The Trace (Land Between the Lakes)
The Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway, also known as "The Trace," is the major north–south roadway that traverses the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in two counties in western Kentucky and northwestern Stewart County in northwest Middle Tennessee.[2] It is estimated to be 43.1 miles (69.4 km) in length. The road is part of the National Scenic Byway system.[3] Although it is not signed, it is listed on LBL's road logs as FD-100.[4]
| |
|---|---|
| The Trace FD-100 | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 43.1 mi[1] (69.4 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |  SR 461 at the south entrance northwest of Dover, TN |
  US 68 / KY 80 near the Golden Pond Visitor Center | |
| North end |  KY 453 at the north entrance near Grand Rivers, KY |
| Location | |
| States | Tennessee, Kentucky |
| Counties | TN: Stewart KY: Lyon, Trigg |
| Highway system | |
Description
The road is called "The Trace", which is what many roads and paths were called in pioneer times. "Trace" is short for "Buffalo Trace" that many winding roads have been called since they seem to follow the winding path of buffalo or bison. The Trace begins as Tennessee State Route 461 at the intersection with US Route 79 (unsigned as TN 76) on the west side of Dover, Tennessee in Stewart County. TN State Rte 461 ends at the southern boundary of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, but continues solely as the Trace. The recreation area is situated on an inland peninsula between Kentucky Lake (the Tennessee River) and Lake Barkley (the Cumberland River).[5] It passes the remains of an old furnace as well as the 1850s Homeplace living history farm before the road makes its entry into Kentucky.
It enters Trigg County, Kentucky shortly after passing the Homeplace. It passes through more wooded areas and has two intersections with back-country roads, including one of which will lead to the Wrangler's Campground, the LBL's premier destination for horseback riding and camping. After passing the Golden Pond Visitor's Center, the Trace has an intersection with the co-signed US Route 68 and Kentucky Route 80. US 68 was formerly accessed from the trace via an access road near the visitor's center. A diamond interchange was built when US 68/KY 80 was widened in the early 2010s.[6]
The Trace goes further north and passes the Elk and Bison Prairie, and other roads that link the Trace to more recreational areas, campgrounds, and one that leads to the Woodlands Nature Station after crossing into the Lyon County section of the recreation area.[7] The Trace reaches its northern end at the Between the Rivers Memorial Bridge on the LBL's northern boundary just short of the Lyon-Livingston County line.
The rest of the road beyond the bridge is signed as Kentucky Route 453 from there, through Grand Rivers, all the way to Smithland, Kentucky. Access to US 641/62 and Interstate 24 (Exit 31) is available just north of Grand Rivers well into Livingston County.
History
Before the Land Between the Lakes NRA was established, the Kentucky segment of the Trace was designated as Kentucky Route 453, and the Tennessee segment was Tennessee State Route 49.[8][9] They were both decommissioned from the Trace after the LBL was acquired by the USDA's Forest Service from the Tennessee Valley Authority, the previous owner of the recreation area. The recreation area itself, however, was established in 1963 after the TVA built the Kentucky Dam and the US Army Corps of Engineers impounded the Cumberland River to build the other dam that created Lake Barkley. The state road designations remained until the forest service's acquisition of the park.[10] [11]
Major intersections
| State | County | Location | mi[12] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | Stewart | Dover | 0.0 | 0.0 |  US 79 – Paris, Dover, Clarksville, Fort Donelson National Battlefield | Southern terminus; southern end of SR 461 overlap |
| Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area | 3.0 | 4.8 | Southern entrance of Land Between The Lakes SR 461 south The Trace | Southern terminus; southern end of SR 461 overlap | ||
| FD-300 | Accesses Piney Campground | |||||
| The Homeplace | ||||||
0.000 | 0.000 | Tennessee–Kentucky state line | ||||
| Kentucky | Trigg | Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area | FD-172 west / FD-165 north | FD-165 accesses the Wranglers Campground | ||
| Golden Pond | FD-165 south | Access Wranglers Campground | ||||
| Golden Pond Visitors Center Golden Pond Observatory and Planetarium | ||||||
| Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area | US 68 / KY 80 – Aurora, Murray, Cadiz, Hopkinsville | Interchange-style junction | ||||
| Elk and Bison Prairie | ||||||
| Lyon | FD-135 east | Accesses Woodlands Nature Station and Nature Watch Area | ||||
| FD-133 east | Accesses Woodlands Nature Station and Nature Watch Area | |||||
| FD-110 west | Accesses Hillman Ferry Campground | |||||
| Grand Rivers | 43.1 | 69.4 |  KY 453 north to I-24 – Grand Rivers, Smithland | End of the Trace; continues as KY-453. Between the Rivers Bridge just short of the Livingston County line. | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| ||||||
See also
U.S. Roads portal
United States portal- United States portal
References
- Federal Highway Administration (n.d.). "Woodlands Trace". America's Byways. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- Tennessee Department of Transportation (n.d.). Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway (Map). Scale not given. Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
- Beisel, Brian (n.d.). "Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway". Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
- Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (n.d.). Land Between The Lakes General Map (PDF) (Map). c. 1:380,160. Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 2, 2014.
- Federal Highway Administration (n.d.). "Woodlands Trace: Directions". America's Byways. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- Federal Highway Administration (n.d.). "Woodlands Trace: Maps". America's Byways. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- Federal Highway Administration (n.d.). "Woodlands Trace: All Photos". America's Byways. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- Kentucky Department of State Highways (September 15, 1939). Road Map of Kentucky (PDF) (Map). c. 1:760,320. Frankfort: Kentucky Department of State Highways.
- Kentucky Department of Highways (1957). Kentucky Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). c. 1:760,320. Frankfort: Kentucky Department of Highways.
- Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (1999). Trigg County Highway Map (Map). Frankfort: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet – via University of Kentucky Map Archive.
- Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (1999). Lyon County Highway Map (Map). Frankfort: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet – via University of Kentucky Map Archive.
- District 1 (n.d.). "Official DMI Route Log: District 11". Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
