Where the Mountains Turn
Six stops from Richmond into Red River Gorge country, with the most famous fall color in Kentucky and a one-lane tunnel through a cliff.
6 stops · Suggested window: October 20-Nov2
Bluegrass, Horses, Bourbon, and Boone / Daniel Boone Country · Earn 100 XP and a badge for completing this route
Every October, the hollows and ridgelines of Eastern Kentucky do something the rest of the state can't match. Sourwood, red maple, and tulip poplar turn the mountain corridor between Richmond and Slade into a wall of red and orange. Start at Purdy's Coffee in Richmond and head east on KY-52, following the Kentucky River valley through Irvine and on to Beattyville, where the forks of the Kentucky River come together. From Beattyville, take KY-11 north. This is the two-lane hollow road that makes people pull over and stare, and it runs right past Natural Bridge State Resort Park into Slade. At Slade, KY-11 joins KY-15 and heads west to Stanton for Screamin Beans. Then come back east on KY-11/KY-15 to The Gypsy Grind Coffee Company. A little farther on, turn north on KY-77 for Nada Tunnel: one lane of road carved straight through a sandstone cliff, with Red River Gorge on the other side. Finish at Daniel Boone Coffee Shop on Natural Bridge Road in Slade. Suggested Window: October 22 to November 1 Tip: Nada Tunnel is on KY-77. Turn at Nada, between Stanton and Slade. Headlights on, one lane, take turns. Purdy's Coffee and The Coffee Shop are closed Sundays, so Saturday is the best day to catch every stop.
Your stops, in order
- 1Directions to this stop
- 2Directions to this stop
- 3Directions to this stop
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Mon-Fri 7am-4pm, Sat 8am-3pm, Sun Closed.
Directions to this stop - 5Directions to this stop
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Mon-Sun 8am-5pm.
Directions to this stop
Check in at each shop using your usual passport check-in. You don’t need to save a trip for qualifying visits to count.