Cabwaylingo State Forest: Tick Ridge Fire Tower (Blog Hike #1123)

Trails: ORV Trails #11, #29, and #10
Hike Location: Cabwaylingo State Forest
Geographic Location: south of Wayne, WV (37.98677, -82.37477)
Length: 4.3 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: April 2026
Overview: An out-and-back on ORV trails to a CCC-built campground and fire tower.
Park Information: https://wvstateparks.com/parks/cabwaylingo-state-forest/
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming March 19, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: From Wayne, take SR 152 south 24 miles to CR 35.  Alternatively, you can reach this intersection by taking SR 152 north 5.7 miles from US 52 along the Kentucky/West Virginia state line.  Turn east on CR 35, and drive the winding paved road 2.9 miles to the Cabwaylingo Trailhead on the right.  Turn right to cross a stream on a bridge, then park near the park office in the large gravel parking lot that ORVs use for unloading.

The hike: Between 1863 and 1891 the Hatfield family of West Virginia and the McCoy family of Kentucky engaged in one of the most bitter and famous feuds in American history.  The feud had its roots in the American Civil War.  Although most members of both families fought for the Confederacy, Asa Harmon McCoy chose to fight for the Union, and he was killed by Hatfields and other Confederate allies on his way home from the war.

            The Kentucky/West Virginia border was a remote and lawless area in the late 1800s, and both families took justice into their own hands, causing continued escalation for many years.  The feud climaxed with the 1888 New Years Massacre and the ensuing Battle of Grapevine Creek, when a group of Hatfields went to Kentucky, surrounded the McCoy cabin, and opened fire on the sleeping McCoy family.  After such a brazen, violent, and egregiously illegal act, county sheriffs, state governors, and even the United States Supreme Court became involved to end the feud and bring peace to the area.  Many Hatfields and McCoys were tried and convicted of major crimes with the last trial ending in 1901.

            Today the feud is commemorated by a vast network of ORV trails in western West Virginia called the Hatfield-McCoy Trails, and one of the main trailheads for this system is in vast, rugged, and remote 8125-acre Cabwaylingo State Forest.  The state forest dates to the early 1930s, and the depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked here to restore the forest and build the park's facilities.  The CCC's constructions include but are not limited to the park headquarters, 14 cabins, and several picnic shelters.  The forest is named for the 4 counties in which it occupies land: Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, and Mingo.

            Cabwaylingo State Forest offers both ORV trails and hiking trails, but many of the hiking trails are poorly maintained and therefore do not make for pleasant hiking.  Thus, I chose to hike some of the ORV trails up to this park's most famous CCC construction: the Tick Ridge Fire Tower.  Built in 1935, the Tick Ridge Fire Tower is eligible for the National Register of Historic Sites.  Although the tower is not open for climbing, hiking to the fire tower not only allows you to view a piece of history, but it also passes a nice overlook and some other interesting CCC constructions.

Hatfield and McCoy Trailhead at Cabwaylingo State Forest

            Pick up a trail map at the park office, then head southwest down the wide gravel road with a basketball court and picnic shelter on your right.  Where the road splits, go left to start heading up the hollow that contains Wiley Branch on ORV Trail #11.  This trail is one of the main trails in the park's ORV trail system, and it is wide and easy enough that an ordinary car could traverse this part of the trail most of the time.

Exiting the developed area

            After passing a primitive campground, you exit the developed area and begin climbing along Wiley Branch.  Beech and maple trees dominate the forest, and this hike would be great for fall leaf peeping.  I saw many butterflies when I came here in late April, and I saw lots of birds including a yellow-throated warbler.

Continuing to climb

            Just shy of 0.5 miles, the Indian Trail exits right.  The Indian Trail is a very steep and poorly maintained hiking trail that could be used to form a loop.  Unless you want a very rough and challenging hike, I recommend staying on the wide dirt/gravel ORV Trail #11 and doing this hike as an out-and-back.  The trail continues climbing, and soon ORV Trail #79 exits left.  This is another trail that could be used to form a difficult loop, but again I recommend staying with the main trail.

Picnic shelter at Tick Ridge Campground

            The wide gravel road continues climbing on a moderate grade via several switchbacks.  1.8 miles into the hike, you reach the Tick Ridge Campground.  Some vault toilets and an excellent CCC-built picnic shelter sit here.  To continue to the fire tower, turn sharply right on ORV Trail #29, then 0.1 miles later angle left on ORV Trail #10, which is the final leg to the fire tower.

Looking down the power line corridor

Tick Ridge Fire Tower

            At the only switchback on ORV Trail #10, you reach a bench that looks down a power line corridor.  While this westward viewpoint is somewhat narrow and does not overlook anything of note, it is the only ridgetop viewpoint on this hike.  A couple hundred feet later, you reach the Tick Ridge Fire Tower.  A fence and removed stairs prevent you from climbing the tower, but interpretive signs tell you about the tower and the people who built it.  The dense forest allows no views.  After viewing and learning about the tower, retrace your steps down to the park office to complete the hike.

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.