Nelson County sits in central Kentucky with Bardstown as the clearest settlement and road reference. Bloomfield and Fairfield mark the northern and northeastern sections, while New Haven anchors the southwest. Routes 31E, 62, 150, 245, 509, 458, 61, 46, and 49 connect those areas through a landscape of creek valleys and rolling ridges. The physical maps show Beech Fork, Wilson Creek, Lick Creek, Cox Creek, the Simpson Creek forks, and several small lakes and reservoirs. The original high-resolution JPG files can also be downloaded together in one ZIP archive for printing, classroom work, presentations, or offline reference. High-resolution map files are available for download in the section below.
The official Nelson County government website identifies Bardstown as the county seat and places the county in the heart of Kentucky. That central role is obvious on the supplied maps: Bardstown has the densest road network and the most concentrated development, while the outer county becomes increasingly rural. The elevation surface reports an actual range of about 124 to 321 meters with a mean near 197 meters, with lower terrain in the west and stronger ridge relief toward the northeast and far south.
Table of Contents
Bardstown anchors routes 31E, 62, and 150
The general county map makes Bardstown the easiest place to begin. Route 31E runs north-south through the central area, route 62 reaches west toward Boston, and route 150 continues east and southeast. Routes 245 and 509 approach from the northwest, while routes 605 and 46 help organize the southern and southeastern side. The Bardstown Police Department and Samuels Field markers add useful urban references around the center.
Bloomfield lies northeast of Bardstown and connects with route 458 and nearby local roads. Fairfield sits farther north, creating a separate reference for the county’s northern section. As the map moves away from Bardstown, the dense central street pattern gives way to longer rural roads that bend around small streams and rolling uplands.
Boston appears to the west near route 62, with routes 61 and 733 helping define the western side. New Haven lies southwest along route 31 and close to route 52, while routes 247, 84, and 457 extend into the narrow southern end of the county. The road network in the south is more dispersed and strongly influenced by the hill-and-creek terrain.
This is a geographic road reference rather than a live navigation product. It does not show current construction, closures, bridge restrictions, or travel times. In the northeastern and southern ridge country, actual driving distance can be longer than the direct separation between places because roads follow the lower terrain between ridges.
Bloomfield, Fairfield, and New Haven sit 10, 8, and 14 straight-line miles from Bardstown
The city-connections map uses Bardstown as the hub and highlights Bloomfield, Fairfield, and New Haven. The supplied map labels Bardstown with 13,804 residents, Bloomfield with 1,124, New Haven with 837, and Fairfield with 194. It shows about 10 miles from Bardstown to Bloomfield, 8 miles to Fairfield, and 14 miles to New Haven. Those values are straight-line distances between mapped points rather than driving distances.
Bloomfield lies northeast of Bardstown, while Fairfield is closer to due north. New Haven is in a different direction altogether, southwest of the county seat. That three-way arrangement makes the city map useful for dividing the county into broad northern, northeastern, and southwestern reference areas before adding road and creek detail.
The simplified connections view removes most local-road and tributary detail, so the relative spacing of the four settlements is especially clear. Once those locations are familiar, Wilson Creek, Cox Creek, Beech Fork, and the southern drainage valleys become easier to place on the physical maps.
The city map works well for classroom or presentation use when settlement direction matters more than routing detail. The general county map is the better choice for road numbers, public landmarks, and smaller place names. Bardstown remains the common anchor between both views.
Beech Fork, Wilson Creek, and the Simpson Creek forks organize the drainage
Beech Fork and Wilson Creek are among the strongest water references in the central-western part of the terrain-and-water map. Wilson Creek occupies a long valley through the west and northwest, while Lick Creek runs farther south through rolling terrain. Beech Fork crosses the central-southwestern interior and gathers a dense set of smaller tributaries.
Cox Creek follows a long valley near the northern boundary, while West Fork Simpson Creek and East Fork Simpson Creek divide the northeastern section. Those streams run through a more strongly ridged landscape than the low western side. Their long, roughly parallel valleys help explain the road alignments around Fairfield, Bloomfield, and Chaplin.
Sympson Lake, Barton Lake, and Reservoir Number 2 are clustered in the central area, with M Creek extending to the east. Monks Creek and Pottinger Creek define southern valleys, and Cane Run appears in the narrow far-southern extension. These smaller water features are useful local landmarks even though they are much less dominant than the county’s major creek corridors.
A practical reading order is to begin with Beech Fork and Wilson Creek, move north to Cox Creek and the Simpson Creek forks, and then trace Monks Creek, Pottinger Creek, and Cane Run in the south. This map is intended for geographic reference rather than current flood stage, water quality, fishing rules, or property-access decisions. Current conditions should be checked with the responsible agencies.
Elevation from 124 to 321 meters rises toward the northeast and far south
The elevation map reports an actual county range of about 124 to 321 meters and a mean near 197 meters. Lower green terrain is broadest across the west and southwest and follows Wilson Creek, Lick Creek, Beech Fork, and other stream valleys. Higher yellow, orange, and brown ridges become more common toward the northeast and in the narrow southern extension.
Bardstown occupies comparatively moderate central terrain rather than the county’s highest ridges. Moving north toward Fairfield and Bloomfield, the uplands become longer and more continuous, while creek valleys remain as narrow lower corridors between them. That pattern helps explain why local roads often follow the same general direction as the valleys.
South of New Haven, elevation changes become sharper around routes 247, 84, and 457. Cane Run and Pottinger Creek occupy lower green valleys, while adjacent ridges climb into darker colors over short distances. The southeastern boundary also contains stronger relief than the broad western lowlands.
The elevation surface is designed for county-scale comparison rather than parcel-level measurement. It is useful for distinguishing creek valleys from higher ridges, but it should not be treated as survey-grade elevation for a road, structure, property, or engineering project. Exact site work should rely on current source elevation data or professional surveying.
Following Nelson County from Bardstown to Bloomfield, New Haven, and the creek valleys
Bardstown is the simplest starting point for comparing all of the map views. On the road map, locate routes 31E, 62, and 150, then identify Bloomfield to the northeast and New Haven to the southwest. On the physical map, Beech Fork and Wilson Creek provide the first drainage references west and south of the central city.
For the north, use Fairfield and Bloomfield together with routes 245, 509, and 458. Cox Creek and the West Fork and East Fork Simpson Creek then provide the main water references. The elevation map shows longer and higher ridges in the same area than across the broad western lowlands.
For the south, begin with New Haven and routes 31 and 52, then continue to routes 247, 84, and 457. Monks Creek, Pottinger Creek, and Cane Run organize the drainage, while the elevation map shows closely spaced valleys and high ridges in the narrow southern section.
Choosing the best Nelson County map for print, class, or reference
Use the general county map when Bardstown, Bloomfield, Fairfield, New Haven, numbered roads, and the full boundary need to appear together. The city-connections map is cleaner when the main question is how the three outer settlements relate to Bardstown and what their straight-line distances are.
Choose the terrain-and-water map for Beech Fork, Wilson Creek, Lick Creek, Cox Creek, the Simpson Creek forks, Sympson Lake, Barton Lake, and the southern creeks. The elevation map is the strongest view for explaining the contrast between lower western terrain and the higher northeast and far south. Comparing water and elevation together makes that relationship especially clear.
The WebP images in the article are optimized for browser viewing. The downloadable ZIP contains the original JPG maps at 3,638×2,572 pixels each, which is better suited to printing, classroom worksheets, presentations, and offline reference. These maps are general geographic resources rather than legal boundary records, flood studies, parcel surveys, navigation products, or engineering plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Bardstown-to-Bloomfield, Bardstown-to-Fairfield, and Bardstown-to-New Haven distances driving distances?
No. The city-connections map shows straight-line distances of about 10 miles to Bloomfield, 8 miles to Fairfield, and 14 miles to New Haven. Actual driving distances can be longer because roads follow creek valleys, ridges, intersections, and available routes rather than the direct line between points.
Is Bardstown the county seat of Nelson County?
Yes. The official Nelson County government website identifies Bardstown as the county seat. It is also the strongest road and settlement center on the supplied maps, making it the best starting point for comparing Bloomfield, Fairfield, New Haven, and the county’s creek valleys.
Can the 124–321 meter elevation range be used as an exact property elevation?
No. The range summarizes the actual countywide elevations shown on the supplied map, with a mean near 197 meters. It is useful for comparing low creek valleys with higher ridges, but exact site elevations should come from current source data or professional surveying.
Map File Information
The ZIP archive contains the original high-resolution JPG versions of the Nelson County road-and-boundary map, city-connections map, terrain-and-water map, and elevation map. Each image is 3,638×2,572 pixels for printing, classroom work, presentations, and offline reference.
- File Type: 4 JPG files inside one ZIP archive
Related Maps
Sources and references
County and Bardstown information is available from the official Nelson County government website and its official maps page. For underlying geographic data, see the U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles for boundaries and roads, USGS National Hydrography for rivers, lakes, and streams, and the USGS 3D Elevation Program for elevation data.
These maps are intended for geographic explanation, printing, and general reference. Legal boundary decisions, live traffic, flood and water-safety questions, property surveying, and engineering work should rely on the latest authoritative information from the responsible public agency.
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data. These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
