Mile 934.0 - LBD Chalk Cliff Bluffs (3rd Kentucky Loess Bluff)

John Ruskey

20 Apr 2026 � 1 min read

934 LBD Chalk Cliff Bluffs (3rd Kentucky Loess Bluff)

Every one of the Kentucky Bluffs is unique and worth a visit for any of you naturalists or explorers amongst the paddlers. The 3rd bluff first comes to view as you round Belmont Point past all of the Ingram fleeting. This bluff has a small sliver of yellow/orange/red coloring in the jungly canopy above South Columbus Island, but its biggest expression is a large stark white cliff several hundred yards long found below the Wolf Island Dikes (below the base of S. Columbus Island), which gleams brightly in the afternoon sun, but is shaded in the mornings. As you pass the Columbus Boat Ramp horizontal layering becomes apparent in the bluff, and several deep ravines which divide the chalky cliffs into a series of elephant-shaped domes. Downstream of the white elephants is a low shelf (which is present in low or medium water levels, but disappears in high water). Dive through the Wolf Island Dike (notched one both sides of dike) and cut over left bank to make a landing on this shelf. Excellent platform for exploration, and a truly inspirational place to stop for a picnic. In extreme low waters this bluff is not accessible by water.

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