Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Emlyn, Kentucky

Wolf Knob is an 8.2 mile out and back trail that ends at a closed forest service gate with a grassy road extending a ways beyond it. There is one nice campsite close to the eastern terminus in the shadow of a large rock overhang. This site has room for several trucks and/or tents. At this campsite, ...
Learn more about Wolf Knob

Jellico Creek Road, aka Rock Creek Road, connects to Angel Mountain Road and Little Rock Road to the west and then transitions to pavement to the east. Along the 2.75 mile route, you'll find several creekside campsites. During holiday weekends they can be very popular so be prepared for the possibil...
Learn more about Jellico Creek Road

Angel Mountain Road is a short out and back that intersects with Jellico Creek Road and Little Rock Road. Along the route, you'll find several small rock overhangs and outcroppings, locally known as "rock houses". At the top of the road, a short steep embankment leads to a small dirt road that conti...
Learn more about Angel Mountain

Little Rock Road is a scenic 5.5-mile point-to-point route perfect for beginners and stock four-wheel-drive vehicles looking to explore a mix of lush forests, historic landmarks, and accessible water features. Connecting Stephens Knob Road with Jellico Creek and Angel Mountain, this trail climbs fro...
Learn more about Little Rock Road

Ryans Mountain Road offers a scenic and beginner-friendly ridge ride through the lush Daniel Boone National Forest, making it an excellent choice for casual explorers, SxSs, and stock four-wheel-drive vehicles seeking a relaxed day on the trail. Spanning nearly six miles, this well-maintained gravel...
Learn more about Ryans Mountain Road

One of the best waterfall hikes in Kentucky lies along this well-maintained gravel forest road. Dog Slaughter Tail connects to Cumberland Falls Trail, with a great view coming along the bottom of the falls towards the State Park. There is a very heavy vehicle presence all along this road for hiking...
Learn more about Dog Slaughter (FSR 195)

Stephens Knob is relatively unassuming for the majority of its 7.7-mile length. It's a very well-maintained gravel road. During the winter, nice views are available off of the north side. There's a split at the end of the gravel, and both options lead back to a small grassy campsite. Cell service is...
Learn more about Stephens Knob

The Sandlick Trail is an easy trail ride that navigates through thick Tennessee mountain laurel, crosses several small streams along the way, and has a beautiful waterfall called No Business. This trail is one of the biggest feeder trails in the Tackett Creek area, with several trails branching off ...
Learn more about Sandlick Trail

This is a scenic and well-maintained Forest Service road that is also a part of the Kentucky Adventure Trail Main 2 Route. This road leads south of the Laurel Lake area and into some of the great waterfall hikes around the Cumberland Falls area. It's an absolutely gorgeous area any time of the year.
Learn more about Curd Garden (FSR 193)

This is a well-maintained gravel road that goes from Highway 25W to the elk viewing tower at Hatfield Knob. There are several viewing areas and lookouts on the way up as well, so keep an eye out for elk and deer. September is the best time to view elk, as they tend to gather into large herds during ...
Learn more about Elk Viewing Tower Road - Trail 25

Pond Trail, within the Sundquist Unit of the North Cumberland Off Highway Vehicle Riding Area, near LaFollette, Tennessee, is 2 miles long, meandering up and over small rolling hills on a muddy quad track. The east entrance to the trail is off of Fred’s Way Trail and has a narrow entrance between ta...
Learn more about Pond Trail 29

This short hunter’s access road is an unmarked and more primitive Off- Highway Vehicle trail in the Sundquist Unit of the North Cumberland Off- Highway Vehicle Riding Area. The trail starts off from the south end as a single-lane gravel road, lined with locust trees and river birch trees. Watch out ...
Learn more about Hunter Access Pond Road

This trail is a maintained gravel road that connects several other popular trails. At one end it connects to Trail 19, and at the other end, it connects to Trail 25. Trail 37 is also accessible from this trail and is a popular waterfall destination. There is also a cemetery called McCormick Cemetery...
Learn more about McCormick Cemetery Road - Trail 24

The Wilson Loop Trail is a .8 mile long Off- Highway Vehicle trail within the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area, in the Sundquist Unit north of LaFollette, Tennessee, that makes a loop off of McCormick Cemetery Road. There is a mucky mud hole right at the entrance after the sign on the west ...
Learn more about Wilson Loop Trail 38

The School House Trail within the Sundquist Unit of the North Cumberland Off- Highway Vehicle Riding Area is open to high-clearance 4x4 vehicles and Off- Highway Vehicles. The short trail, at 1.2 miles long, is mostly wide and gradual, with minimal elevation change. It meanders on a hilltop in a lus...
Learn more about School House Trail 16

4005 is a mostly well-maintained Forest Service road, with large gravel for around three quarters of the road. Past that is a less-maintained but in good condition dirt trail. Access to 4005A is at the end of this trail. It would appear that some small cabins are being built towards the end of the r...
Learn more about DBNF 4005

This trail intersects with 16 Creeks trail and runs out a long stretch of high ridges with some excellent views of the surrounding area. The east side of the trail goes to several cell/radio towers that allow you to look over the town of Middlesboro and even see the tunnels at Cumberland Gap into Te...
Learn more about High Ridge Towers

This is an easy two lane gravel road to the the trail system at the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area. There is plenty of room to pass and has a 685 foot elevation gain in a short period. This road is just one of the ways to get to the Elk viewing tower. A North Cumberland Off-Highway Vehicl...
Learn more about Ivydell Road

This is an easy 10-minute, two-lane gravel road right off Highway 75, providing a scenic alternate backroad route that will take you to US 63. Plenty of room to pass other vehicles. This road does not require a permit to drive on.
Learn more about Stinking Creek Road

Lost Ridge Trail within the Sundquist Unit of the North Cumberland OHV Riding Area, is a 1.7 mile long easy OHV trail. It’s mostly a narrow trail on a muddy clay-dirt surface, with a mix of loose rock, and a few bigger flat rocks in the trail that are easy to ride over, but can be slick when wet. Th...
Learn more about Lost Ridge Trail 14

The Sandlick Trail is an easy trail ride that navigates through thick Tennessee mountain laurel, crosses several small streams along the way, and has a beautiful waterfall called No Business. This trail is one of the biggest feeder trails in the Tackett Creek area, with several trails branching off ...
Learn more about Sandlick Trail

This is a well-maintained gravel road that goes from Highway 25W to the elk viewing tower at Hatfield Knob. There are several viewing areas and lookouts on the way up as well, so keep an eye out for elk and deer. September is the best time to view elk, as they tend to gather into large herds during ...
Learn more about Elk Viewing Tower Road - Trail 25

Pond Trail, within the Sundquist Unit of the North Cumberland Off Highway Vehicle Riding Area, near LaFollette, Tennessee, is 2 miles long, meandering up and over small rolling hills on a muddy quad track. The east entrance to the trail is off of Fred’s Way Trail and has a narrow entrance between ta...
Learn more about Pond Trail 29

This short hunter’s access road is an unmarked and more primitive Off- Highway Vehicle trail in the Sundquist Unit of the North Cumberland Off- Highway Vehicle Riding Area. The trail starts off from the south end as a single-lane gravel road, lined with locust trees and river birch trees. Watch out ...
Learn more about Hunter Access Pond Road

The Sandlick Trail is an easy trail ride that navigates through thick Tennessee mountain laurel, crosses several small streams along the way, and has a beautiful waterfall called No Business. This trail is one of the biggest feeder trails in the Tackett Creek area, with several trails branching off ...
Learn more about Sandlick Trail

This is a well-maintained gravel road that goes from Highway 25W to the elk viewing tower at Hatfield Knob. There are several viewing areas and lookouts on the way up as well, so keep an eye out for elk and deer. September is the best time to view elk, as they tend to gather into large herds during ...
Learn more about Elk Viewing Tower Road - Trail 25

Pond Trail, within the Sundquist Unit of the North Cumberland Off Highway Vehicle Riding Area, near LaFollette, Tennessee, is 2 miles long, meandering up and over small rolling hills on a muddy quad track. The east entrance to the trail is off of Fred’s Way Trail and has a narrow entrance between ta...
Learn more about Pond Trail 29

This short hunter’s access road is an unmarked and more primitive Off- Highway Vehicle trail in the Sundquist Unit of the North Cumberland Off- Highway Vehicle Riding Area. The trail starts off from the south end as a single-lane gravel road, lined with locust trees and river birch trees. Watch out ...
Learn more about Hunter Access Pond Road