Find the top rated running trails in Ashland, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
During a busy workweek this was my go-to ride. I ride it twice and add some riding around town in order to get at least 10 miles in. There is lots of shade on the trail. I would have two points of caution: The deer are heavy. I’ve had several cross in front of me and sustained a minor injury when I had to slam on my brakes. Secondly, there is a lack of trail etiquette from pedestrians. I put a bell on my bike but it hasn’t helped. Use caution on this trail, especially when crossing Route 93.
A very nice trail. Rode this in mid September on a Friday afternoon, on my way to see Sara Evans in the tiny little town of Clay, WV. (I know this has absolutely nothing to do with the Dawkins trail, but it is the reason I found myself in this part of the country).
I started my ride at the Jenny's Creek Trailhead, and ventured all the way to the shuttered Tip Top tunnel. The trail "ends" about 1/2 mile before the tunnel, but you can keep going to check it out. It is worth it....
The ride was pretty nice, with a great surface, and very empty. In the 45 miles or so I covered, I only encountered a few other riders.
As several others have stated, the gates are a huge problem. Not only are there too many, they are very difficult to notice. If you are accustomed to riding at a faster pace, be very careful as sometimes you can be right on top of these. The paint is faded on most of these gates, and they blend into the scenery. A couple of times I had to really stop quickly. These are in desperate need of high-visibility paint. Other than these dangerous gates, the trail is worthy of a visit.
I love the trail! Gentle uphill & smooth ride down. The only good but bad thing is the gates are numerous to keep 4 wheelers out but they make it dangerous for we seniors whoes balance isn’t as good as it good be.
PLEASE OPEN JUST A LITTLE WIDER!!!!!
This trail is not bad but it could be so much better. It’s not in the best condition and the section from Bidwell to Kerr was completely unkept & unridable as far as I could tell. If they could fix that section and have it connect to the main trail and then somehow add some more trail along the river front, this would be a five star trail.
Rode the section from Royalton to the trail end at Hagerhill and back. 36 miles overall. Beautiful Tuesday summer day, fair amount of shade and a new asphalt surface that had us gliding along. For cyclists who don’t like to encounter other bikers, don’t care about scenic views and like a smooth well maintained trail, Dawkins is your trail. Over the 36 miles we encountered 4 cyclists, 3 wild turkeys, 1 deer and 1 squirrel. (All dogs were not near the trail and were mostly heard rather than seen.) The trail runs through a narrow valley mostly along country roads with lots modular homes and an occasional horse farm. No scenic views at all, the trestles mostly span the highways, not flowing rivers. There is more elevation change here than on most rail trails I’ve ridden which made for a fun more challenging ride. A highlight was stopping for refreshments at the Griffith Family Farm. Very friendly folks with just the pick me up we needed. One thing to note is that on the trail map Royalton is listed as a trail head. There is no trail head there. No signage, no parking area. We parked in the Dollar General lot which the manager graciously allowed. Overall we enjoyed our ride. If I lived in the area I would ride it regularly.
Dawkins was a great trail before, but since recently being paved, it is now accessible to road bikes & recumbents.
They were finishing up on the blacktop when I rode this in May. Definitely changes the ride of this trail. Also check out the nearby Prestonsburg Passage Trail. #dawkinsrailtrail, #prestonsburgpassageky.
9/27/22 … we rode the section from Jenny Creek to Royalton and back. This is a classic rail trail with varied surfaces, easy grades and a mixture of quiet remoteness while also seeing local homes and residents. It does seem that every home has a dog or several but we didn’t have any issues except for the 5 that came out to get a quick ear scratch. Talked to one local resident that mentioned the trail was going to get paved. I honestly have mixed feelings as pavement is nice and fast but it takes away the sense of history and the sound of crushed gravel under the tires. We rode recumbent trikes with no difficulties.
It will be nicer when paved as it is pretty bumpy at times. I was worried about dogs as I saw in the previous reviews however all the dogs we saw were tied up or in kennels, however it was a little scary at times not knowing if they were loose as you came across them when riding by.
Rode about 20 miles round trip from Griffith Family Farms to the east side of Royalton. We almost skipped this ride after reading the reviews about dog problems. Then when we started one of the first signs we saw was about how to report problems….oh boy. Happy to report no dog problems.
Huge parking area behind the farm at the Swamp Creek Trailhead MM8.3. Flat for the first few miles then felt like an uphill grade to the Gun Creek tunnel at MM15. Downhill from the tunnel to Royalton at MM18.2. We were headed to the restroom at Jane Beshear trailhead. Never saw it. We turned around at the Dollar General on the east side of Royalton. Trailhead is on west side at MM18.9. Should have checked map more closely before we started 😕
Met some local folks who truck their bikes up to Royalton then ride downhill to the east end. So my legs were telling the truth about it being uphill 😀 Met a fellow mowing the grass along the side of the trail with his walk behind Gravely mower. Asked him if he gets paid. He said “nope just do it because I get sick of looking at the weeds”. Thank you sir, much appreciated!!!
Had only two small spots with some loose gravel. Be especially careful at the end of the long bridge over Mountain Parkway at about MM13.
Glad we didn’t skip this one. Much nicer than we expected. We liked the part from Swamp Creek to Gun Creek Tunnel the best. West of the tunnel to Royalton was more open and more houses. East of tunnel was more wooded…..bikin-mike….Aug 2022
I rode from the trailhead at Farm Rd to the end and back. Great shade, friendly people, not busy/crowded at all. Bird nerd paradise! So many species and songs! Trail was perfumed with the sweet smell of honeysuckle throughout. Very easy ride but recommend walking up the steep slope at the park because you have to come to a dead stop at the apex or you're in the street.
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