Country Music Highway

Byway Details

Designation

National Scenic Byway

Length

151 mi in Kentucky

About Country Music Highway

Country Music Highway is a 151.3-mile National Scenic Byway in eastern Kentucky that also holds designation as a Kentucky State Scenic Byway. The route links a long chain of communities, running from Whitesburg through Jenkins, Pikeville, Prestonsburg and Louisa before reaching Catlettsburg, Ashland, Russell and Greenup, with dozens of smaller towns such as Virgie, Betsy Layne, Staffordsville and Hubbardstown along the way. With that many towns spaced along its length, the byway can be driven in full or picked up in shorter segments between larger stops like Pikeville or Prestonsburg. At about 151 miles one way, a full run makes for a long day behind the wheel. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Whitesburg, at about 1,240 feet, show summers that are warm but not extreme: July highs average 82°F with lows around 63°F, and August is nearly the same. Spring and fall bring milder driving weather, with May averaging 74°F highs and 50°F lows and October averaging 68°F highs and 42°F lows. Winter is cold, as January averages a high of 44°F and a low of 24°F, and March and November both hover around 57°F by day and near freezing at night. Paddlers will find the North Fork Kentucky River and Toms Creek right beside the route, and Paint Creek lies about 2 miles away. Hikers can reach the Birch Knob Section of the Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail about 1.3 miles from the road.