It's always fun to take on a challenging hiking trail in Kentucky, but some days you just want to stroll along and take in the views. The Bluegrass State offers both types of outdoor experiences, so you can choose your own adventure. If you're in the mood for a leisurely walk and beautiful scenery, head to Lake Barkley State Resort Park in Cadiz. Along this scenic body of water you'll find an easy lakeside trail in Kentucky that's not extremely long, but it is lovely and wonderfully relaxing.

Lake Barkley State Resort Park is situated in one of the most beautiful areas of the state, adjacent to the lake and Land Between the Lakes.

The park has a lot to offer including a lodge, restaurant, water activities, pool, beach, and hiking trails. Some of these trails take you into the wilderness, while others are easy and offer incredible views of the lake.

If you look at the lodge and park property from above, you can see that it sticks out like a peninsula into the lake.

If you head to the area behind the lodge and down the stairs, you'll find yourself on the edge of this peninsula. There is then a paved trail that winds along the water as an easy lakeside trail in Kentucky.

The paved path is not particularly long, but you can still spend plenty of time here, relaxing and enjoying the views.

Try visiting it multiple times a day, and even in different seasons, as the views are constantly changing.

Lake Barkley is incredibly scenic and you will get a variety of photo opportunities along the path.

The pathway is covered in both shade and sun, depending on the time of day, and as long as you keep an eye on the kids near the water, it's a great spot for all ages.

This lakeside trail gives you a great perspective of the lake, and you can sit back and imagine how much more water is out there within the rest of Lake Barkley and even adjoining Kentucky Lake, not too far away.

Before or after your walk along the path, do plan on getting out on the water with either your own boat or a rented one so you can enjoy that perspective as well.

You are likely to witness a great variety of wildlife along the path, especially over the water.

Look for an array of birds, even eagles at times, as well as fish, and other animals that may be hanging out in the nearby woods.

And speaking of woods, you can explore these too with other trails in the park.

Lake Barkley State Park offers other hiking trails and even a horseback riding trail on its land. To view a list of the trails and to download a map, visit here.

Lake Barkley is known for its jaw-dropping sunsets and you can experience them for yourself on this easy lakeside trail.

Plan a visit to enjoy all this park has to offer, and walk along this path multiple times a day to take in the natural beauty of this area of Kentucky.

Lake Barkley State Resort Park is a great place to visit in the Bluegrass State for a number of reasons, and one of them is to walk along this easy lakeside trail in Kentucky. Take your time, enjoy the views, and save up some energy to tackle a few of the other trails at this scenic park in Kentucky. Have you walked along this very path on Lake Barkley? Share your experience and even your photos with us in the comments!

For more information on Lake Barkley State Resort Park, visit its website here and follow along on Facebook here. Address: 3500 State Park Road, Cadiz, KY, 42211

And for another western Kentucky trail that's filled with beautiful scenery and wildlife, check out our previous article here.