100 Mile/Century Route

For the serious cyclists, ride from Louisville through Bourbon Country & back

This route will take you through parts of Louisville’s newest park, The Parklands of Floyds Fork and out of the county to Frankfort to Buffalo Trace Distillery and on to Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, KY before turning cycling back to Louisville.

In the early 1890s, Frederick Law Olmstead—designer of New York’s Central Park—came to Kentucky to design one of his masterpieces: the Louisville Park’s System. He created a ring of parks and parkways surrounding the city to bring nature into the neighborhoods.

The Parklands of Floyds Fork is the first park system to be added to Louisville’s park system since Olmstead unveiled his vision generations prior and is nearly a 4,000-acre public park system. It’s a local favorite for cyclists, thanks in part to the 19 miles of the Louisville Loop that traverses the park. For the first half of your route, you’ll enjoy 4 miles of the trail. (Note: You can easily add the rest of the park trail for an out-and-back to add more miles to your Century ride.) As you exit the park, you’ll ride along city and county roads, so please use caution. You may see other cyclists along the way since this is a popular Century route.

Leaving the Parklands, you’ll cycle through quaint Kentucky towns like Taylorsville & Shelbyville. If you need a small break, historic downtown Shelbyville is a great place to stop for a breather. After continuing along past Shelbyville, the next stop will be Frankfort, KY—Kentucky Capitol City & home to Buffalo Trace Distillery. If you need to stretch your legs, hop on one of Buffalo Trace’s free distillery tours to learn the history of bourbon, and the bourbon-making process & sample some of the products produced at Buffalo Trace.

Once you’re done with the tour, jump back on your bike to head out of town towards Versailles, KY to reach the halfway point of the trip, which is also the turnaround point—Woodford Reserve. (Note: If you’d like to tour the distillery, you must call in advance to reserve your spot.) After touring Woodford, you’ll return to Louisville, following the same route in reverse. As you get closer to Louisville & reenter the Parklands, don’t forget that you can add extra miles to your ride by cycling to the end of the park, the Broad Run Park area, before turning around.

Points of Interest:

  • The Parklands of Floyds Fork
  • Turkey Run Silo at the Parklands of Floyds Fork
  • Jeptha Creed Distillery
  • Talon Winery Tasting Room
  • Science Hill
  • Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial
  • Kentucky Historical Society
  • Kentucky Military History Museum
  • Old Crow Distillery Landmark
  • Castle & Key Distillery
  • The Stave Restaurant
  • Woodford Reserve