Daniel Boone National Forest

[GLWilliams58]

Hello. I am heading to the town of Stearns, in McCreary County KY from the south.

I see three routes that could work for me but I would like to know if anyone could provide some insight to the roads and the grades.

1. I-75 to KY 92 West for about 20 miles

2. I-75 to KY 205 to KY 478 West for about 20 miles

3. I-75 to Knoxville, I40 West to I27 N for 63 Miles

Anyone here travel those roads that could provide an opinion?

Thanks.

[Spudwrench]

We recently took rt92 from i75 w to i65 it was a very good and scenic route,,Tom

[GLWilliams58]

Thanks for the reply Spudwrench.

What kind of road is 92? Divided highway or two lane road?
What size rig were you driving?
Were there any steep grades or hairpin turns?

Thanks.

GW

[Spudwrench]

I am sorry I had the wrong road,,,a 60,s moment,,,,hope I didn,t inconvenience you,,,,,,Tom

[nuthut]

It is probably too late for you now, but the best way from the south is take exit 141 from I-75 North of Knoxville and head west (left). After passing thru Huntsville, turn North (right) on US27. The other routes you mentioned are fairly crooked and go over some fairly mountainous terrain.

[GLWilliams58]

Nut Hut,

Thanks. That is exactly what I was looking to hear. I plan on coming up 27 now. I understand that is a pretty nice route.

Thanks for the feedback.

GW

[GLWilliams58]

Well I just got back and figured I would give a report on the two roads that I used going up and back to Stearns from I-75.

On the way up I took I-75N to 40W to 27N. I was on about 60 miles of two lane on 27 north of 40 and it got pretty twisty and hilly. Nothing too steep to handle, but the curves took both lanes at times and the speed drops to 25mph to keep you on the road. It is narrow, and it is not fast, but it is a beautiful ride.

After dealing with 60 miles of 27 on the way up, I figured 20 miles of 92 could not be much worse. So I gave it a shot.

On the way out of Stearns I took 27S to 92E to 75S. This put me on very little of 27, which near Stearns is a 4 lane divided in some places. It was 92 that I would not recommend if the weather is wet or icy. The road is even narrower than 27 and more curvey with even steeper hills. There were two places that were single lane and one bridge with a low clearance warning at 15'. It was wet and I was sliding and had to back off to a crawl on the downhills. There are not shoulders and absolutely no room for mistake. I felt as though it was very risky at times and I would avoid it that route if given the choice again in the future. All the same, it was a beautiful ride, just not for the faint of heart.

So, confirming what Nut Hut suggested, the best route is I-75N to exit 141 (63W) to 27. This is was suggested by the locals in Huntsville as the fastest route to the I-75 and US27 north of 63W has a lot of passing lanes and good road.

I hope that helps someone who might be looking for some insight to this area in the future.