Red River Gorge wheeling?

[JeffK5]

I'm getting stuck taking a early summer vacation with the wife's family to Red River Gorge and I'd like it to mix a little wheelin in , is there any place closer than Wildcat Offroad for a day of ridding with SxS's?

It's been a long time since I've been down there and I know the public ridding is gone ..just didn't know if any pay to play areas opened up close.

[Runoveru2]

There is a new 2500 acre offroad park in the area called Hollerwood. Don't know much about it though.

I like what I see...

We need more info on this,
Looks like we could get into something there

[JeffK5]

Public riding isn't gone. Daniel Boone National Forest lists 150mi of off road trails available. Whether or not this includes the old stuff I wheeled on years ago like carburetor hill, the creek bed and others, I don't know. There is a new 2500 acre offroad park in the area called Hollerwood. Don't know much about it though.

None of the trails in the Daniel Boone trail system are open to vehicles over 50"...my SxS is way too big.

[Ky Mudhunter]

Lots of good riding in the Red River Gorge area. It's my favorite place to wheel. Most of the trails are still open. They only closed The Narrows and Moonshine. You just have to be careful if your on a SXS and stay off the Forest Service land because most of those trails are considered county roads. And the forest rangers do patrol it. Since Hollerwood isn't officially open yet it would be tough to tell you where to go. Depending on when you go down I may be able to meet you down there and show you around if you would want to follow some trucks and Jeeps around. If not, there are lots of groups that ride down there that you might be able to hook up with. Check out the L.E.W.P. Ky Off-road park riders group on Facebook. Most of those guys ride SXS down there. Your next best bet is probably to head over to Dirt Nasty Off-road Park near Morehead. There used to be a place for ATV's near Clay City but I don't know if it is still open.

[JeffK5]

Lots of good riding in the Red River Gorge area. It's my favorite place to wheel. Most of the trails are still open. They only closed The Narrows and Moonshine. You just have to be careful if your on a SXS and stay off the Forest Service land because most of those trails are considered county roads. And the forest rangers do patrol it. Since Hollerwood isn't officially open yet it would be tough to tell you where to go. Depending on when you go down I may be able to meet you down there and show you around if you would want to follow some trucks and Jeeps around. If not, there are lots of groups that ride down there that you might be able to hook up with. Check out the L.E.W.P. Ky Off-road park riders group on Facebook. Most of those guys ride SXS down there. Your next best bet is probably to head over to Dirt Nasty Off-road Park near Morehead. There used to be a place for ATV's near Clay City but I don't know if it is still open.

Yeah but if you're not riding on forest land you'd be ridding on private land , right? ...locals can get away with that but I'd have to be with someone who I knew had permission.

I always got the same vibe ridding Red River as I did at Livingston ..like I was trespassing most of the time.

Thanks for the info and I would like hooking up with a group that knows the in and outs down there.

[Ky Mudhunter]

There are lots of 50"+ trails and once Hollerwood is open it will help to connect them without needing to be liscensed and insured. You can ride most of them now without being licensed as long as you stay away from the forest service public lands. FYI, widow maker, and carb hill are near the forest lands but not actually on them.

[blazerbrad]

I started going down there in the early 2000's with a group that wheels there pretty regularly, and I believe they were there just last November. Many years ago a few trails got closed down but I'm not aware of anything major changing in the last several years. At one time we heard they were cracking down on ATV's and other unlicensed vehicles since a lot of the "trails" were technically township roads. Prior to this we always saw a lot of ATV's running around but after that year we saw very few.

We generally can get two good days of wheelin' running different trails/areas both days. We spend one day in what I call the Sandlick area in which you hit Carb Hill, Widowmaker, Devil's Brew, Last Chance, etc... (these are at least the names we call them). In this area once you hit dirt you stay in 4 low the entire day. On the second day we run trails that go through Charles Booth's property. He led us around the first year to show us the good trails and now somebody just calls him and lets him know what day we will be down. We run stretches of blacktop between obstacles and trails in this area.

[Ky Mudhunter]

Yeah but if you're not riding on forest land you'd be ridding on private land , right? ...locals can get away with that but I'd have to be with someone who I knew had permission.

I always got the same vibe ridding Red River as I did at Livingston ..like I was trespassing most of the time.

Thanks for the info and I would like hooking up with a group that knows the in and outs down there.

You are correct that most of it is private land or County roads. That is part of the reason they are working on Hollerwood. It will essentially tie together most of the private land that we ride currently (excluding Booth's property) and give anyone permission to ride once they buy a pass similar to Harlan.

[JeffK5]

You are correct that most of it is private land or County roads. That is part of the reason they are working on Hollerwood. It will essentially tie together most of the private land that we ride currently (excluding Booth's property) and give anyone permission to ride once they buy a pass similar to Harlan.

Good info,

Thanks.

[jeepmanjeff]

If the Gorge is still open, does anyone know if we can get back to the sand lick creek area where we use to camp at? If not can someone hook me up with Boone so I can arrange a trip there for us? I would be talking later in the season for me.

[Ky Mudhunter]

Yes, you can still camp at the Sandlot next to Sand Lick creek. Just be aware that the forest rangers may roll through there and check your vehicles for liscense plates. Also if you see them, don't let them see you drinking any beer around the camp fire. They can get you for drinking in a public place since you are on public lands.

[Redriverranger]

Nothing has changed in the last 5 years or so except for the county's leasing some of the private land we were riding on and working to get it opened as hollerwood park. They actually did some repair work on the road going back into sandlick as it is a county road. The forest service has marked their boundaries. Their property line is just before you get to widowmaker so it is on the new park. Carburetor is on them, but the boundary into Hollerwood is just past the top of carburetor at the play rock.

[jeepmanjeff]

So the road into sandlick is off of 11 as I remember. You have to go pass some homes and it is on a hillside. Going back is the tree line on your left hans side. I use to be able to take the RV back there and the trailer. Can that still be done? or is it to overgrown?

If not. Looking for some ideas on where to camp that would be a direct non-paved access to the sandlick side.