Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Albany, Kentucky

Parker Mountain Road is a well-maintained, improved, two-vehicle-width gravel road that can be used to travel between Bell Farm Road on the east and Highway 167 on the West end. Along the way, there are two overlooks with nice views and also a great, easy two-mile hike to the beautiful Buffalo Arch....
Learn more about Parker Mountain Road

This is an easy gravel road. Mostly two-lane until you pass the road for the twin arches, and then it is a single lane. The first half has a lot of potholes, but nothing two-wheel drive can't avoid. Lots of Signage so you won't get lost! This road starts in Tennessee and continues across the state l...
Learn more about Divide Road

This is an easy gravel two land road with plenty of room for passing. There is a good size parking lot at the end for the Charit Creek Hiking Trailhead. No camping in the parking lot is allowed. This is a shared trail with horses, hikers, and bikers, so be respectful of other users. There is a restr...
Learn more about Fork Ridge Road

Easy single-lane gravel road. This trail dead-ends into the Blevins Cemetery and is the Rock Creek Loop trailhead. There's no room for trailers, but plenty of room to turn around at the end. Like all the other roads in this area, after a rainstorm, trees could fall, so having a chainsaw handy would ...
Learn more about Blevins Cemetery Road

Easy gravel road with room to pass another vehicle. This road has access to many hiking trails. This is a shared trail, so watch out for hikers or horses! The trail dead ends into a cemetery. Be careful after a storm, as you could encounter fallen trees. There are other cut-off trails on this one, b...
Learn more about Terry Cemetery Road

Starting at the Tennessee / Kentucky boarder, this easy gravel road transitions you from Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area into the Daniel Boone National Forest. Easy single lane drive through the woods. This connnecting trail has many cool side trails to old cemeteries and trailhead...
Learn more about Peters Mountain Road - FS 569

This is a slick single-lane road with not many pull-offs. This is a shared trail for horses, hikers, and vehicles, so watch out. This trail dead ends into a trailhead with very limited turnarounds. In the event of a big storm, there could be lots of downed trees. It also has a very small waterfall (...
Learn more about Hatfield Ridge Trail

Woods Road is a great area that offers dispersed camping, campground camping, hiking, and fishing options all along the 7 mile stretch of gravel. Woods Road parallels Rock Creek for most of its length and provides a great base to further explore Daniel Boone National Forest and Big South Fork. Gobbl...
Learn more about Woods Road

Lexton Mountain Road is a 2.5 gravel two-track that dead-ends at a nice campsite that could accommodate three to four trucks. Different from a lot of the road in the area this one travels along the top of the ridge versus the in the bottom of a valley. Be prepared for the possibility of small trees ...
Learn more about Lexton Mountain

This is an easy single-lane gravel road that connects you from Forest Road 569 to Beech Grove Road. While the road is easy for 2WD or 4WD, this road is single-lane with not too many pull-off opportunities. After a rainstorm, you can encounter downed trees. Keep an eye out for the arch!
Learn more about Laurel Ridge Road - FS 637

Bell Farm Road is a well-maintained, two-vehicle-wide gravel road that turns off of a Y in the road. This is a beautiful ride along some pastureland, and there is a nice overlook along the way. I did not see any camping opportunities along this route, although the map says it is permitted within 300...
Learn more about Bell Farm Road - FS 564

Dolan Mountain Road is an easy, 4.2-mile scenic gravel route in the Daniel Boone National Forest that is perfect for beginners and stock SUVs looking to explore the Kentucky highlands. Climbing from Rock Creek at an elevation of 936 feet up to the ridge of Dolan Mountain at 1,579 feet, this well-mai...
Learn more about Dolan Mountain

This is a single lane road with very limited pull offs. It is a shared road with hikers, horses and vehicles so watch out! There are some mud ruts down this road but nothing major, so if you like getting your vehicle a little dirty go after a rain storm! This is a tight trail and dead ends into a ho...
Learn more about Gernt Road

This is a combination of dirt, gravel, and single-track in-the-woods roads. There really aren't a lot of difficult obstacles to make a note of other than a few areas that are washed out on Duncan Hollow Road. We had cell service off and on during this drive (Verizon). There weren't any great views a...
Learn more about Bandy Creek Trek

This is a single lane gravel road with very few pulloffs. There are hiking trails and horse trails along this road, and it dead ends into horse trails with places to tie up horses. There is nothing too challenging about this trail, but it is a scenic drive through the woods.
Learn more about Gar Belvins Road

This is an easy two lane gravel road with plenty of room to pass oncoming traffic. This is a shared trail for hikers, bikers and vehicles, so be alert. This trail is normally busy, so it is well maintained and is the main road through the park to the campground.
Learn more about Bandy Creek Road

Single lane in most places with spots to bypass oncoming traffic, this road is the main road from the campground into the trail system. It is maintained and wide for high traffic use. Horses are not allowed down this section of the trail so you only need to watch out for hikers and bikers.
Learn more about Duncan Hollow Road

This easy single lane gravel road winds you through the woods. This short trail dead ends into a larger parking lot for you to be able to hike some trails. This is a shared trail as well for horses, bikes and hikers. There are pulloffs in case you run into someone along the way.
Learn more about Alfred Smith Road

This is mostly a single lane gravel road. It is a shared road with hikers, bikers, vehicles and horses so watch out! This route dead ends to a hiking trail. There is an open area parking lot for horse trails at the beginning and plenty of room to turn around at the end.
Learn more about Upper Burke Field Road

This is an easy single lane gravel road, with plenty of pulloffs for passing or turning around. You will go under power lines, where you'll have a nice viewpoint of the terrain. There are signs out there to stay on the trail, so be respectful. There is an easay turn around spot at the end of the tra...
Learn more about Ridge Road

This is a combination of dirt, gravel, and single-track in-the-woods roads. There really aren't a lot of difficult obstacles to make a note of other than a few areas that are washed out on Duncan Hollow Road. We had cell service off and on during this drive (Verizon). There weren't any great views a...
Learn more about Bandy Creek Trek

Note that this trail is impassable during high pool seasons of Lake Cumberland, from around March to October. Exercise caution and observe the water level. This route provides access through one of four roads to the Lake Cumberland WMA at Oil Center. Please keep in mind that this area is maintained ...
Learn more about Oil Center WMA Main Via Ringgold Road

Access to a beautiful waterfall into the Rockcastle River. Characteristics of an old Forest Service Road. Large gravel, dirt, and shallow water crossings. Some washouts around one foot deep. Beautiful drive through a less-trafficked area of Daniel Boone National Forest. There is a possibility of dow...
Learn more about Bear Creek Falls (5138)

Woodard Road is not a technical route;it is an easy gravel road leading down to a shallow creek crossing that includes a waterfall. The creek is shallow but the rock bottom can be slick. You can drive across it and continue further down the road or just turn around and head back out.
Learn more about Long Fork Waterfall

This is a combination of dirt, gravel, and single-track in-the-woods roads. There really aren't a lot of difficult obstacles to make a note of other than a few areas that are washed out on Duncan Hollow Road. We had cell service off and on during this drive (Verizon). There weren't any great views a...
Learn more about Bandy Creek Trek

Note that this trail is impassable during high pool seasons of Lake Cumberland, from around March to October. Exercise caution and observe the water level. This route provides access through one of four roads to the Lake Cumberland WMA at Oil Center. Please keep in mind that this area is maintained ...
Learn more about Oil Center WMA Main Via Ringgold Road

This well-maintained gravel road, mixed with sand, winds through the outskirts of the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Along this route, you'll pass through a site where a tornado struck in 2012. In the aftermath, the area was designated for a range of early plant succession management effort...
Learn more about Myatt Creek Road

Potters Ford Road winds its way through the heart of Catoosa Wildlife Management Area as a gentle gravel path perfect for a relaxed ride. This easygoing trail offers plenty to take in along the way—from towering rock walls to the free-flowing waters of the Obed River. Keep your eyes peeled for local...
Learn more about Potters Ford Road