Kentucky Scenic Byways Length 1,346.405 mi[ 1] (2,166.829 km) Formed October 1994; 30 years ago (1994-10 ) Interstates Interstate X (I-X) US Highways US Highway X (US X) State Kentucky Route X (KY X)
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.
Nationally-designated byways [ edit ]
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 [ edit ]
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)[ edit ]
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)[ edit ]
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)[ edit ]
Bluegrass Region (East-central Kentucky)[ edit ]
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)[ edit ]
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)[ edit ]
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)[ edit ]
Northern Kentucky River Region [ edit ]
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)
^ 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 .
^ https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=5344 [bare URL ]
^ a b "Three Kentucky scenic byways receive national designation" (Press release). October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2017 .
^ Kentucky.gov: -- Scenic Byway Grants Release
^ "400-Mile Sale Across Kentucky Along Historic Hwy 68" . 400-Mile Sale . Bowling Green, Kentucky: WMTH Corporation. Retrieved October 28, 2017 .
^ "Scenic Byways" . Caves, Lakes, and Corvettes . Kentucky Department of Tourism. Retrieved July 2, 2017 .
^ DeLorme (2010). "Grid 65" (Map). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer . Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 65. § E7. ISBN 0-89933-340-0 .
^ DeLorme (2010). "Grid 64" (Map). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer . Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 64. § H3. ISBN 0-89933-340-0 .
^ DeLorme (2010). "Grid 80" (Map). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer . Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 80. § B3. ISBN 0-89933-340-0 .
^ DeLorme (2010). "Grid 49" (Map). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer . Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 49. § B9. ISBN 0-89933-340-0 .
^ DeLorme (2010). "Grid 37" (Map). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer . Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 37. § F10. ISBN 0-89933-340-0 .
^ DeLorme (2010). "Grid 22" (Map). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer . Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. p. 22. § F2. ISBN 0-89933-340-0 .
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