Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park · Kentucky

Big Sink Trail

0.8 mi of trail, end to end · about 40 ft of climbing · 767 ft–796 ft · hiking

779 ft 782 ft · 0.4 mi high 796 ft

Trailhead Big Sink Trailhead 787 ft Drive there

Big Sink Trail the Park Service's write-up

1-2 Hours · dogs allowed

Start Big Sink Trail

Wooded gravel trail
Big Sink Trail

The Big Sink Trail is a hiking trail located in the picnic area of the Birthplace Unit of the park on the east side of Highway U.S. 31E. The trail has three loops of various lengths with Loop B being accessible. The trailhead is located in the picnic area where parking is available. Please use caution when hiking the trail as it crosses Keith Road at two separate locations. Watch for oncoming traffic when crossing Keith Road.

Trailhead Location: Picnic Area of the Birthplace Unit

Duration: 1 - 1 1/2 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Length: 1.36 mile (2.19 km)

Trail Type: Loop

Loop A is a hiking trail that is part of the 1.36 mile long Big Sink Trail located in the picnic area of the Birthplace Unit on the eastside of U.S. Highway 31E. This trail is composed of crushed dense grade gravel with a typical width of five feet and a maximum trail grade of 7%.

Trailhead Location: Picnic Area of the Birthplace Unit

Duration: 30 - 45 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Length: .42 mile (.67 km)

Trail Type: Loop

Loop B is an accessible hiking trail that is part of the 1.36 mile long Big Sink Trail located in the picnic area of the Birthplace Unit on the eastside of U.S. Highway 31E. This accessible trail is composed of compacted lime chips with a typical width of five feet and a maximum trail grade of 5%.

Trailhead Location: Picnic Area of the Birthplace Unit

Duration: 30 - 45 minutes

Difficulty: Accessible - Easy

Length: .36 miles (.58 km)

Trail Type: Loop

Loop C is a hiking trail that is part of the 1.36 mile long Big Sink Trail located in the picnic area of the Birthplace Unit on the eastside of U.S. Highway 31E. This trail is composed of crushed dense grade gravel with a typical width of five feet and a maximum trail grade of 13%.

Trailhead Location: Picnic Area of the Birthplace Unit

Duration: 30 - 45 minutes

Difficulty - Easy

Length: .58 miles (.93 km)

Trail Type: Loop

Accessibility All three loops are accessbile. Loop A trail is composed of crushed dense grade gravel with a typical width of five feet and a maximum trail grade of 7%. Loop B trail is composed of compacted lime chips with a typical width of five feet and a maximum trail grade of 5% Look C trail is composed of crushed dense grade gravel with a typical width of five feet and a maximum trail grade of 13%.

This hike on nps.gov

Other trails from the Big Sink Trailhead

All 9 trails in Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.