Woodlands Trace
A Day of Play at Land Between the Lakes

Departure: South Welcome Station, Tennessee
Destination: Kentucky Lake Drive, Kentucky
Time to allow: 1 day

Traveling north on the Woodlands Trace from historic Dover, TN to the resort town of Grand Rivers, KY through Land Between the Lakes (LBL) National Recreation Area, families can enjoy a day discovering historical sites, enjoying scenic vistas, watching for wildlife, and hiking through the forest.

Day 1

  • Start: South Welcome Station

    Traveling north on The Trace from Dover, TN visitors find the LBL South Welcome Station, which provides information, maps, a gift shop and restroom facilities. Hikers and backpackers utilize the welcome station and the nearby trail head parking area to access the North/ South and Ft. Henry National Recreation Trails.

  • Stop 1: Great Western Iron Furnace

    From previous stop: 19 minutes / 9.6 mi (15.4 km)
    Directions:

    Go 9.6 miles North on the Woodlands Trace.
    Suggested time at this stop: 15 minutes

    Continuing north a few miles through the countryside, visitors will find the Great Western Iron Furnace, a remnant of the area’s iron industry. The iron industry once included eight iron furnaces scattered throughout LBL and at its peak from the 1820s to the Civil War, it was the primary industry in the area.

  • Stop 2: South Bison Range

    From previous stop: 5 minutes / 0.5 mi (0.8 km)
    Directions:

    Travel 0.5 miles north on the Woodlands Trace.
    Suggested time at this stop: 15 minutes

    Across the Woodlands Trace from the Furnace is the South Bison Range, an enclosed pasture that houses about 60 bison. The bison can usually be seen from the byway or from a side road bordering the range. The first bison reintroduced to LBL are descendants of a historic herd found in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

  • Stop 3: The Homeplace

    From previous stop: 1 minute / 0.25 mi (0.4 km)
    Directions:

    Go north for 0.25 along the Woodlands Trace, then turn right into The Homeplace.
    Suggested time at this stop: 1 hour 30 minutes

    Near the north end of the South Bison Range is the entrance to The Homeplace, a living 1850s-era farm. The Homeplace shows how small, family farms were run in the antebellum period using period tools and livestock. The Homeplace is located on an 1800s land grant and all buildings are original or reconstructed log structures. Interpreters are on-hand to explain the daily lives of the family and regularly scheduled demonstrations show how they used the land to farm and raise livestock. The Homeplace is open March through November. Special events are held throughout the year. The Homeplace is surrounded by the southern Oak-Grassland Demonstration Area, an active resource management project designed to reintroduce the oak-grassland ecosystem that was found throughout western Kentucky and Tennessee before European settlement.

  • Stop 4: Cedar Pond Picnic Area

    From previous stop: 5 minutes / 3 mi (4.8 km)
    Directions:

    Go three miles north on the Woodlands Trace.
    Suggested time at this stop: 30 minutes

    Located near the Kentucky/Tennessee state line, the Cedar Pond picnic area is a quiet place to bring a picnic and enjoy the solace of LBL’s natural beauty. A short trail circles its way though the woods and the pond is open to fishing.

  • Stop 5: Golden Pond Visitor Center and Planetarium

    From previous stop: 25 minutes / 12 mi (19.2 km)
    Directions:

    Travel 12 miles north on the Woodlands Trace.
    Suggested time at this stop: 1 hour

    Continuing north on the Trace visitors come to the Golden Pond Visitor Center and Planetarium. The Golden Pond Planetarium and Observatory offers planetarium shows throughout the day. Shows rotate on a regular basis and cover subjects ranging from far off galaxies, and the International Space Station, to wild weather right here. The planetarium is open March-December.

  • Stop 6: Elk and Bison Prairie

    From previous stop: 5 minutes / 0.5 mi (0.8 km)
    Directions:

    Go half a mile north along the Woodlands Trace.
    Suggested time at this stop: 1 hour

    Just north of the Golden Pond Visitor Center is the Elk & Bison Prairie, an active restoration project designed to return the land to the prairie habitat found here 300 years ago. The prairie features a three-mile paved loop with three interpretive stops explaining the history of the plants, animals and people of the prairie. The prairie lets visitors see the animals up close from the safety of their vehicles.

  • End: Kentucky Lake Drive

    From previous stop: 48 minutes / 19.1 mi (30.6 km)
    Directions:

    Travel north along the Woodlands Trace, then head east on RD 101.

    The Kentucky Lake Drive is a 1-mile loop that takes travelers along the coast of one of the largest man-made lakes in the United States. From the drive, visitors are able to see Kentucky Dam, built in 1944 by the Tennessee Valley Authority to provide hydro-electric power to the region and to control flooding on the Tennessee River. The drive is a prime spot to watch for Bald Eagles, which nest nearby for the winter, and other water fowl.

Totals for Day 1

Total Distance Traveled: 44.95 miles / 71.9 km
Total Travel Time: 1 hour 48 minutes
Total Stopping Time: 4 hours 30 minutes