Big Bone Lick State Park
Big Bone Lick State Park is located at Big Bone. Head 6 mi southwest of Union to reach it. Records date it to 1960.
A state park, 6 mi southwest of Union
Florence is the nearest base
Florence is 9 miles northeast, with 43 places to stay. Where to stay ↓
A day trip from Louisville
Louisville is about 69 miles southwest and Indianapolis is about 97 miles northwest (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Sep and Oct
April, May, June, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 66–82°. When to go ↓
An airport 12 miles away
Cincinnati Northern Kentucky (CVG) has airline service, about 12 miles from Big Bone Lick State Park.
Established in 1960
Big Bone Lick State Park dates from 1960. About ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
Picking a season
Every month near Big Bone Lick is set out below.
Big Bone Lick State Park
Big Bone Lick State Park is located at Big Bone in Boone County, Kentucky. The name of the park comes from the Pleistocene megafauna fossils found there. Mammoths are believed to have been drawn to this location by a salt lick deposited around the sulfur springs. Other animals including forms of bison, caribou, deer, elk, horse, mastodon, musk ox, peccary, ground sloths, wolves, black bears, stag moose, saber-toothed cats, and possibly tapir also grazed the vegetation and salty earth around the springs that the animals relied on for their diet. The majority of fossils found in the area have been dated to the Wisconsin Glacial Period (c. 115,000 – c. 11,700 years ago). Human burials and other signs of human habitation have also been uncovered.
- Type
- State park
- Established
- 1960
- Area
- 525 acres
- Listed
- National Register of Historic Places (1972) · National Natural Landmark (2009)
- Wikipedia readers
- 11K a year
Bases for Big Bone Lick State Park
The first towns with rooms are Florence (43) and Cincinnati (76).
- 1Ark Encounter
- 2Paycor Stadium
- 3Great American Ball Park
- 4Creation Museum
- 5Nippert Stadium
- 6TQL Stadium
- 7Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Florence
The closest town with somewhere to stay.
34,018 people
9 mi northeast of Big Bone Lick
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Big Bone Lick | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | 9 mi northeast | 15 min | 43 40 hotels · 2 motels · 1 inn or B&B | 34,018 | $211K | C− |
| Cincinnati | 22 mi northeast | 35 min | 76 58 hotels · 2 motels · 9 inns & B&Bs · 4 lodges & cabins · 2 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 314,367 | $231K | D− |
| Randolph Township | 10 mi northwest | 15 min | 10 4 hotels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 4 campgrounds | 4,334 | $196K | — |
| Erlanger | 13 mi northeast | 20 min | 12 11 hotels · 1 campground | 20,158 | $209K | A− |
| Covington | 16 mi northeast | 25 min | 17 14 hotels · 3 inns & B&Bs | 41,847 | $187K | C |
| Dry Ridge | 16 mi southeast | 25 min | 15 10 hotels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 1 campground · 2 RV parks | 2,249 | $217K | B |
| York Township | 12 mi southwest | 20 min | 7 2 hotels · 1 lodge or cabins · 3 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 1,128 | $153K | — |
| Walton | 7 mi east | 10 min | 3 1 motel · 1 campground · 1 RV park | 5,868 | $262K | — |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
More near Big Bone Lick
All of these are within 41 miles.
Big draw120 mi Theme parkArk Encounter
219 mi Stadium & arenaPaycor Stadium
Big draw40 mi Theme parkKings Island3.5M visitors a year
319 mi Stadium & arenaGreat American Ball Park
414 mi MuseumCreation Museum1.2M visitors a year
521 mi Stadium & arenaNippert Stadium
620 mi Stadium & arenaTQL Stadium
722 mi Zoo & aquariumCincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden1.2M visitors a yearPhoto credits
Ark Encounter: OlinEJ, CC0 · Paycor Stadium: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kings Island: Eli Duke from Portland, OR, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Great American Ball Park: Eric Kilby profile at Flickr website, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Creation Museum: Creashin at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Nippert Stadium: Ben Levin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · TQL Stadium: Cornfield948, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5
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Your questions on Big Bone Lick
What town is Big Bone Lick State Park near?
Union, KY, about 6 miles northeast.
When is the best time to visit Big Bone Lick State Park?
April, May, June, September and October, with highs of 66–82°.
How far is Big Bone Lick State Park from Lexington and Louisville?
About 61 miles south of Lexington and about 69 miles southwest of Louisville, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Big Bone Lick State Park?
Cincinnati Northern Kentucky (CVG), about 12 miles away.
Where should I stay near Big Bone Lick State Park?
Florence (9 mi, 43 places to stay), Cincinnati (22 mi, 76 places to stay) and Randolph Township (10 mi, 10 places to stay).
Notes from people in Union
Start the conversation in Union’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.