Currently the southern portion of this area is poplar with overnight campers, day hikers, and the occasional mountain biker. The northern portion is mostly unknown outside of the Frenchburg Job Corps community but is ripe for trail development along a series of expansive ridges that overlook the Indian Creek drainage.
To access the southern user-created trails after passing through Nada Tunnel continue a couple of miles and bear right after crossing the steel bridge over Red River. Three quarters of a mile further bear left and continue on KY 77 and ascend a long, steep paved road. At the top of the hill there is a small, unofficial trailhead on the right side of the road. It's best to park there or just a little further on the left at a gate with enough room for one car.
From the small gravel lot you can ride the trail behind the RRG sign (about 1.5 miles out and back depending on deadfall) or cross the road and pick up a short singletrack trail that connects to a doubletrack (same as behind the gate on the left) which continues out to an wildlife opening (big field). Bear left along the edge of the field and you can pick up another user-created trail that ends at a magnificent overlook at the end of the ridge. This is the unofficial "Tarr Ridge" trail. If you ride both sides of the road you can manage 5 to 6 miles out and back.
To access the northern area you can park in the same locations and ride KY 77 north about half a mile to the Frenchburg Job Corps on the left. Go right at the main office (limited visitor parking) through the dorm areas and into the back forty. Just past the fire shed on the left and between holes #1 and #2 of the disc golf you will find an obscure doubletrack on the left (hard turn behind the fire shed). This is FR 173 and is 2.5 miles long for a 5 mile out and back ride. If you continue straight past the fire shed, and skirt the right edge of the baseball field you can pick up another cool user-defined singletrack behind home plate that will take you to an incredible overlook.
If you park at the top of 77 and ride everything described out and back it's about 15 miles of riding currently. You won't likely see another mountain biker, and except for super busy weekends you won't see many hikers or campers either.
There are procedural hurdles that the Forest Service has to work through before we can get approval to develop these trails. There will be environmental and archaeological surveys necessary. And finally construction of the trails will be a big job in itself. This is a long term project with huge potential to make the Red River Gorge region a mountain biking destination.
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