Your First Trip to Wildcat Off-Road Park: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go

If you are planning your first trip to Wildcat Off-Road Park in East Bernstadt, Kentucky, you probably have more questions than simply which trails to ride.

Where do you go when you arrive? How much are riding passes? How late can you ride? Should you rely on your phone for navigation? How much riding can you realistically fit into one day? What happens when Kentucky weather changes the trails overnight?

Those little details can make the difference between spending Saturday morning figuring things out and spending Saturday morning riding.

This guide is designed specifically for someone who has never been to Wildcat before. It isn’t a packing list, a ranking of the best trails, or a guide to choosing lodging. We have separate Wildcat Rider Guides covering those topics.

Instead, think of this as your first-visit orientation to Wildcat Off-Road Park—the things that are useful to understand before the truck and trailer ever roll into Laurel County.

First, Know Where You’re Going

Wildcat Off-Road Park is located at:

7800 N US Hwy 25
East Bernstadt, KY 40729

The park is in southeastern Kentucky, just north of London. Wildcat says its main location is approximately two miles from I-75 Exit 49, making it relatively easy to reach with a truck and trailer compared with riding destinations that require a long drive on remote mountain roads.

The General Store is important for first-time visitors because it serves as the park’s primary check-in point. Wildcat also sells trail maps there, along with snacks and other items.

One of the easiest mistakes on a first trip is treating “getting to Wildcat” and “being ready to ride Wildcat” as the same thing.

They’re not.

Your arrival plan should account for check-in, passes, unloading or getting settled at your accommodations, getting the group organized, checking machines and figuring out where you want to start.

Give yourself some breathing room.

Current Wildcat Off-Road Park Hours

As of this guide’s latest update, Wildcat lists its General Store hours as:

Monday–Thursday: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM

Friday–Sunday: 8:00 AM–5:00 PM

The park also states that after-hours check-in is available at the General Store and that riding hours extend until midnight.

That distinction is useful for groups traveling several hours on Friday.

You don’t necessarily have to treat a late Friday arrival as a completely lost riding day. Depending on your arrival time and plans, you may still have options.

Always verify current hours and policies directly with Wildcat before a trip, particularly around holidays, special events or unusual weather.

How Much Does It Cost to Ride Wildcat?

At the time of this update, Wildcat’s posted riding-pass prices are:

Adults age 13+:
1 day — $20
2 days — $40
3 days — $52
4 days — $68
Yearly — $199

Youth age 6–12:
1 day — $13
2 days — $26
3 days — $32
4 days — $40
Yearly — $150

Wildcat states that anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Prices and policies can change, so check Wildcat’s current pricing before leaving home.

For a group staying multiple days, pay attention to the multi-day rates rather than automatically buying separate daily passes.

Wildcat Is Bigger Than It May Look on Your Phone

Wildcat describes the park as more than 2,000 acres with over 140 miles of trails.

That is enough terrain that a first-time visitor shouldn’t approach the weekend like a theme park where the goal is to check every attraction off a list.

You don’t need to ride everything.

In fact, trying to cover too much territory is one of the easiest ways to make a first visit unnecessarily stressful.

Think of the first several hours as orientation.

Learn how the major trails connect. Pay attention to landmarks. Notice the terrain. Figure out how your group communicates and how quickly everyone actually rides.

Once you understand the area better, the rest of the weekend becomes much easier.

Get a Trail Map Before You Start Riding

Even if you normally navigate with your phone, pick up the current Wildcat trail map when you check in.

Then take five minutes before riding and actually look at it.

Identify where you are starting.

Identify a few major routes or intersections.

Look at where you expect to ride.

Most importantly, make sure more than one person in the group understands the plan.

A trail map becomes considerably less useful when the only person who studied it is the person who gets separated from everyone else.

Digital mapping can be useful as a second layer. Off-road navigation apps can provide GPS position, trail information and offline maps. If you use one, download the relevant map area before you need it.

Do not make cellular service your entire navigation strategy in mountain terrain.

Screenshot the Important Information Before Riding

Before leaving reliable service, save the information that would be annoying to lose when you need it.

That can include:

• Your lodging address

• Wildcat’s address

• Wildcat’s phone number

• Your group’s phone numbers

• Important map information

• Any meeting point your group agrees on

This takes a couple of minutes and can eliminate a surprising amount of frustration.

Also save your lodging directions before dark.

Everything looks easier to find at 2:00 in the afternoon than after a long riding day when everyone is tired, muddy and hungry.

Establish a “We Got Separated” Plan

This may be one of the most useful things a first-time group can do.

Before riding, answer one question:

What do we do if we get separated?

Don’t wait until someone disappears at an intersection to have that conversation.

Your plan can be simple.

Agree that nobody makes a major turn without confirming the rider behind them is still there. Establish a known meeting location. Decide how long the lead group waits before turning around. If you use radios, agree on the channel before leaving.

The goal isn’t to create military procedures.

It’s to prevent five people from making five different decisions when something unexpected happens.

The bigger the group, the more important this becomes.

Don’t Let the Fastest Rider Set the Pace

A first trip to Wildcat is much better when the group rides at the pace of the least experienced rider—not the fastest.

The person leading should periodically look behind.

At intersections, make sure the next rider sees which direction the group went.

After a difficult section, make sure everyone cleared it.

If part of the group wants to tackle something significantly harder, communicate before splitting up.

A riding group can stretch surprisingly far apart on a trail. The lead machine may have no idea that someone several machines back stopped because of a mechanical issue, difficult obstacle or another rider.

Keeping the group together isn’t only about safety.

It saves riding time.

Kentucky Rain Can Change the Ride

Do not assume the trail you saw in a video last month will look exactly the same when you arrive.

Rain matters.

Eastern Kentucky terrain can include dirt, rock, mud, hills, creek areas, ruts and water crossings. Conditions that are straightforward when dry can become considerably more challenging when wet.

Water crossings deserve particular respect.

Nearby mapped off-road routes provide a good example of why. Current trail reports for Wildcat Road have documented substantial water at its river crossing, including occasions when riders reported the crossing as impassable after rain.

That doesn’t mean every Wildcat trail becomes extreme when it rains.

It means conditions matter.

Check the weather before leaving home, check it again before riding, and never assume the depth or bottom condition of water simply because another machine crossed it.

When in doubt, stop and evaluate.

Start Saturday Easier Than You Think You Need To

Saturday morning is when everybody is excited.

The machines are clean enough.

The coolers are packed.

Everyone wants to ride.

That is also a good reason not to immediately choose the hardest thing your group can possibly handle.

Use the beginning of your first full riding day to learn the terrain and make sure the machines and riders are working properly.

You have the rest of the day to increase the difficulty.

It’s much easier to turn a good morning into a more adventurous afternoon than to recover a weekend after damaging a machine at 9:30 Saturday morning.

Trail Difficulty Changes With Conditions—and With the Driver

A trail rating is useful, but it isn’t a guarantee of what a particular obstacle will feel like to you.

Driver experience matters.

Machine capability matters.

Tires matter.

Recent rainfall matters.

Traffic matters.

The line you choose matters.

Even fatigue matters.

A trail that feels easy to an experienced rider in a well-equipped machine may feel completely different to someone on their first major off-road trip.

Use trail ratings as information, not as a challenge you are obligated to accept.

There is no prize for getting your group into a situation nobody is enjoying.

Know Your Machine Before You Arrive

Your first Wildcat weekend is not the ideal place to discover that you don’t know how to engage four-wheel drive, operate your winch or access the tools stored underneath everything else.

Before the trip, know the basics of your machine.

Know where your tow points are.

Know how your winch controller works.

Know where the spare key is.

Know how to access your battery.

Know what tire pressure you’re running.

Know what tools you actually have.

Know how much fuel your machine normally consumes during a full riding day.

The goal isn’t to become a mechanic before visiting Wildcat.

It’s to eliminate easy problems.

Fuel the Machine Before the Ride, Not During the Problem

A full riding day can be longer than a new visitor expects.

Fuel planning should happen before you are deep into the day.

Start with enough fuel for the riding you intend to do and understand the realistic range of your machine under trail conditions. Trail riding isn’t the same as cruising a flat road at a constant speed.

Mud, hills, low-range operation, idling and aggressive riding can all change consumption.

The person who says, “I think I’ve got enough,” has a remarkable ability to become the center of the group’s afternoon.

Don’t be that person.

Carry Water Even When the Weather Feels Cool

Kentucky doesn’t have to feel brutally hot for a rider to become dehydrated.

Hours of riding, dust, protective equipment and physical effort add up.

Bring water with you on the machine rather than relying on getting back to the truck or cabin.

A few snacks are smart too.

You may intend to stop for lunch at noon and discover at 12:30 that the entire group would rather keep riding.

Give yourself that option.

Your Phone Shouldn’t Be Your Only Tool

Phones are excellent until they’re wet, dead, broken, dropped or unable to get service.

Use your phone.

Just don’t make the entire group dependent on one phone.

For a multi-machine group, radios can make trail riding much easier. They allow the lead rider to communicate about intersections, obstacles, stops and mechanical issues without everyone having to physically regroup.

A battery pack or charging capability inside the machine is also inexpensive insurance against ending a long day with a dead phone.

Expect Your Machine—and Yourself—to Come Back Dirty

Wildcat is an off-road park.

Plan accordingly.

Even a day that doesn’t involve intentionally burying a side-by-side in mud can mean dust, dirt, water and grime.

The important first-timer lesson isn’t simply “you might get muddy.”

It’s to think about what happens after you get muddy.

Where are the boots going?

Where are helmets going?

Where are wet jackets going?

Can you wash or dry riding clothes?

Can you clean the machine?

Do you have dry clothes ready?

A great riding day feels even better when returning to basecamp doesn’t become another job.

Don’t Underestimate Rider Fatigue

Trail riding can be tiring in ways that are easy to underestimate.

You may spend hours steering, bracing, watching terrain, making decisions and absorbing constant movement. Add heat, mud, technical sections and a long day, and fatigue starts affecting judgment.

If somebody who normally handles obstacles confidently starts making sloppy decisions, that’s useful information.

Take a break.

Drink something.

Eat.

Reset.

Wildcat allows riding late, but “we’re allowed to keep riding” and “we should keep riding” are two different questions.

Leave Some Margin Before Midnight

Wildcat currently states that trail riding ends at midnight.

That doesn’t mean your goal should be reaching the farthest point of your ride at 11:58 PM.

If you plan to ride at night, think backward.

Allow time to return.

Make sure your lights work before dark.

Know the route.

Keep track of fuel.

And remember that terrain looks very different at night, particularly when it’s your first visit.

Night riding can be a memorable part of a Wildcat weekend.

Getting turned around late at night because nobody planned the return isn’t the kind of memory you’re looking for.

Friday Arrival: Make It Easy

If you’re traveling several hours, resist the temptation to make Friday complicated.

Get to the area.

Get checked in.

Get the trailer situated.

Unload.

Settle into your lodging.

Look over the machines.

Get food handled.

Review the map.

If there’s time and everyone feels good, a shorter ride may make sense.

But you don’t need to squeeze an entire Saturday into Friday evening.

The real win is waking up Saturday morning already organized and ready to ride.

Saturday: Make It the Big Ride Day

For most weekend groups, Saturday is naturally the main event.

Start reasonably early.

Use the first portion of the day to settle into the terrain.

Then build the ride around what your group actually enjoys.

Take breaks before people desperately need them.

Keep an eye on fuel.

Pay attention to changing weather.

And don’t judge the success of the day solely by mileage.

Twenty memorable miles with great stops and a happy group can make a better trip than racing through twice that distance simply to say you did it.

Sunday: Don’t Create a Departure-Day Disaster

Sunday deserves its own strategy.

Your group may be tired.

Machines may need attention.

You still need to load.

People have drives home.

This is usually not the ideal time to head out with no plan and discover something mechanical three hours later.

If you ride Sunday, know when you need to turn back.

Leave enough time to return to basecamp, deal with gear, load machines, secure the trailer and make the trip home without rushing.

A good Wildcat weekend should end with people talking about coming back—not arguing beside a trailer because checkout was an hour ago.

If You’re Renting a Side-by-Side

Not owning a machine doesn’t necessarily rule out a Wildcat trip.

Wildcat currently lists Hazel Patch Rentals as a local partner offering Can-Am Defender MAX six-seat UTV rentals in London.

At the time of this update, the park’s site lists half-day, full-day and multi-day rental options.

Rental availability, pricing and terms can change, so confirm everything directly before planning a trip around a rental machine.

Also understand the rental rules before riding.

Where you’re permitted to go, damage policies, return times and cleaning expectations matter much more before the ride than afterward.

Don’t Try to Learn Everything on Trip #1

Wildcat is a place you can return to.

That’s worth remembering.

Your first visit doesn’t need to include every trail, every obstacle, every scenic stop and every possible riding hour.

Learn the area.

Find things you want to return to.

Pay attention to what your group likes.

Maybe your crew loves technical terrain.

Maybe they discover they prefer long scenic rides.

Maybe half the fun turns out to be returning to basecamp, cooking dinner and talking about the day.

That’s part of figuring out your Wildcat.

A Simple First-Trip Game Plan

If we were giving a friend the short version before their first visit, it would look like this:

Before leaving home: Check Wildcat’s current hours, pricing, weather and event schedule. Save important addresses and map information. Make sure the machines are ready.

When you arrive: Check in, get the current trail map and learn the major reference points before taking off.

Before the first ride: Agree on the route, group order, communication method and what everyone should do if separated.

First few hours: Start conservatively and learn the terrain.

As the day progresses: Increase difficulty only if the entire group is comfortable, while watching fuel, weather and fatigue.

Before dark: Decide whether you’re intentionally night riding or whether it’s time to head back.

At basecamp: Get machines, muddy gear, food and tomorrow’s plan handled before everyone crashes for the night.

Sunday: Ride with a return time instead of riding until somebody suddenly realizes you should have left an hour ago.

Simple plans protect riding time.

What Should You Read Next?

Once you understand the first-visit logistics, don’t make one article do the job of five.

If you’re new to off-roading or bringing inexperienced riders, read our Wildcat Off-Road Park Beginner Guide.

If you’re deciding what gear to bring, use our What to Pack for a UTV Trip to Wildcat Off-Road Park guide.

If you’re deciding what to ride, check out Best Trails at Wildcat Off-Road Park.

If you’re organizing the entire weekend for a group, read The Ultimate Wildcat Off-Road Park Trip Planning Guide.

And if you’re comparing cabins, camping and other accommodations, our Where to Stay Near Wildcat Off-Road Park guide covers the lodging side in detail.

Together, those resources let this guide stay focused on what a first-time visitor needs most: arriving prepared and getting the first Wildcat trip started right.

A Local Tip About “Distance to Wildcat”

Here’s something worth understanding when choosing where to stay around Wildcat.

The main Wildcat Off-Road Park entrance isn’t necessarily the only geographic point that matters to a rider.

Wildcat Backwoods’ Wildcat Pondside Basecamp, for example, is approximately 4.1 miles from Wildcat’s main entrance, but we’ve also measured it at approximately 2.8 miles from Wildcat’s Hazel Patch Trail access.

That’s useful context when looking at lodging distances around the area.

Ask where a property is in relation to the riding you actually plan to do—not simply what number appears beside “distance to Wildcat.”

Staying at Wildcat Backwoods

Wildcat Backwoods is being built around one idea:

Make a Wildcat riding trip easier.

Our properties aren’t intended to be generic vacation rentals that happen to be near an off-road park. They’re rider basecamps designed around what happens before and after the trail.

At Wildcat Pondside Basecamp, that means accommodations for up to eight riders with four real queen beds, two full bathrooms, two living rooms, a full kitchen, Speed Queen laundry, large truck-and-trailer parking, rider gear storage, outdoor gathering space, a pond and firepit.

The idea is simple:

Pull in. Get organized. Ride Wildcat. Come back. Clean up. Eat. Relax. Sleep in a real bed. Do it again tomorrow.

That’s why our motto is:

Ride Hard. Rest Easy.

Frequently Asked Questions About a First Trip to Wildcat Off-Road Park

Where is Wildcat Off-Road Park?

Wildcat Off-Road Park is located at 7800 N US Hwy 25, East Bernstadt, Kentucky 40729, just north of London. The park states that it is approximately two miles from I-75 Exit 49.

How much is a Wildcat Off-Road Park riding pass?

At the time of this update, a one-day pass is $20 for adults age 13 and older and $13 for youth ages 6–12. Multi-day and annual passes are also available. Check Wildcat’s official pricing before your visit because rates can change.

How late can you ride at Wildcat Off-Road Park?

Wildcat currently states that its trail systems can be ridden until midnight.

Where do you check in at Wildcat?

The Wildcat General Store at 7800 N US Hwy 25 serves as the primary check-in location. Wildcat also states that after-hours check-in is available.

Does Wildcat have trails for first-time riders?

Wildcat offers varied terrain and is popular with riders of different experience levels. First-time visitors should start conservatively, use the current trail map and choose terrain appropriate for the least experienced rider in the group.

Should I download an off-road map before visiting Wildcat?

It’s a smart idea. Digital off-road maps can supplement Wildcat’s trail map and can be particularly useful when downloaded for offline use before riding. Never assume that displaying a road or trail in an app automatically means you have permission to ride it; follow Wildcat’s maps, posted signs and property boundaries.

Can you rent a UTV near Wildcat Off-Road Park?

Yes. Wildcat’s official site currently lists Hazel Patch Rentals as a local partner offering Can-Am Defender MAX six-seat UTV rentals in London. Confirm availability, prices and rental rules before your trip.

How many days should I plan for my first Wildcat trip?

A two- or three-day weekend gives a first-time group much more flexibility than trying to experience the area in a few hours. Wildcat currently offers one-, two-, three- and four-day riding passes.

What happens if it rains before my Wildcat trip?

Expect trail conditions to potentially change. Dirt, mud, ruts, hills and water crossings can become substantially different after rainfall. Check current weather, use good judgment on the trail and never assume water depth based solely on a previous visit or video.

What’s the biggest mistake first-time Wildcat riders make?

Trying to do too much too quickly. Your first few hours are better spent learning the trail system, your group and current conditions. There will always be another trail.

Final Thoughts: Make the First Trip the Beginning, Not the Entire Story

Your first trip to Wildcat Off-Road Park doesn’t need to be perfect.

It needs to make you want a second trip.

Know where you’re going. Check the current park information. Get a map. Have a communication plan. Respect the weather. Keep the group together. Pay attention to fuel and fatigue. Give yourself time to learn the terrain.

Then stop worrying about checking boxes and enjoy being in the Kentucky backwoods.

You’ll almost certainly leave with trails you didn’t ride, places you didn’t see and things you want to do differently next time.

That’s a good thing.

It gives you a reason to come back.

Ride Hard. Rest Easy.