Boardinghouse Access - FS 333

Trail Overview

Boardinghouse Access (FS 333) is a natural mix of terrain, and a Forest Service road through the central Kentucky inland section of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. It connects as a loop with the Energy Lake Road (FS 134) and Bald Knob (FS 152), housing the feeder branch creek in the valley that flows into Shaw Bay, amongst the three roads. Both ends of the road start with gravel roads, but shortly turn into a natural coarse gravel mixed into, and often fading to, clay-like red dirt that the Land Between the Lakes is known for. The road has mild mudholes and erosion ruts, some of which show signs of being mended in the past but have fallen back into a rough state, the deepest ruts being on the far northern hill that meets the northern end point at Boardinghouse Hollow. This is a great road to use as an alternative to the western section of Bald Knob (FS 152) when coming or going to the north on FS 134, with a similar thrill to boot.

Photos of Boardinghouse Access - FS 333

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Difficulty

This trail is given a base rating of 4/10, this being directly related to the far northern hill, having 18-inch active erosion ruts, and washes going down the hill. This is backed by a few small mudholes and smaller ruts along the rest of the track, being more in the 3/10 or 2/10 wheelhouse, especially in the dry summer. The road could get more difficult through heavy use, wet conditions, and further lack of maintenance. This road is friendly to full-size vehicles.

History

In a 1950 Fenton, Kentucky, topo map, you can see that the County Road pre-TVA takeover actually followed the Boardinghouse Access Road instead of the western end of the Bald Knob (FS 152), this is seen again in 1967, in the 1980s both roads seem to become equals, and then by 2010 and on, the Bald Knob took over as the main road through the area. Documented by Christopher Menz, 10/2025.

Technical Rating

Boardinghouse Access - FS 333 can be accessed by the following ride types:

• High-Clearance 4x4
• SUV