Chegeree Cliffs

The Arc’s first preserve in Kentucky!

Chegeree Cliffs lies in the famous karst country of Carter County, sandwiched between the outer Bluegrass region and Appalachian coal country. Carter County boasts 372 caves, the second-highest number of any county in the state.

The property protects a healthy forest and awe-inspiring 250-foot-high limestone cliffs and ridgetops, bordering both sides of Lick Branch Creek.

The cliff-dwelling plants found at Chegeree Cliffs alone make the site worthy of protection. These include purple cliffbrake and black-stemmed spleenwort, the latter of which is endangered in Ohio.

The property was donated to the Arc of Appalachia by John Wesley Grace, who helped us name the preserve. In John’s words, “Chegeree was a Native American, remembered only for a map of the Ohio River area that he drew in 1755. I found an image of it on the Carter County Genealogy website, and I’ve spent many hours poring over it. I feel like I have developed a special connection to him. I sometimes think of the possibility that he might have visited Lick Branch and, like me, was moved by the simple beauty of it.”

Photos by Elijah Crabtree