Explore the best rated trails in Harlan, KY, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Guest River Gorge Trail and Pennington Gap Greenway . With more than 12 trails covering 79 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
We’ve ridden many rail trails across the country and this one is really great. All paved, mostly flat with some gentle grades. Dogs that some reviews mention are all in fenced kennels, none loose on the trail. We stopped at Griffith Farms for soda and some great farm treats - really fun. Mix of woods, creeks, bridges, family farms, lots of wildlife.
Rode this trail to the end and back today on our pedal assist e-bikes. I can’t say enough about how great it is. Well marked and maintained parking. Well maintained trail too — the USFS has come in and cleared the trail of trees from Helene so it is rideable. But the best part is how absolutely gorgeous this gorge is. Towering limestone cliffs! Waterfalls! A designated Scenic River that I want to come back and swim in! It truly rivals the Virginia Creeper Trail (upper part before Helene) and is easy on an e-bike. Uncrowded too. I think we saw a total of 18 people all day today and two of them worked for the USFS. Highly recommend! before Helene ¿¿
Rode from Hagerhill to Tip Top Tunnel. The tunnel is closed but did get to go through a shorter tunnel at about the midway point. Trail is asphalt all the way. Several trailheads and rest areas along the way. Rode it in Late October…colors were gorgeous!! All in all a great ride.
Got to see the buffalo (plus). Nice shady ride Parked at visitor center and rode both ways and back. Rode 14 miles total.
We rode 45 miles, out-and-back from Jenny's Creek TH to Tip Top Tunnel. Loved the newly-paved surface. Dogs were well-behaved, scenery gorgeous, and Gun Creek Tunnel always a treat. Only wish that Griffith Family Farm was open on Sundays (but we get that!). Did stop at the old general store in Royalton for cold drinks and ice cream. Hope they open Tip Top or do a re-route one day and pave the rest of the trail.
I love being outside and the sound of the river and the trees are wonderful. Being paved, it is comfortable to be on even after it had rained as opposed to a muddy trail, so I really liked that. There is plenty of parking with overflow parking across the street.
This was our first time on this trail. It is a very beautiful trail, but NOT an easy hike. Lots of overgrowth from plants, lots of rocks and obstacles to climb / navigate. Just be aware if you do it
Front start to finish and back is 20 miles. You will see homeless people but they will not bother you at all. In the summer months parts of the trail can flood if we get a lot of rain. But you have get some really good shaded areas to cool off and there is also so up hill areas but not bad at all. Good trail to get some exercise!
I recently rode the Dawkins Line Rail Trail, starting from the Jane Beshear trailhead to the Hager Hill section, and had a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The gates along the trail are quite narrow, posing a challenge for cyclists maintaining any significant speed. However, they are now clearly visible, thanks to fresh coats of paint. Adding historical or informational markers along the trail would indeed enhance the overall experience. I had a wonderful time and look forward to returning soon to explore a different portion of the trail.
We had an extremely pleasant bike ride today from Swamp Branch to the Licking River (just past Jane Bashear parking area), and only saw one other being on the trail — a riderless horse! He seemed extremely trail savvy and just grunted and moved out of our way. The weather was perfect with on and off pop up showers. The pavement was nice. The Griffith Family farm at Swamp Branch supplied our picnic (and more!) and they had more kind of potato chips than I’ve ever seen.
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