The Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway Receives ORBA Trail Award
The Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway has just been awarded by ORBA; the Off Road Business Association with its 2018 Trail Award! AFWDA is very proud of this award and For all the volunteers who have spent years of hard work and dedication to make this trail system come to life and we are extremely thankfull for being recognized.
The Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway (DBBB) is a high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle route comprised of highly scenic county and public roads. It is roughly one-third gravel, one-third asphalt, and one-third trail. It is around one hundred miles in length and traverses the Red River Gorge National Geologic Area and Daniel Boone National Forest in eastern Kentucky.The DBBB is moderate in difficulty. It is open to licensed and street legal vehicles. Historically, this area of Kentucky hosted Jeep Jamborees and other type events documented as early as 1969. In 2004, a travel management rule change by USFS closed many of the routes and ended the organized events and open access. Tourism dropped off for the local economies and we lost a world class-riding destination. Since the mid-2000's, a concerted effort from the Southern Four Wheel Drive Association (SFWDA, www.sfwda.org), five local counties, and the USFS resulted in the DBBB route being revitalized, publicized and supported. Generous grants from SFWDA, UFWDA, and maintenance support from the USFS sustains this important recreational resource for all people. SFWDA awarded the DBBB a grant to pay for a digital map to be built by the cartography business Cartotracks, www.cartotracks. Users download the PDF map of the DBBB onto their smartphones and the phone's GPS guides them accurately and safely along the route. This use of technology has helped revitalize the local economy. Providing a way for the public to navigate the route whether or not they are familiar with the area or had map-reading skills proved to be vital. It also condenses the recreational use of the forest, allowing for efficient use of maintenance resources. This initial DBBB route is the first phase and totals over 100 miles. There are many more miles of historic roads that can be added with further work. The DBBB is made possible by physical and financial support from all members of Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, Ohio River Four Wheelers, Kentucky Krawlers; and key contributors Jeffrey Dozier, Anthony Foster, Jeremy Robbins, Tyler Hensley, Aaron Roddy, Joe Kling, Luke Bogner of ECO-OHV, Jake and Jennifer White of Cartotracks, and Flint Holbrook, Director Land Use and Conservation SFWDA. SFWDA continues its work today supporting the DBBB through numerous conservation and access initiatives.
To Learn More and help support please visit our DBBB page here on the website.