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.