From rails to trails
Kentucky’s rail-trails are a hit on foot or two wheels
TWO OR THREE TIMES a week, you can find Jeff and Debbie Preston biking along the Dawkins Line Rail Trail, a 36-mile multiuse pathway that stretches from Hagerhill in Johnson County to Evanston in Breathitt County. Their view changes as they ride, from neighborhoods with friendly dogs that bark out a greeting to lush, overgrown fields where wildflowers and wildlife abound to the cool, dark tunnels that provide respite from the sun along this trail.
“To me the most unique thing about the Dawkins Trail is getting to ride through the Gun Creek Tunnel,” Debbie says. “You’ll need bike lights as it even gets dark inside there.”
The story of Gun Creek Tunnel is the story of many of the railroad lines crossing the commonwealth that once carried timber and, later, coal. Formerly owned by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad line, the 662-foot Gun Creek Tunnel is now a hard-surface trail running under a hill in Magoffin County.
Dawkins Line Rail Trail is just one example of hundreds of miles of abandoned railroad corridors throughout the United States that have been reclaimed and repurposed for a new use.
“The rail-trail movement started primarily through bicyclist advocacy groups,” says Brandi Horton, vice president of communications at the Rails to Trails Conservancy in Washington, D.C. “Those folks were seeing these unused corridors and thinking how nice it would be to go on rides and not have to deal with traffic.”
In the early days of the rails to trails movement, bicycle advocates led the charge to find riding corridors that were safe and accessible. But today, you’ll see families with strollers and toddlers, wheelchair users, bird-watchers, walkers looking to improve their health, or people just going to work or running errands using the 10- to 12-foot wide hard-surface trails.
“Kentucky is a great trail state. There are 202 miles of multiuse trails in the state. You can go for a 100-mile run or you can push a stroller to go buy groceries. These spaces are for people ages 0 to 100,” Horton says.
Of that total, 84 of those multiuse miles are rail-trails. From the Mammoth Cave Trail in Barren and Edmonson counties to the Louisville Loop along the Ohio River Levee Trail in downtown Louisville, these trails provide a lift to the economy and the wellness of the communities that support and enjoy them.
Like their regions, they are diverse. Muhlenberg County’s 6-mile trail boasts several train trestles, signal towers and even an antique caboose that has been transformed into a railroad museum for the Illinois Central Railroad. The Legacy Trail in Fayette County takes travelers from downtown Lexington to a 1,200-acre working farm at the Kentucky Horse Park. Users can learn about local art and history along the way, as well as enjoying the sights and sounds of several working thoroughbred farms.
Dawkins stands out
As the Prestons attest, the Dawkins Line Rail Trail, as the longest rail-trail in the state, is something special. The trail is open year-round and features 24 railroad trestles and two tunnels. Walkers, bikers and hikers can access the trail at multiple places, including the trailhead at Jenny’s Creek, the Jane Beshear trailhead and the trailhead at Johnson County’s Swamp Branch, a community about 8 miles southeast of Paintsville that was formerly a station on the Big Sandy and Kentucky River Railroad. In addition to abundant wildflowers and bird songs, trail users can enjoy several natural waterfalls as they stroll along this path.
The Prestons especially enjoy the safety of the trail for long bike rides. “Riders who want to go on a long bike ride often end up on narrow country roads and the bicycle and pedestrian injury and fatality rate is rising dramatically in our country,” Horton says. “Multiuse trails are spaces where all ages and abilities in the community can be outside and be active. There is inherent safety in that you are separated from vehicle traffic.”
Kentucky rail-trails prohibit use of motorized vehicles as well as rappelling, rock climbing, hunting, trapping, collecting plants or artifacts and carving on rocks or trees. Pets should be leashed, and walkers and bikers should remain on the designated trail. Since trails are managed as part of the natural environment, users should be prepared to meet some wildlife.
“What we hope to see is that the entire country can access trails where they live to make trail use a part of their everyday lives,” Horton says. “We can walk, we can bike, we can be active where we live instead of having to get in a car and drive to a destination in order to enjoy those things.”
