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Print Friendly MapThe Coolavin Rail Trail runs for a half mile in northern Lexington's Smithtown neighborhood. The paved pathway begins on a quiet street adjacent to the Transylvania University Athletics Complex and heads northeast, paralleling Jefferson Street. In one block, you will come to Coolavin Park, the star attraction along the route with its ball field, basketball courts and playground.
The trail ends a few blocks later at Bellaire Avenue, just south of a stretch of railroad tracks. Just before you reach the terminus, look for a trail spur veering off to your left, this is the Hope Center Trail. The 0.3-mile connector heads west to the Legacy Trail, a popular 12-mile pathway.
Parking and restrooms are available at Coolavin Park (551 W. Sixth St.).
Nice trail to connect the Legacy Trail/Hope Center Trail to the longer Legacy Trail and to town. Unless I missed it, it would have been helpful to me to know that the Coolavin Trail was also called the Legacy Trail. Makes more sense for the total mileage for the Legacy Trail.
This trail is beautiful. But it's far too short to be it's own trail. It's my favorite way to start on the Legacy Trail. The trail head has easy parking and a little coffee shop. The broke spoke and a distillery are on this trail. The neighborhood around it has a lot to offer. It's just effectively a warm up to the Legacy Trail.
I 'm not really sure that this this should be listed as a trail in its own right. This is really just an extension of the existing Legacy Trail. The signage along the trail actually designates it as the Legacy Trail. However, that should not be taken as a complaint. This portion represents another step toward bringing the Legacy Trail into downtown Lexington. I am hopeful that the other extensions will be coming soon.
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