Kentucky Route 221

Kentucky Route 221
Kentucky Route 221
Route information
	Maintained by KYTC
Length	42.5 mi (68.4 km)
Major junctions
West end	KY 66 east of
	US 421 near Bledsoe; KY 510 in Pine Mountain
East end	KY 699 southwest of Leatherwood
Location
Counties	Bell, Harlan, Perry, Leslie
Highway system
	Kentucky State Highway System; Interstate; US; State; Parkways;

Kentucky Route 221 (KY 221) is a 42.5-mile-long (68.4 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The highway connects mostly rural areas of Bell, Harlan, Perry, and Leslie counties with the Daniel Boone National Forest.

Route description[]

Bell County[]

KY 221 begins at an intersection with KY 66 east of , within Bell. It travels in an easterly direction, paralleling the ironically-named . In Jenson, it intersects the southern terminus of . It curves to the northeast and crosses over Straight Creek. The highway immediately intersects the southern terminus of just outside of Kettle Island. It also crosses over some CSX railroad tracks and continues to the northeast. After crossing , it crosses over the CSX tracks again and enters Laurel Ford. There, it briefly heads to the north-northwest before resuming its northeast direction. In Stoney Fork, it crosses over and intersects the southern terminus of (Stoney Fork Road).^[1]

Harlan County[]

Typical scenery, at the KY 2009 intersection north of Harlan

After entering Harlan County, KY 221 enters Tacky Town. There, it crosses over and and intersects the northern terminus of . It begins to travel along the southern edge of the . It has a crossing of and an intersection with the southern terminus of . The highway then curves to the east and crosses over Straight Creek one final time before curving to the southeast and leaving the creek. It intersects the southern terminus of (Bigelow Road) and then passes . Right after that, it intersects U.S. Route 421 (US 421). The two highways travel concurrently in a northeasterly direction, along the southern edge of Daniel Boone National Forest. When they split, KY 221 enters the forest proper. It heads to the east, passing Green and Middleton Cemeteries. It resumes its northeastern direction, then crosses over and intersects the southern terminus of . It then intersects the southern terminus of (Abner Branch Road). In , it intersects the northern terminus of . In Pine Mountain, it curves to the north and intersects the western terminus of KY 510. KY 221 then heads to the north-northwest and parallels , with one crossing of the creek. In Big Laurel, the highway crosses over and intersects the eastern terminus of . KY 221 then heads to the northeast, paralleling Big Laurel Creek. It then curves to the north and north-northwest and enters Perry County.^[1]^[2]

Perry and Leslie counties[]

KY 221 doesn't have any major intersections in Perry County. It curves to the southwest and enters Leslie County. It curves to the north and northeast and meets its eastern terminus, an intersection with KY 699 (Cutshin Road).^[2]

Major intersections[]

County	Location	mi^[1]^[2]	km	Destinations	Notes
Bell		0.0	0.0	KY 66 – Pineville	Western terminus
	Jenson	2.2	3.5	north	Southern terminus of KY 2013
		4.2	6.8	north	Southern terminus of KY 1630
	Stoney Fork	9.3	15.0	north (Stoney Fork Road)	Southern terminus of KY 2011
Harlan	Tacky Town	13.1	21.1	south	Northern terminus of KY 3448
		14.4	23.2	north	Southern terminus of KY 1780
		21.2	34.1	north (Bigelow Road)	Southern terminus of KY 3466
		21.5	34.6	US 421 south – Harlan	Western end of US 421 concurrency
	Daniel Boone National Forest	22.5	36.2	US 421 north – Hyden	Eastern end of US 421 concurrency
		25.0	40.2	north	Southern terminus of KY 2009
		28.6	46.0	north (Abner Branch Road)	Southern terminus of KY 3465
		30.1	48.4	south	Northern terminus of KY 2010
	Pine Mountain	32.0	51.5	KY 510 east	Western terminus of KY 510
	Big Laurel	35.1	56.5	west	Eastern terminus of KY 2008
Perry	No major junctions
Leslie		42.5	68.4	KY 699 (Cutshin Road)	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus