Rad Dad Atlas

Trip E3 · Kentucky River

The Ferry & the Fort at Dusk

~30 min out at backroad pace · Evening loop — about 3 hours · ~55-mile loop · Windows-Down Score ●●●●○

OdditiesHistoryWaterswimmingevening loopLittle kids OKGrade-school sweet spot

Ride a free paddlewheel ferry across the Kentucky River (two minutes of pure smug), skip rocks at a frontier fort's beach, and float home on a river road.

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The route

KY 169 → Valley View Ferry → KY 388 → Fort Boonesborough → Athens-Boonesboro Rd → home

Stops

  1. Valley View Ferry

    Free, tiny, paddlewheel-powered, and running since 1785. Weekdays to 6, weekends to 8 — confirm it's crossing that day; high water sidelines her.

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  2. Fort Boonesborough

    Daniel Boone's 1775 river fort, reconstructed with working crafters in season — plus a sandy river beach for rock-skipping and feet-first wading.

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  3. Athens-Boonesboro Road

    The river-bluff float home.

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