Dawkins Line Rail Trail: Royalton to Gun Creek Tunnel (Blog Hike #1122)

Trail: Dawkins Line Rail Trail
Hike Location: Dawkins Line Rail Trail
Geographic Location: southeast of Salyersville, KY (37.67641, -83.02194)
Length: 6.3 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: April 2026
Overview: An out-and-back to the old Gun Creek Railroad Tunnel.
Park Information: https://parks.ky.gov/explore/dawkins-line-rail-trail-7831
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming February 5, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: From Salyersville, take SR 7 southeast 7 miles to the community of Royalton.  The gravel parking lot for the Dawkins Line Rail Trail's Royalton Trailhead is on the left behind the Royalton United Baptist Church.  Park here.

The hike: Stretching for 36 miles across eastern Kentucky's rural Johnson, Magoffin, and Breathitt Counties, the Dawkins Line Rail Trail is the longest rail trail in Kentucky.  The railroad was built in 1912 by the Dawkins Lumber Company, and it was known as the Big Sandy and Kentucky River Railroad.  For the next 92 years the rail line was used to extract timber from rural areas, and ownership of the railway changed hands a couple of times.  The railway eventually became the property of CSX.

            In 2002, the rail line was sold to the R. J. Corman Railroad Group, which abandoned it 2 years later.  The Commonwealth of Kentucky purchased the abandoned railway in 2011 and soon began converting it to a paved bike trail.  The trail opened in stages, and when I came here all but the Tip Top Tunnel west of Royalton was open.  The hike described here leads to the other old railroad tunnel on the Dawkins Line Rail Trail: the Gun Creek Tunnel.  While hikes on rail trails always lack in scenery, the tunnel makes for a nice destination, and several other interesting sites are passed on the way.

Royalton Trailhead, heading east

            From the Royalton Trailhead parking lot, walk up to the asphalt rail trail and head east with SR 7 at your back.  Initially the trail heads through the east part of Royalton, and my approach seemed to trigger 2 or 3 "dog alarms" at every house along the rail trail.  The dogs' barking frightened me a little, but they all stayed in their yards.  I had no trouble other than the irritating noise.

Asters and other flowers along the trail

            After you pass Gun Creek United Baptist Church, you exit the east side of Royalton, and the scenery becomes more pastoral.  Asters in bloom lined the trail on the warm late-April day that I hiked here, and I saw a lot of butterflies.  My bird viewing list included red-winged blackbirds, cardinals, and robins.

Gun Creek

            At 1.4 miles, the trail curves left to cross the wooden bridge over Gun Creek, which is a small steep-banked stream that can become a raging torrent after a heavy rain.  The first of several benches sits near the creek.  Next you cross Gun Creek Road to continue heading up the hollow, now with the creek and road downhill to your right.  A few houses are located near the trail, but they are fewer and further between compared to the area near the trailhead.

Mile marker D 16

            2.1 miles into the hike, you pass a concrete post engraved with "D 16," which is one of the mile markers from the old railroad.  The numbers decrease as you go east on the rail trail.  Although this trail is an old railroad bed, it has some grade: the tunnel is more than 150 feet higher in elevation than Royalton.  Nevertheless, the grade is gradual enough that you hardly notice you are climbing.  At 2.5 miles, you cross a high bridge over a deep ravine.  More benches are located in this area.

Gun Creek Tunnel

Wall of Gun Creek Tunnel

            Just after crossing the gravel access road for Fletcher Cemetery and passing mile marker D 15, you reach the Gun Creek Tunnel.  Unlike most old railroad tunnels, the walls of this tunnel are not bare rock: a thick wooden shell separates you from the rock.  The tunnel is 662 feet long, but its straightness allows light to come in from either end.  Thus, you don't need a flashlight to explore the tunnel.  The rail trail continues for 15 more miles, but the tunnel is a good place to turn around.  Retracing your steps back to the Royalton Trailhead completes the hike.

Paintsville Lake: Kiwanis Trail (Blog Hike #1121)

Trail: Kiwanis Trail
Hike Location: USACE Paintsville Lake Project
Geographic Location: northwest of Paintsville, KY (37.83838, -82.87383)
Length: 1.9 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: April 2026
Overview: A loop hike on gravel trail passing views of Paintsville Lake and a reconstructed pioneer farm.
Park Information: https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Display/Article/3632174/paintsville-lake/
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming July 9, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of US 23 and SR 40 on the west side of Paintsville, take SR 40 west 1.4 miles to SR 2275 and turn right on SR 2275.  Drive SR 2275 northwest 0.8 miles to Mountain Homeplace Road and turn left on Mountain Homeplace Rd.  Drive across the dam that forms Paintsville Lake, and park in the parking lot on the left for Mountain Homeplace.

The hike: Built in 1983 for flood control purposes, Paintsville Lake occupies 1139 acres in the heart of eastern Kentucky's coal-producing region.  The dam that creates the lake was built by the Army Corps of Engineers, and 2 parks adorn its shore: Paintsville Lake State Park operated by the Commonwealth of Kentucky and a park at Paintsville Dam operated by the Corps.  While the state park offers great lake access and a 32-site developed campground, it offers no hiking trails.  Thus, I focused my visit on the Corps' park near the dam.

            The Corps' park offers 2 hiking trails: the 1.6 mile gravel Kiwanis Trail and the 7 mile Adena Trail.  The dam area also features the Mountain Homeplace Historical Area, a re-created village that depicts life in this region during the late 1800s.  The Adena Trail is too long for me at my age and fitness level, but the hike described here combines the Kiwanis Trail with a visit to the Mountain Homeplace Historical Area.  I had a great time on the warm sunny afternoon that I came here, and this park became one of my favorite hiking destinations in eastern Kentucky.

Trailhead for Kiwanis Trail

            From the Mountain Homeplace parking lot, walk northwest across the main park road to find the start of the Kiwanis Trail, which is marked by a small brown Corps sign and a large brown wooden trailhead sign.  The gravel Kiwanis Trail soon enters the woods, which is a mix of pines and broadleaf trees.  Small interpretive signs identify common plants in the forest, and numerous benches offer opportunities to rest.

Interpretive sign

            The trail descends gradually as you pass through a lightly wooded area with the Corps Visitor Center uphill to the left.  Just shy of 0.4 miles, you pass a bench that offers this trail's best view across Paintsville Lake.  The state park's marina is across the lake and through the trees to the right, and the view is surprisingly natural and undeveloped for such a small state park lake.

View across Paintsville Lake

            The gravel trail drops more steeply to reach this hike's lowest elevation before beginning a moderate climb.  Just past 0.5 miles, you pass a small picnic shelter and reach a trail fork in the middle of Paintsville Dam's spillway; a couple of oddly-placed port-o-lets sit here.  The option going left directly down the sunny spillway is the shorter option, and you could go that way if you wanted to shorten this hike.  To hike the full Kiwanis Trail, turn right to quickly head into deeper woods and begin a moderate climb.  The Adena Trail soon exits right; stay left to remain on the Kiwanis Trail.

Entering the spillway

            The next segment of trail gradually curves left as it circles a small hill on the left.  This area is great for spotting wildlife, and I had a rabbit run across the trail in front of me.  At 1.05 miles, you reach the other end of the spillway where the short option comes in from the left.  Go straight to continue around the loop.  The Mountain Homeplace re-created village can be seen through the fence ahead, but a locked gate prevents you from getting there through its rear entrance.

Sidehill trail through forest

            The rest of the Kiwanis Trail uses wide dirt sidehill trail to pass through beautiful mature forest with a steep ravine to the right.  This section would be great for leaf-peeping in the fall.  A gradual climb returns you to the parking lot to close the Kiwanis Trail's loop.

Fishtrap United Baptist Church

Old homestead

Goats in front of barn

            To also explore the Mountain Homeplace, pay the small admission fee at the Visitor Center, then walk west and follow the asphalt trail, which forms a loop through the re-created village.  I enjoyed the old homestead, the live chickens and goats around the barn, and the blacksmith shop, but my favorite building is the old Fish Trap United Baptist Church, which dates to 1843.  Think of the preachers who stood in that pulpit and the people who sat in those back-less pews!  Finishing the asphalt loop returns you to the Visitor Center to complete the hike.