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.