The Troublesome Roadless Area is composed of six tracts of land and contains 2,943 acres (fig. 1). The largest tract of the study area, located 13 mi southwest of Stearns, Ky., is accessible from that town via State Route 92 to Hill Top, and . then southwestwatd along country roads. Unimproved Forest Service roads, abandoned logging roads, and primitive trails provide access by foot or horseback into the interior of each tract of the study area.

Physiographically, the Troublesome Roadless Area is in the Cumberland Plateau section of the Appalachian Plateaus Province and is near the western edge of the Appalachian coal region. The topography is typical of the Cumberland Plateau section, characterized by irregular, narrow-crested ridges, deep narrow canyons, and a dendritic drainage pattern. Troublesome Creek, a small tributary of the South Fork of the Cumberland River, is the source of the area name (fig. 2). Altitudes range from about 1,600 ft on Laurel Ridge in the largest tract to approximately 800 ft along the South Fork of the Cumberland River.

Field investigations by personnel of the U.S. Geological Survey consisted of reconnaissance geologic studies and data collecting, including the measurement of stratigraphic sections and the mapping of poorly exposed coal beds and resistant sandstone units. Additional subsurface information was obtained by studying and interpreting the logs of several coreholes drilled near the study area.