Daniel Boone Back Country Byway Trail System |
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The Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway is a multi-county Tourism Project of highly scenic and moderately challenging street legal, high clearance 4x4 vehicle routes running through Powell, Lee, Wolfe, Menifee, and Estill official county roads. Approximately 2/3 of the network is asphalt or gravel, and a beautiful drive through backwoods KY. The other 1/3 is off pavement and most is navigable with 4WD and decent mud tires. Street ATs or other milder treads may present issues in a couple of spots. There is one creek crossing at the bottom of Old Fincastle Rd. When water is high, it can be 36" deep and fairly fast moving, but easy to cross. Going up the hill on the far side of this stream is a bit off camber and can be muddy. It's not hard or dangerous, but can be difficult if you don't have decent bite from your tires. Once you cross the stream, about half way up the trail there is a large rock wall and some smaller rocks to crawl. Not hard to get through but you should have a spotter out to help rigs get through this section. From there it's straight up the hill and back onto pavement.
The purpose of the project is to put into use the beautiful county roads to generate tourism money for local businesses while improving and preserving the roads from illegal closures, vandalism, erosion, and other risks.
It's a long loop (98.7 miles) in some of the most remote and scenic territory in the State of Kentucky including the Red River Gorge.
There is one section in the southwest quadrant of the network that takes you through a county road called Mountain Springs Road. This section has become very rutted and muddy which we will avoid to prevent further damage to the trail system. We may also avoid: Spass Creek, Pumpkin Hollow, Mt. Spring Rd, Leco-Fixer Rd, and Old Fincastle Rd in order to tread lightly.
It is suggested that you begin in Slade, KY and travel West along the route until you intersect the loop. From there, counterclockwise is preferred.
The purpose of the project is to put into use the beautiful county roads to generate tourism money for local businesses while improving and preserving the roads from illegal closures, vandalism, erosion, and other risks.
It's a long loop (98.7 miles) in some of the most remote and scenic territory in the State of Kentucky including the Red River Gorge.
There is one section in the southwest quadrant of the network that takes you through a county road called Mountain Springs Road. This section has become very rutted and muddy which we will avoid to prevent further damage to the trail system. We may also avoid: Spass Creek, Pumpkin Hollow, Mt. Spring Rd, Leco-Fixer Rd, and Old Fincastle Rd in order to tread lightly.
It is suggested that you begin in Slade, KY and travel West along the route until you intersect the loop. From there, counterclockwise is preferred.
Sample Memorial Day 2019 itinerary:
Friday May 24th: Detroit to Campton Kentucky which is about 400 miles or 7 hours. Lodging is at the Cliff View Lodge www.cliffviewresort.com/
Saturday May 25th: After breakfast we will head out for a full day on the trails. Pack a lunch!! Dinner is either on your own or with the group. Return to Cliff View Lodge.
Sunday May 26th: After breakfast we will head out for a full day on the trails. Pack a lunch!! Dinner is either on your own or with the group. Probably a do it yourself car wash after two days in the woods! Return to Cliff View Lodge.
Monday May 27th: Depart Campton KY and head back North remembering the trails, scenery and the time we spent together.
Friday May 24th: Detroit to Campton Kentucky which is about 400 miles or 7 hours. Lodging is at the Cliff View Lodge www.cliffviewresort.com/
Saturday May 25th: After breakfast we will head out for a full day on the trails. Pack a lunch!! Dinner is either on your own or with the group. Return to Cliff View Lodge.
Sunday May 26th: After breakfast we will head out for a full day on the trails. Pack a lunch!! Dinner is either on your own or with the group. Probably a do it yourself car wash after two days in the woods! Return to Cliff View Lodge.
Monday May 27th: Depart Campton KY and head back North remembering the trails, scenery and the time we spent together.
Rocky section near old Fincastle (no stock Jeeps) |
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DBBB Trip, May 24-27, 2019:
The Wolverines headed to Slade/Campton Kentucky over the Memorial Day weekend to ride on the Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway (DBBB). Traffic on Friday was terrible for most of the drive south until you reached Kentucky. Layne, Paul, Phil & Linda met up with Bill, Nancy and Cristian at the Mexican restaurant just outside of Slade on US 11. It seemed that everybody who was causing the traffic jams had also gone to Slade as all the restaurants were jammed with visitors. The group made their way back to Cliff View Resort which is a 16-bedroom log lodge with a spacious first floor seating area with couches and tables. Perfect for a Wolverine visit!
The next morning the group met up with AJ and KShama who were guests. They wanted to learn about 4-wheeling their 2019 Cherokee Trailhawk. Not knowing the trails, we decided to go west to meet the DBBB and to travel counterclockwise. We found ourselves on a nice dirt/rocky trail complete with some small creek crossings. We crossed a river that luckily was not too high and headed for what we thought was the DBBB. It looked like we should have gone straight so we sent Bill & Nancy to check it out since they were in the back of the group. Turns out they found the trail but it was not Cherokee friendly as the rocks got numerous and larger. The group then tried the trail that they originally started down and found a DBBB confidence marker but it did not appear on the Cartotrack map system. It was an old railroad bed that spanned across each little valley. We were told that it should take us out by one group and another group said the trail was blocked. As we made our way we found where a stone wall had been erected to the left side of the trail blocking a nice-looking road which would have led us out. To the right was a good climb that hopefully would be Cherokee friendly. The group had also noticed a side trail before then and once again sent Nancy & Bill to explore. This time they found a nice trail that led right back to the lodge. After giving AJ a quick tug on a strap the group arrived back at the lodge after doing about 24 miles which took all day. Dinner that night was at The Rockhouse which has counter service and then you wait at a table for your food. The burgers were really good along with adult beverages.
Day two started at 9:30 by meeting AJ and KShama at the zipline parking lot and the group headed north. After a brief pit stop for fuel and power steering fluid, they made their way to the NADA tunnel just off US77. The NADA tunnel is an old train tunnel the width of 1 lane which was hand dug through the rock. After a brief wait, we all took our turn at traversing the tunnel. It was cool! We made a right on the DBBB and had a very scenic drive down a paved road. We stopped at the Chimney Rocks for lunch and a hike. Amazing views but you were on top of the chimneys so they were not very visible. The road there was very dusty. The group returned to the DBBB and stopped at the visitors’ center as well. It was back to road after that. We finally made a turn onto dirt and headed back into the woods. Another wrong turn so once again we sent Nancy & Bill down another trail to see where it went. Sure enough it was the DBBB but it was the other end of the not so Cherokee friendly rock garden that the group avoided the day before. We turned around once again and somehow Bill was in the lead position and we ended up at an ice cream place! After the brief snack the group decided to avoid going out to dinner and instead got a couple of pizzas and took them back to the lodge. It was good pizza and excellent fellowship as we all had a chance to talk even more! We did about 75 miles the second day with the majority being paved.
In the end we had one very minor stuck, one refill of power steering fluid, one damaged air dam and bumper and the removal of a drive shaft boot that made a whooping noise on the road. The group is looking forward to returning to the DBBB and exploring the rest of the trails next time!
The Wolverines headed to Slade/Campton Kentucky over the Memorial Day weekend to ride on the Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway (DBBB). Traffic on Friday was terrible for most of the drive south until you reached Kentucky. Layne, Paul, Phil & Linda met up with Bill, Nancy and Cristian at the Mexican restaurant just outside of Slade on US 11. It seemed that everybody who was causing the traffic jams had also gone to Slade as all the restaurants were jammed with visitors. The group made their way back to Cliff View Resort which is a 16-bedroom log lodge with a spacious first floor seating area with couches and tables. Perfect for a Wolverine visit!
The next morning the group met up with AJ and KShama who were guests. They wanted to learn about 4-wheeling their 2019 Cherokee Trailhawk. Not knowing the trails, we decided to go west to meet the DBBB and to travel counterclockwise. We found ourselves on a nice dirt/rocky trail complete with some small creek crossings. We crossed a river that luckily was not too high and headed for what we thought was the DBBB. It looked like we should have gone straight so we sent Bill & Nancy to check it out since they were in the back of the group. Turns out they found the trail but it was not Cherokee friendly as the rocks got numerous and larger. The group then tried the trail that they originally started down and found a DBBB confidence marker but it did not appear on the Cartotrack map system. It was an old railroad bed that spanned across each little valley. We were told that it should take us out by one group and another group said the trail was blocked. As we made our way we found where a stone wall had been erected to the left side of the trail blocking a nice-looking road which would have led us out. To the right was a good climb that hopefully would be Cherokee friendly. The group had also noticed a side trail before then and once again sent Nancy & Bill to explore. This time they found a nice trail that led right back to the lodge. After giving AJ a quick tug on a strap the group arrived back at the lodge after doing about 24 miles which took all day. Dinner that night was at The Rockhouse which has counter service and then you wait at a table for your food. The burgers were really good along with adult beverages.
Day two started at 9:30 by meeting AJ and KShama at the zipline parking lot and the group headed north. After a brief pit stop for fuel and power steering fluid, they made their way to the NADA tunnel just off US77. The NADA tunnel is an old train tunnel the width of 1 lane which was hand dug through the rock. After a brief wait, we all took our turn at traversing the tunnel. It was cool! We made a right on the DBBB and had a very scenic drive down a paved road. We stopped at the Chimney Rocks for lunch and a hike. Amazing views but you were on top of the chimneys so they were not very visible. The road there was very dusty. The group returned to the DBBB and stopped at the visitors’ center as well. It was back to road after that. We finally made a turn onto dirt and headed back into the woods. Another wrong turn so once again we sent Nancy & Bill down another trail to see where it went. Sure enough it was the DBBB but it was the other end of the not so Cherokee friendly rock garden that the group avoided the day before. We turned around once again and somehow Bill was in the lead position and we ended up at an ice cream place! After the brief snack the group decided to avoid going out to dinner and instead got a couple of pizzas and took them back to the lodge. It was good pizza and excellent fellowship as we all had a chance to talk even more! We did about 75 miles the second day with the majority being paved.
In the end we had one very minor stuck, one refill of power steering fluid, one damaged air dam and bumper and the removal of a drive shaft boot that made a whooping noise on the road. The group is looking forward to returning to the DBBB and exploring the rest of the trails next time!