Kentucky Ridge State Forest

About Kentucky Ridge State Forest

The Kentucky Ridge State Forest was leased in the 1930s as part of the Land Use Resettlement Program and has maintained its 15,251 acres since 1954, when the land was transferred from the U.S. government to the Commonwealth.

Kentucky Ridge State Forest is located in Log Mountain, which includes the Little Clear Creek Valley, and covers much of the eastern part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Kentucky. The forest also includes parts of several other national parks as well as a number of private and public land.

The forest is open to the public, for hunting and fishing, subject to state fish and game regulations, and can be used for primitive tents, hiking and picnics. Kentucky Ridge State Forest is managed for sustainable timber production by the Kentucky Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNR) and Kentucky Forest Service (KFS).

Heading west from Pineville to Chenoa, Interstate 190 crosses the forest on the east side of the freeway and the sign that follows Pine Mountain State Resort Park. Kentucky Ridge Forest borders the park to the northeast and I-190 crosses it on the west side at the intersection of Interstate 80.