Woodland Road - FS 314

Trail Overview

Woodland Road FS 314 is a gravel forestry road through the inland center-east Kentucky section of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. This road features small rolling hills and beautiful tree lines, with minimal water collection spots on the road surface and occasional mild soft spots. Most of these have been mended and filled in by the Forestry, showing a higher level of maintenance is given to this road. The main purpose of this road is to connect the FS 133 to the old Fulton Furnace Road FS 315, but even more so to bridge the gap between the main north-to-south routes on the east side of LBL--just north of where the paved FS 134 ends below it to the south and connected to the south end of FS 312, which then goes north to FS 129. Overall, it's a great route to know about because it is a great connector road to other trails in this area.

Photos of Woodland Road - FS 314

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Difficulty

Woodland Road features a generally simple track, especially if it is dry. Most of this road is a 1/10, but the given rating is a low demanding 2/10, for the mild (6- to 12-inch deep) erosion ruts along the mild-grade hills. There are signs this road has had mild water collection spots and mud holes mended, with large sections of 2-inch or less coarse gravel. The coarse gravel can fade to dirt in sections and has the potential to turn to surface mud in wet conditions. The difficulty can increase in wet conditions, inclement weather, and heavy use. The road could also be mended further and yield a lower rating.

History

If you continue east, you will eventually run into the FS 315, Fulton Furnace Road. The road was named for a furnace that was lost to time and use, and the rising water was dammed up by the Tennessee Valley Authority to build Lake Barkley (where Fulton Furnace was placed) and Kentucky Lake. A sign along the Trace Road and FS 131 intersection mentions the history of the Fulton Furnace: "Fulton Furnace: Built 2 miles east in 1845 by Thomas Tennessee Watson, Daniel Hillman. A brick stack 33 ft. high, 11 ft. across at the widest point, it produced 1044 tons of iron in 22 weeks of 1857. After 1856, it had ovens to heat the air for its blast, which was powered by steam. Charcoal fuel made and ore mined locally. Last blast 1860."

Technical Rating