The club was formed in November of 1928 by the then mayor of Louisville, William B. Harrison.  It was originally started by the Municipal Department of Recreation so was called the Louisville Municipal Hiking Club.  The first hike was at Iroquois Park.  In October of 1934, the Louisville Hiking Club was organized with its own slate of officers to plan its programs and determine policy.

At the beginning everyone met at an agreed upon site and the transportation was furnished by Louisville Metro Buses, transporting about 30-40 people to sites within about 20 miles of Louisville.  The hikes usually were about five to seven miles long.  The attire at the time was a lot different from what it is now.  The attire for the women included leather boots, jodphers and jackets.  There were usually two hikes each trip.  A short one and a long one.  After the hike the hikers would have dinner at a church social or had pitch in dinners.

The club essentially is the same as then except now we charter a school bus, which costs about five or six dollars (sometimes seven dollars on longer trips) per person. We meet the bus at St. James Court on Magnolia.  Most churches no longer can afford to feed the group of hikers so the club goes to moderate (eight to twelve dollars)  restaurants to eat. We also still have dinners where we each pitch in a dish. The club has been going to some churches for over 50 years. 

We have a hike leader for the longer hikes and short hikes for those who are unable or do not desire to go on the longer hikes.  Hikes can usually retrace their steps if they wish to return after realizing they do not want to continue.  Our hikes can range anywhere from 1-2 miles for short hikes and 4-5 miles and longer for the longer hikes. Children who are capable of the distance are welcome to join in.  The club very rarely cancels a hike.  We hike come rain, sleet or snow.

Three times a year we take the charter bus to places farther away on one and two day trips.  We have gone to Mammoth Cave, Cumberland Falls, Spring Mill, Berea and Brown County to name a few places. 

This club probably holds the record in the United States for the longest continuous schedule of weekly hikes.