Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Pathfork, Kentucky

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Trail 10

You can expect a nice easy cruise up the mountain. It is a fairly gradual grade increase with occasional sections of loose rocks along the way. During the fall it seemed as though the trail…
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Total Miles
2
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Main Forest Road

Main Forest Road runs from the entrance to Chuck Swan State Forest until it meets Forks of River Road, which will take you to the very end of this route. It's relatively smooth in comparison…
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Total Miles
13
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Mossy Springs

This route traverses from the southern portions of Chuck Swan WMA to one of the more remote areas on the northern border. Along this route you'll find some easy but fun roads, a natural freshwater…
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Total Miles
6.1
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Lost Creek & Clear Creek

This route provides a bit more challenge and adrenaline than the majority of the roads in Chuck Swan WMA, but still keeps it well within the capabilities of most stock and slightly modified 4x4s. Along…
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Total Miles
5.2
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Big Loop & Big Springs

This loop gives you a bit of everything there is to see in Chuck Swan WMA. This route is slightly rougher than Main Forest Rd, but still passable by capable 2WD vehicles except during the…
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Total Miles
15
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Wolf Knob

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…
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Total Miles
7.8
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Jellico Creek Road

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…
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Total Miles
2.5
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Ryans Mountain Road

Ryans Mountain Road is a well-maintained gravel route that's two vehicles wide for the majority of its nearly six-mile length. It climbs from Kentucky State Highway 1470 before dropping back down from the ridgeline in…
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Total Miles
5.6
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa / Wi

Stephens Knob

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…
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Total Miles
7.4
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Su / Fa

Angel Mountain

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".…
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Total Miles
2.4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Fa / Su / Sp

Little Rock Road

Little Rock Road connects Stephens Knob Road with Jellico Creek and Angel Mountain. The northern portion is mostly gravel and better maintained the southern portion where you'll find a few water crossings and rocky sections.…
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Total Miles
5.4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa / Wi

Decoy-Magoffin Loop

As with many trails in the under-development system that will become Eastern Kentucky's expansive off-road trail offerings, this route is a DIY adventure created by locals that know these mountains like the backs of their…
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Total Miles
27.4
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Rockcastle Exploring River Bypass

This wooded, mountain road is an easy gravel bypass. The road takes you by the Wildcat Mountain Civil War monuments and battlefield. It's a very beautiful drive and full of history.
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Total Miles
3.1
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Massengale Mountain

This route starts just off of I-75 and has you up in the mountains within minutes. While the top portion of the track is relatively smooth and graded, the switchbacks ascending the ridge include washouts,…
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Total Miles
13.6
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Old Fincastle/Big Andy Ridge

This is an awesome scenic trail. You can skip the Old Fincastle section if you just want an easy drive through the Red River Gorge.
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Total Miles
13.5
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

62

This trail is one of the recommended Windrock Park trails to get to the Caryville Flats (G54,62,66). It is a moderate trail with some mild washouts, small to medium rocks, and medium ledges. My only…
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Total Miles
1.1
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Bald Rock Fork Rd

This is a great trail for beginners, and has a little bit of everything. Mostly gravel roads with a couple creek crossings, creek bed and a steep gravel hill. There are old oil buildings and…
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Total Miles
2.2
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

66 - Caryville Flats

This trail is very scenic but very flat. There are some areas that are muddy, but there are ways around them. There is supposed to be a rock garden near the end of the trail,…
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Total Miles
1.4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Big Clifty Road

Big Clifty is a mild introduction to the forest roads in the area. This seven-mile track climbs to the Meadow View Lookout Tower and is easily traversed by a 2WD vehicle. Cell service is available…
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Total Miles
6.4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Cave Fork Rd DBBB

A beautiful trail with plenty of scenery and a few shallow creek crossings. There are plenty of spots to pull over and enjoy the outdoors, and the creeks are cold and clear. This trail is…
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Total Miles
2.7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su

Hall Top Road

Hall Top climbs 1,500 feet over the five-mile route from the rhododendron shaded valley to the rocky peak above. The majority of the route is maintained, but some of the steeper sections are rocky and…
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Total Miles
4.5
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su

Meadow Creek Tower Road

This short two-mile trail is a great quick route to visit the tower. It's relatively tame outside of a few sections with larger rocks. When paired with Big Clifty, it makes for a nice 10-mile…
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Total Miles
2.2
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Hall Top Spur

The Hall Top Spur allows access to the Hall Top Fire Tower, Big Fill Road, and Rocky Top Road from the eastern border of this section of Cherokee National Forest. The road climbs steeply from…
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Total Miles
2.5
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su

74 - Middle Ridge

Trail 74 - Middle Ridge winds through to complete Trail G67 to exit you out of the park or bring you in for an adventure from HWY 116. This easy "Blue" trail, as Windrock Park…
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Total Miles
1.1
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

50

This trail is a mild trail. Dirt or rocky base. Driver may encounter shallow water crossings and obstacles under 12". The trail is generally wide enough for one vehicle and narrows in a few places.…
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Total Miles
2.7
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

59 - Grassy Gap

Trail 59 Grassy Gap is short and goes around the mountain trail for those days where you just have to hit "just one more trail" before you head back to camp. This trail is considered…
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Total Miles
0.7
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

G67 - Brown Flats

Easy traveling is G67. This trail is the epitome of a stroll in the park with its smooth gravel roads with intermittent mud puddles to make the most basic rides feel like a scenic adventure.…
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Total Miles
2
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Fixer Rd DBBB

Fixer Road is another section of the Daniel Boone Backwood Byway. This trail has a creek crossing, a creek bed section and some mud. It is very scenic and ties in with a few other…
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Total Miles
2
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Brush Creek Road

Brush Creek starts out as a narrow paved road, but once it meets the western end of Weaver's Bend it transitions to gravel. This is a beautiful drive and the namesake creek parallels the road…
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Total Miles
4.5
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

89 - Little Braden Flat

Trail 89 - Little Braden Flat is a shortcut over a trail that connects G50 to G66 or the more famous Trail 51 - Panther Rock. While this trail is short at barely a half…
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Total Miles
0.5
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi