Find the top rated walking trails in Matewan, whether you're looking for an easy short walking trail or a long walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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.
We rode almost 18 miles out-and-back -- starting at Archer Park, down to David, back up to Hawkins Ave, then returned to Archer. (The trail connector access at Archer Park is behind the veteran memorial with all the flags and adjacent to the dog park.) Trail was in excellent shape, extremely well-built and well-drained, with lots of shade. Be sure to stop at EKY Fair Bar just before David and get a cold drink or ice cream. The trail is very community-oriented, which we also appreciated. Dinner at Lizzie B's afterwards hit on all cylinders!
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.
Rode June 2024 on Tuesday, Wed. Saw very few people on trail. Did not see unrestrained dogs. Signage to call sheriff if see unrestrained dogs. The trail is paved and bridges are beautiful. Only 26 miles of trail are open because the second tunnel closed for repair. The only place on trail to purchase food and drink is Griffith Family Farm Store, but they are closed on Sunday. Jenny Wiley State Park is nearby and wonderful place to kayak, hike, and chill out at lodge, cabins, or camping.
Really beautiful trail for biking, with easy gradients. You just have to be careful with all the free roaming dogs that like to aggressively chase you. Ended up turning around half way through because dogs kept chasing me.
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.
25 miles of smooth, 9 ft wide pavement through eastern Ky landscape. Mostly shaded, Wildflowers, rocky bluffs, bridges, tunnels. Also has 44 3.5 foot wide vehicle gates to navigate, which ruined ride for me. Would love to see more historical markers on trail. Map shows locations but no obvious evidence when riding.
One of the best trail ride experiences I’ve ever had! The people were exceptionally friendly. We unknowingly went on golf cart Saturday & were a little confused as to why golf carts were allowed on the trail. The Mayor stopped us to introduce himself and inquire about us and our trikes. They allow golf carts every 3rd Saturday from 10 a - 3 p to make the trail available to everyone! The Dairy Bar was awesome, and we even got a little history lesson from the owner! Will definitely be back because it became an instant favorite! What a gem!
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!!!!!
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.
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