Kentucky Adventure Tour (KAT): Route, Trails & Our Overlanding Experience
Updated: Aug 28
In the fall of 2021 a couple of us decided to head up from Florida to Kentucky to explore a section of the Kentucky Adventure Tour trail. This was a crazy idea as we only had the weekend to do this which meant driving up on Thursday and driving back on Monday.
What Is the Kentucky Adventure Tour?
The Kentucky Adventure Tour (KAT), sometimes referred to as the Kentucky Adventure Trail, is a 900 mile loop through rural Kentucky and consists of backroads, forest roads and various off-road trails ranging in levels of difficulty.
Kentucky Adventure Tour at a Glance
Location | Kentucky |
Distance | Approximately 900 miles |
Type | Backroads, forest roads & off-road trails |
Difficulty | Varies by section and conditions |
Terrain | Forest roads, mud, rocky/wet sections |
Best suited for | 4x4 / adventure motorcycles depending on section |
Our trip | Partial section of the KAT |
Duration | Weekend |
We only explored a small portion of the KAT during this trip, so this isn't a complete trail guide. It's our firsthand experience of the sections we traveled.
Day 1: Florida to Kentucky
On Thursday we completed a 700 mile drive to North Georgia and found a dispersed campsite in the Chattahoochee Oconee National Forest. There was a pretty dramatic temperature difference coming from Florida but it was great to spend the first night at this amazing campsite.
Day 2: Joining the Kentucky Adventure Tour
The following morning we completed a 200 mile drive through Tennessee and joined up with the Kentucky Adventure Tour trail at the Wildcat trailhead just north of London, Kentucky. At first it was a very scenic drive through the forest backroads but pretty soon the roads became very wet and slippery.
We continued driving until after dark searching but the washed-out road eventually became impassable. We had to turn around on a very narrow section which was pretty challenging and head back in search of a campsite.
We setup camp late that night not sure what the area looked like around us but we awoke to a beautiful setting. We had a great first day exploring the KAT.
Day 3: Mud, Washed-Out Roads & Winching
On Saturday we had to backtrack a section we completed the previous day and take a detour to try and get back to the trail that we couldn't reach the night before. We met up with one of the more challenging sections of the KAT and spent many hours navigating our way through some real challenging obstacles.
After many hours of navigating washed out roads and winching each other out of the mud we reached an oasis.
A picturesque creek where we found the perfect campsite for the night. The creek water level was fairly low but we had some concerns about the traces of high-water marks around our campsite that indicated that this area does flood and we would face a problem if that had to happen.
Day 4: Exploring the Remote KAT
On Sunday morning we continued west exploring the KAT on less difficult parts of the trail to make up some ground.
This area was extremely remote and except for the occasional hunter we saw no other adventures out there.
On Sunday evening we found a campsite close to the town of New Zion, just off of Turkey Foot road and enjoyed a great meal on our last night.
Heading Home
On Monday morning it was time to head back to Florida. We only experienced a very small section of the Kentucky Adventure Tour but I know I need to get back there to spend more time exploring the beautiful and remote countryside of Kentucky soon.
We hope you enjoyed reading about our adventure?
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