Planning began in early 2022 for a walking trail in the Parkside Conservation Area. The preserve is a 9.6 acre parcel in the heart of the Parkside subdivision, just south of the city of Alexandria, KY. It is bounded on three sides by residential development and abuts the 1000-acre A. J. Jolly county park. Stream and wetland restoration was completed by the NKU Center for Environmental Restoration in 2011.

See our Parkside page for additional information.

Our goal was to allow for easier access to the interior of the preserve for the benefit of the neighborhood and to promote a better understanding of the ecological value of the area.

The trail is a ‘lollipop’ design that starts and ends at the rear of a playground area along Parkside drive. It meanders past the restored stream, which feeds into A. J. Jolly Lake, crosses a new footbridge where a dike was removed during the restoration of the wetland area, and then it follows the contour of the hillside bordering the residential area. A bench has been installed at the small loop where visitors can rest and enjoy a view of the interior of the wooded wetland area before returning to the start. The trail is considered an ‘easy’ walk and can be completed is 20 minutes or less. Most of the path has been mulched with wood chips.

It was started in late winter 2022 with a general cleanup of the conservation area. Almost a pickup truck of trash and debris was removed that had accumulated over the years since the restoration was completed. Next we cleared a path for the trail through an overgrown area at the start. In late spring we built the footbridge and then started mulching. The bench was installed in the fall. Trail signage and markers will be installed soon.

The trail was constructed by a group of volunteers from the Campbell Conservancy Board and from the community. Funding was provided by grants from the Campbell County Cooperative Extension Service and gifts from generous donors. Wood chips were donated and delivered by Kremer Tree Service of Alexandria. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all who have helped make this possible.
If you’d like more information about the Parkside trail, The Campbell Conservancy and its mission, or would like to volunteer or contribute financially please reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..