Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway – KY

Story of the Byway

Running along a ridge of land between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, Woodlands Trace is a beautiful, easy drive in rolling terrain with opportunities to pull off and explore on your own or at developed interpretive facilities. This outdoor setting includes the seasonal splendors of nature, with blossoming trees and flowers in the spring, a green canopy in the summer, brilliant fall foliage, and the open view in the forest in the winter.

Travel this 43-mile passageway through Land Between the Lakes to your choice of outdoor recreation activities such as camping under the stars, hiking forest trails, exploring the universe from your planetarium seat, canoeing or kayaking picturesque bays, motor-boating along splendid waterways, riding ATVs, mountain biking along lakeside clefts, horseback riding to scenic views, picnicking at a quiet pond, time-traveling to the 1850s, discovering Civil War sites, or photographing beautiful spring flowers or colorful autumn leaves. You will begin your journey in Grand Rivers, Kentucky and travel south. The route here features stunning views of Kentucky Lake. At the North Welcome Station Area, you can find souvenirs, maps of the area, and a great place to picnic before venturing into the heart of the Land between the Lakes. Stop by for a swim at the Moss Creek Day Use Area, complete with picnic tables, grills, and plenty of lakeshore space, or stay overnight at the Hillman Ferry Campground March through November. You will be able to find supplies for sale or for rent at the outpost.

Along the route, discover one of many nature watch areas. The Woodlands Nature Watch Areas offer optimum opportunity to see native wildlife thrive at Land Between the Lakes. The Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area manages the area to keep the forest healthy and to keep invasive species from taking control of the native landscape and plants crops to help native wildlife build habitats for healthy living and hide from predators. At the nature watch areas and outlooks, visitors will have the opportunity to see impressive mammals such as elk and bison.

Almost halfway along the byway, be sure to stop at the Golden Pond Planetarium and Observatory. When you visit the Golden Pond Planetarium, you will enjoy a variety of entertaining and educational programs presented with the Konica Minolta Mediaglobe II digital projection system which displays exciting images on the 40-foot dome of the theater. Friends of Land Between the Lakes provides qualified interpreters at the Planetarium who supplement the automated presentations with live, personal interactions with the audience. “Tonight’s Sky Live” is a live presentation which allows you to learn about planets, stars, and constellations in the night sky of the coming evening. At the Observatory you will look through their computerized, Meade 16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope to view the wonders of the universe. They also have a special telescope made for safe viewing of the sun.

As the byway continues into Tennessee, keep an eye out for even more bison and wildlife viewing. Be sure to make a stop at the Homeplace 1850s working farm. Homeplace 1850s Working Farm and Living History Museum represents a two-generation farm. When you visit the Homeplace, you will see interpreters in period clothing going about their daily chores. You’ll find the perfect blend of artifacts, restored historic structures, and traditional seasonal activities to step you back in time to relive history before the Civil War. Even the livestock includes rare and endangered breeds. The Land Between the Lakes cultivates many varieties of garden plants and field crops; most from heirloom seeds dating back before the Civil War. These heirloom seeds can be purchased in the gift shop.

As you drive along the byway, try to spot the Great Western Furnace ruins. Beginning with the industrial revolution in the 1820s, the demand for iron products for factories and consumers increased through the mid-1800s. The iron industry in Land Between the Lakes contributed to a regional industry that stretched from Western Kentucky to the southern counties of Middle Tennessee. The rivers provided cheap transportation to markets. Today, only two of the eight furnace stacks remain: Great Western Furnace and Center Furnace. Other markers of this thriving industry include shallow ponds that were once iron ore surface mines, cliffs of limestone from mines long abandoned, barren circles in the forest that were once charcoal hearths, and even, in some locations, railroad beds.

The byway reaches its termination point at the South Welcome Station, just north of Dover. In this mountain town, be sure to have a nature-filled getaway to relax after finishing the drive.