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Kentucky Scenic Byways

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Kentucky Scenic Byways
Kentucky Scenic Byway signage on KY 70 near Highland Springs, Kentucky
System information
Length1,346.405 mi[1] (2,166.829 km)
FormedOctober 1994; 30 years ago (1994-10)
Highway names
InterstatesInterstate X (I-X)
US HighwaysUS Highway X (US X)
StateKentucky Route X (KY X)
System links
  • Kentucky State Highway System

The Kentucky Scenic Byway System is a system of tourist routes in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It consists of roads in the state that travel through areas of scenic, historic, and cultural significance. The state's scenic byway system was initiated in October 1994, and it presently includes 34 designated byways, including three national scenic byways. As of 2007, the total mileage of all scenic byways in Kentucky includes up to 1,346.405 miles (2,166.829 km) worth of state highways and local roadways. The byway system is controlled by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and governed by Kentucky Revised Statutes 177.571-177.576.[2]

The intent of this system is to provide travelers with a safe and interesting alternate route. Some of the state scenic byway system even includes some select county-maintained roads, depending on the byway. The state's scenic byway shield features a tree on the left half of the sign with a couple of black birds flying from it.

Byways

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Nationally-designated byways

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Byway/Highway name[1] Counties Routes involved Route description Length
Country Music Highway[3] Greenup, Boyd, Lawrence, Johnson, Floyd, Pike, Letcher US 23 / US 119 US 23 From Greenup to Jenkins and US 119 to Whitesburg 144.085 miles (231.882 km)
Great River Road National Route Fulton, Hickman, Carlisle, Ballard US 51 / KY 94 / KY 123 / KY 239 / KY 1203 KY 94 from the Tennessee state line to Hickman and Cayce, KY 123 to Columbus to northern Carlisle County, US 51 from KY 1203 to the Ohio River near Cairo, Illinois 40.375 miles (64.977 km)
Great River Road Alternate Fulton, Hickman, Carlisle US 51 / KY 80 / KY 125 / KY 166 / KY 1648 KY 125 and KY 166 from Hickman to Fulton, US 51 from Fulton to Clinton to KY 1203 Junction north of Bardwell 22.875 miles (36.814 km)
Lincoln Heritage Scenic Highway LaRue, Nelson, Washington, Boyle US 62 / US 31E / US 150 / US 150 Bus. US 31E from the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace N.H.P. in Hodgenville to Bardstown, US 150 to Danville 71.2 miles (114.6 km)
Red River Gorge Scenic Byway [3] Menifee, Powell, Wolfe KY 11 / KY 15 / KY 77 / KY 715 Beginning on KY 11 east of Stanton extending through the Red River Gorge, along Pine Ridge on KY 715, back to Slade on KY 77, then along KY 11 south to the Lee County Line at Zachariah. 45.009 miles (72.435 km)
Wilderness Road Heritage Highway Bell, Knox, Laurel, Rockcastle, Madison US 25 / US 25E / KY 229 US 25-E from the Cumberland Gap Tunnel to Bailey's Switch, KY 229 to US 25 junction at London, US 25 to Berea 93.776 miles (150.918 km)
Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway[4] Lyon, Trigg KY 453 (FD-100) KY 453 via Grand Rivers, FD-100 southward to the Tennessee state line in southwest Trigg County 30.00 miles (48.28 km)
(within Kentucky)

State-designated byways

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Statewide

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  • U.S. Route 68 Scenic Byway - involving most of the entire route of US 68 from Reidland to Maysville; including the small sections of the highway that were already designated as a state scenic byway. It runs through six (6) tourism regions.[1][5]

Bluegrass, Blues, and Barbecue (Northwest Kentucky)

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The byways in this region are part of a group of scenic byways, the Blues to Bluegrass Scenic Byways.

Byway/Highway name[1] Counties Routes involved Description Length
Bill Monroe Bluegrass Trail Ohio, Daviess, Hancock US 60 / US 62 / US 231 / KY 54 / KY 69 / KY 85 / KY 334 / KY 657 / KY 1164 / KY 1544 / KY 3092 Rockport to Hartford to Rosine, to Fordsville, to Hawesville/Lewisport to Owensboro to the Daviess/McLean County line. 111.581 miles (179.572 km)
Everly Brothers Rock-N-Roll Trail Muhlenberg, McLean, Webster US 41 / US 41 Alt. / US 62 / US 431 / KY 70 / KY 56 / KY 81 / KY 132 / KY 136 / KY 189 / KY 1031 / KY 176 / KY 1380 KY 56 from the Union/Webster County line to US 41A, US 41A to Dixon, KY 132 to Sebree, KY 136 to Calhoun, KY 81 to South Carrollton, US 431 and KY 1031 to Central City, US 431/KY 70 to Drakesboro, KY 176 to Greenville, US 62 through Powderly to Central City to Muhlenberg/Ohio County line 99.86 miles (160.71 km)
W.C. Handy Blues Trail Daviess, Henderson, Union US 41A / US 60 / KY 56 US 60 from Owensboro to Morganfield, KY 56 to Union/Webster County line 59.525 miles (95.796 km)

Caves, Lakes, and Corvettes (South Central Kentucky)

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Byway/Highway name[1][6] Counties Routes involved Route description Length
Cordell Hull Highway[7] Barren and Monroe KY 70 / KY 90 / US 31E / US 31E Bus. / US 68 Bus. / KY 63 / KY 163 KY 255 from the Mammoth Cave National Park boundary to KY 70 junction, KY 70 east to Cave City, KY 90 to Glasgow, US 31E and US 68 Bus to downtown Glasgow, US 31E Business and KY 63 to Tompkinsville, KY 163 from Tompkinsville to the Tennessee state line 51.584 miles (83.016 km)
Duncan Hines Scenic Byway[8] Edmonson; Warren US 31W / US 68 / KY 80 / KY 101 / KY 259 / KY 70 / KY 187 / KY 238 / KY 728 / KY 1827 / KY 1352 / KY 2325, Mammoth Cave Parkway, Green River Ferry Road, Rocky Hill Road, Sixth Street (Smiths Grove), Smiths Grove-Oakland Road, Oakland Road From Bowling Green via US 31W and KY 101 to Rhoda, KY 259 through Brownsville, KY 70 to Huff, KY 187 to Sunfish, KY 238 to Bee Spring, Mammoth Cave NP via KY 728, KY 1827, and Nolin Lake Dam, Green River Ferry, MC Parkway, KY 70, KY 2325, to near Pig to Rocky Hill, Smiths Grove and Oakland via locally maintained roads. 65.724 miles (105.773 km)
Highway 100 Scenic Drive[9] Logan, Simpson, Allen, Monroe, and Cumberland KY 100 Entire KY 100 corridor from Russellville to just east of Marrowbone 95.404 miles (153.538 km)

Kentucky's Derby Region (North Central Kentucky)

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Byway/Highway name[1] Counties Routes involved Route description Length
Abraham Lincoln Heritage Highway Boyle, Nelson, Washington US 150 US 150 from Bardstown to Danville 34 miles (55 km)
Old Kentucky Turnpike [10] LaRue, Nelson US 31E / US 62 / US 150 From Abraham Lincoln Birthplace to the entrance of My Old Kentucky Home State Park 28.059 miles (45.157 km)
River Road Jefferson (Metro Louisville River Road From US 42 in northeast Louisville to the Zorn Avenue intersection 7 miles (11 km)
US 42 in Oldham County Oldham US 42 US 42's entire course through Oldham County 14.767 miles (23.765 km)

Bluegrass Region (East-central Kentucky)

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Byway/Highway name[1] Counties Routes involved Route description Length
Boone Creek Scenic Byway Fayette, Clark County KY 418, Grimes Mill Road, McCalls Mill Road Loop around two back roads off KY 418 near Athens 8.6 miles (13.8 km)
Pigsah Pike Woodford KY 1967 From US 60 north to KY 1681 5.069 miles (8.158 km)
Rice, VanMeter, and Elk Chester Roads Fayette KY 1969 All three specified roads on west side of Lexington off US 60 (Versailles Road) 6.295 miles (10.131 km)
Russell Cave Road Fayette KY 353 From KY 1973 to Hughes Lane 2.461 miles (3.961 km)
Old Frankfort Pike[11] Fayette, Franklin, Woodford KY 1681 Entire corridor from near Frankfort to downtown Lexington 14.541 miles (23.401 km)
Old Richmond Road and Grimes Mill Road Fayette US 25 / US 421 Grimes Mill Road, then following US 25/421 to the KY 418 junction 6.8 miles (10.9 km)
Versailles to Midway Road Woodford US 62 from Versailles to Midway 6.3 miles (10.1 km)
Winchester Road Corridor Fayette, Clark US 60 Winchester Road connecting the eastern outskirts of Lexington to the Clark County line 4.8 miles (7.7 km)

Southern Kentucky Vacations (Southeast Central Kentucky)

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Byway/Highway name[1] Counties Routes involved Route description Length
Cumberland Cultural Heritage Byway Metcalfe, Green, Taylor, Adair, Cumberland, Clinton, Wayne, Russell, McCreary, Pulaski, Lincoln, Boyle US 27 / US 127 / US 150 / KY 55 / KY 61 / KY 78 / KY 90 / KY 163 KY 90 from Cumberland Falls S.R.P. to Monticello to Beaumont (including KY 90's concurrencies with US 27, US 127, and KY 61), KY 163 from Beaumont to US 68/KY 80 at Edmonton, KY 80 to Columbia to Russell Springs, and US 127 to Danville, US 150 to Stanford, and KY 78 back to US 127 at Hustonville 187.201 miles (301.271 km)
Zollicoffer-Thomas Scenic Byway Pulaski and Wayne KY 235 (Old Mill Springs Battlefield Road) Entire corridor 10.36 miles (16.67 km)

Daniel Boone Country (Southeastern Kentucky)

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Byway/Highway name[1] Counties Routes involved Route description Length
Ridgetop Scenic Byway Rockcastle, Laurel, Jackson, Estill KY 89 From KY 490 near Lamero to McKee to Irvine to the Estill/Clark County line 35.517 miles (57.159 km)

Kentucky's Appalachians (Eastern Kentucky)

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Byway/Highway name [1] Counties Routes involved Route description Length
Black Mountain Scenic Byway Harlan KY 160 From Benham and Lynch to the Virginia state line 10.341 miles (16.642 km)
Pine Mountain Road Letcher US 119 From KY 15 junction in Whitesburg to KY 806 junction near Oven Fork 8.153 miles (13.121 km)
Red River Gorge Scenic Byways Menifee, Powell, Wolfe KY 11 / KY 15 / KY 213 / KY 77 / KY 715 Various sections of specified highways in the aforementioned highways 45.009 miles (72.435 km)

Northern Kentucky River Region

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Byway/Highway name [1] Counties Routes involved Route description Length
Big Bone Lick Scenic Highway[12] Boone KY 338 / KY 2852 / KY 536 / KY 18 Big Bone to Commissary Corner via Rabbit Hash 19.931 miles (32.076 km)
Riverboat Row Campbell Riverboat Row James Taylor Drive to KY 8 (Riverside Drive) in Newport 1 mile (1.6 km)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. "Kentucky State and National Scenic Byways" (PDF). Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  2. ^ https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=5344 [bare URL]
  3. ^ a b "Three Kentucky scenic byways receive national designation" (Press release). October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  4. ^ Kentucky.gov: -- Scenic Byway Grants Release
  5. ^ "400-Mile Sale Across Kentucky Along Historic Hwy 68". 400-Mile Sale. Bowling Green, Kentucky: WMTH Corporation. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  6. ^ "Scenic Byways". Caves, Lakes, and Corvettes. Kentucky Department of Tourism. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  7. ^ DeLorme (2010). "Grid 65" (Map). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 65. § E7. ISBN 0-89933-340-0.
  8. ^ DeLorme (2010). "Grid 64" (Map). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 64. § H3. ISBN 0-89933-340-0.
  9. ^ DeLorme (2010). "Grid 80" (Map). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 80. § B3. ISBN 0-89933-340-0.
  10. ^ DeLorme (2010). "Grid 49" (Map). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 49. § B9. ISBN 0-89933-340-0.
  11. ^ DeLorme (2010). "Grid 37" (Map). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 37. § F10. ISBN 0-89933-340-0.
  12. ^ DeLorme (2010). "Grid 22" (Map). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 22. § F2. ISBN 0-89933-340-0.
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