Six Mile Island State Nature Preserve is an undeveloped island in the Ohio River upstream from Louisville, Kentucky, managed by the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves and accessible only by boat. Dedicated on June 24, 1979, it takes its name from its distance from the Falls of the Ohio, following a local naming pattern seen elsewhere along the river. The preserve is especially known for its rich variety of waterbirds, which help define its river landscape. It also holds a modest place in Louisville tradition as the turnaround point and halfway marker for the Great Steamboat Race during the Kentucky Derby Festival.