Visitors to Eastern Kentucky have
the opportunity to mix nature
with wild adventure on the new
Kentucky Mountain Trails of Harlan
County. Preston McLain, president of
the Harlan County Ridge Runners, a
local all terrain vehicle (ATV) club with
more than 500 members, knows all the
loops personally.
“These trails were originally built 70
to 80 years ago by coal and log companies
then later abandoned,” says McLain. “Now, we have a ready-built off-road
park and recreation trail system. We’re
using the trails for ATVs, 4x4 trucks, dirt
bikes, hiking and have places sectioned
off for horseback riding.
“The environment wasn’t disturbed to
create the trails,” he says. “No heavy
machinery had to be brought in because
the work was already done.”
The trails are the beginning of an
eight-county coalition project which
crosses state lines into Virginia and West
Virginia and includes the counties of
Harlan, Bell and Pike in Kentucky.
“Out of the 15 highest points in Kentucky,
Harlan County has 11, including
the highest one (Black Mountain, 4,145
feet),” says McLain, “so the views are
spectacular.”
The trails conquer them all with loops
as short as 50 miles and some that are 250-300 miles in length. Black Mountain Park
is the first section to open; more than 2,400
riders participated in its grand opening.
There are more than 400 miles of trail
available but not all are linked yet. The
goal is to create one giant trail system,
according to McLain.
>> For More Information
Harlan County Tourism: 606/573-4156,
www.harlancountytrails.com.
Harlan County
Ridge Runners: www.kyoutdoors.com/hcrr.
Kentucky Mountain Crawlers: www.kymc.org.
—Gail Fleenor
