges, and two waterfalls” along the way.

The hike

The park map says the 4C’s Trail crosses a creek that becomes impassable in high water, and recommends hiking clockwise. It also says all park trails close at dusk and hiking at night is prohibited, so time the day to reach camp in daylight.

Champagne Tastes, in a guide first published in 2020 and updated in July 2026, notes that trail signs give the loop as 7.2 miles while Kentucky State Parks lists 8.3 miles with about 1,177 feet of elevation change, and suggests budgeting about six hours. It describes the trail as moderately difficult.

Backpacker’s 2013 version, the Smoky Valley Lake Loop, combines the 3 Bridges Trail and the 4C’s into a 9.4-mile loop with “natural arches, swinging bridges and a spillway from the lake,” plus views of Smoky Valley Lake and Horn Hollow Cave. It points to the spillway and swinging bridge near the Johnson Homeplace as a good lunch stop. The park map lists the Three Bridges Trail at 3.6 miles.

The park map describes the two backcountry campsites. Eagles Nest sits on the 4C’s Trail on the southwest side of Smoky Lake, with a reservable three-sided shelter and a separate reservable tent area, plus a picnic table and fire pit. Johnson Homeplace, on the southeast side of the lake, has a 10-by-12-foot raised wooden tent platform that fits two small backpacking tents, and a fire pit. Both, along with Horn Hollow Cave, require permits.

Champagne Tastes also mentions guided tours of Cascade Cave and X-Cave year-round, and the park has a developed campground with more than 100 sites if you want a base before or after.

For other Kentucky overnights with arches, see the Gray’s Arch and Hanson’s Point loop in the Red River Gorge.

Tips

Camping

Backcountry camping is allowed only at the two designated sites, Eagles Nest and Johnson Homeplace, according to the park map, and both require a permit and reservation through Lewis Caveland Lodge. Eagles Nest has a three-sided shelter and a tent area, with a picnic table and fire pit. Johnson Homeplace has a raised tent platform for two small tents and a fire pit.

Inside Intel: Backpacker (2013) chose the Johnson Homeplace area, near the spillway and swinging bridge, and suggests looking for a natural spring nearby. Bring small tents: the platform fits two.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

High water on the 4C's creek crossing:

The park map warns that a creek on the 4C's Trail becomes impassable in high water. Wondering if a premium rain shell is worth it? We compared three with testers' findings.

See what testers found →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.