Scenic Cycling & Driving Routes Through Buffalo Trace Region

Scenic routes along the Ohio River and rolling hills of the Ohio River Valley through Mason, Lewis, Bracken, Robertson, Fleming Counties in Kentucky and Brown and Adams County in Southern Ohio.

Scenic Route #1: Kentucky Route 8

Motorcyclists can travel east to west along KY. 8 and KY 10 from Portsmouth, Ohio to Cincinnati, Ohio. This route follows the Ohio River, providing scenic river and hillside landscapes.
This route is also known as the Mary Ingles Highway.

Mary Ingles and her children were abducted by Indians from their Virginia home in the late 1700s. As an Indian captive, Ingles traveled to Big Bone Lick, Kentucky, where she escaped and made her way back to Virginia along the Kentucky side of the Ohio River.

Shopping and dining can be found in Vanceburg, Maysville or Augusta, Kentucky. Unique attractions for travelers are the Floodwall Murals in downtown Maysville.

Once in Augusta, Kentucky, cyclists can cross the Ohio River by way of a ferryboat. On the Ohio Side, they can go west toward Cincinnati or east toward Ripley, Ohio along scenic U.S. Hwy 52. Ripley offers visitors antique shops, dining, the John P. Parker House and the Rev. John Rankin House, both of which played vital roles in the Underground Railroad movement.

Traveling east will also lead you back to Maysville by crossing either the William Harsha cable-stayed bridge or the Simon Kenton Memorial suspension bridge. Continuing east on U.S. Hwy 52 will take visitors into Adams County, Ohio & the village of Manchester.

Scenic Route #2 U.S. Highway 68

This North-South highway takes travelers between Lexington and Maysville.

Established under Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, this route helped forge the settlement of Kentucky as pioneers left the Ohio River at Limestone Landing (now Maysville) and moved inland.

U.S. Hwy 68 was also an oft-used Underground Railroad escape route north. It was also the route used by slave traders as they transported African slave coffles from the Ohio River inland to slave markets in Mississippi and Louisiana.

In Robertson County, travelers can visit Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort, site of the last battle in Kentucky of the Revolutionary War.

During the 1600 and 1700’s buffalo herds migrated from southern Ohio to the salt licks at Blue Licks.

Traveling through several counties, the countryside offers hillside vistas, antique shopping, and horse farms (Bourbon/Fayette Counties).

Scenic Route #3: Covered Bridges

There are only 13 covered bridges left in the state of Kentucky; our area has 8 of them.

Fleming County boasts three covered bridges, the most famous of which is the Goddard White Bridge, located on KY 32. Goddard Bridge is the only Town-Lattice type bridge left in the state.

Bracken, Lewis and Robertson counties each have one covered bridge.

Mason County has two covered bridges and was once home to famed American bridge engineer Lewis Wernwag (produced Vernvag).

Wernwag (1769-1843) married a young woman from May's Lick, KY and the couple lived in the area for a short time. In 1841 Wernwag constructed the May's Lick Christian Church. The roof is supported by a truss design, which is similar to some bridge members. This may be the last surviving piece of Wernwag's work.

On the Ohio side of the river, Brown County has five covered bridges; Adams County has two.

The bridges date from 1820 to 1870 and represent a variety of construction designs from the King post design to Ithiel Town’s design.

Covered Bridge Map Available through Maysville-Mason County Convention & Visitors Bureau at 606-564-9419 Ext. 308.

Scenic Route #4: “Old” Kentucky 10

Kentucky 10 travels east to west through the countryside of Mason, Bracken and Lewis counties. At one time a main east-west connector between Portsmouth and Cincinnati, Ohio, this state road takes travelers through scenic farmland and small town America. Towns along the way include Brooksville, Germantown, Maysville and Tollesboro.

Scenic Route #5: U.S. HWY. 62

U.S. Hwy 62 offers bikers an alternate route into Maysville from Frankfort, Georgetown or Lexington. This twisty road offers travelers gorgeous vistas from ridge lines as well as sun-dappled hollows.

This route is especially lovely in the spring with the redbud and dogwood trees in bloom.