Turkey Bay OHV Area

Turkey Bay Off-Highway Vehicle Area is a 2,500-acre federal OHV facility within the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Trigg County, far western Kentucky: the only federally managed OHV area in the western half of the state and a meaningful destination for riders from the Nashville, Clarksville, and Paducah corridors who want public-land riding without driving to the eastern mountains. The Land Between the Lakes setting is geographically distinct from the Appalachian parks that dominate the Kentucky OHV landscape: Turkey Bay occupies the rolling terrain of the Western Kentucky Coalfield, with mixed hardwood forest, red-clay soil, and the LBL peninsula's lake-country character adjacent to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. The trail system covers approximately 100 miles organized into three difficulty tiers (primary (beginner), secondary (intermediate), and tertiary (expert) routes), plus dedicated Challenge Areas for steep hill climbs and a separate Youth Turkey Trot loop designed for younger and less experienced riders. Annual permits are $100; 1–3 day passes are $20. Primitive camping is $12/night. All riders must sign a liability waiver at the entrance; helmets are required for all riders regardless of age. Season runs March through November daily 8am–4pm, with reduced Thursday–Sunday hours in December and February (800-525-7077).