Kentucky Lake Area Biking Trails
Enjoy hundreds of miles of official and off-the-beaten-path biking trails - both for mountain bikers and road bikers alike!
Land Between The Lakes offers tons of miles to explore on your bicycle.
For those who love the bike on the road, The Trace is perfect for cycling. This road from Dover, Tenn. to Grand Rivers, Ky. is about 45 miles in length. It features straightaways, curves, hills - and can be very challenging, especially the southern portion. Additionally you'll find numerous paved roadways leading you to all sorts of places off The Trace.
While on the Trace, you will also want to try Kentucky Lake Drive, which is very scenic in the fall. This is a short, one-wave paved road that features several pull-overs and views of Kentucky Lake. It is located near Grand Rivers in LBL and is just south of the Canal Bridge.
The North End Hike & Bike Trail is also good for cycling. This paved road is about two miles in length and connects with Kentucky Lake Drive just south of Grand Rivers in LBL.
For mountain bikers, the Canal Loop Trail in is perfect for getting your fix. The trail system is 14.2 miles which includes four connector trails. The trail system can be accessed from two places: the North Welcome Station Trailhead or the Kentucky Lake Drive Trail Access. The Canal Loop Trail system provides options from 1.5 miles to 14.2 miles in distance. These trails are quite popular because of decent terrain changes and scenic lake views. It has an easy to moderate rating and a 120-foot change in elevation.
Mountain bikers can also experience the Northern Section of the North-South Trail. This section is about 31 miles and is open to mountain biking and well as hikers. This trail connects the North Welcome Station with the Golden Pond Visitor's Center. Mountain bikers can explore ridge tops, bottomlands, and the shores of Kentucky Lake. If you don't want to explore the entire 31 miles, you can veer off this trail and run down LBL's back roads to make a series of shorter loops.
The Fort Henry Trail System in southwestern Land Between The Lakes connects nine trails for a total of 26 miles. These historic trails follow the route of General Grant's troops from Fort Henry to Fort Donelson during the Civil War.
Central Hardwoods Scenic Trail is a new east-west trail connecting Kentucky Lake to Lake Barkley and generally parallels US 68. It is a family-friendly trail with smooth surfaces, gentle grades and is about 11 miles long. The eastern 2.5 mile portion is paved and offers great views of Lake Barkley. The 8.5-mile west portion is compacted stone. The trail connects with both Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake bridges at Canton and Aurora, respectively.
To get the most of your biking trip, visit the Golden Pond Visitor's Center for details on the latest trail conditions. Remember to share the road and to watch for signs at trailheads for information about those trails.
