The views from the Mountain View Restaurant are as good as the Kentucky-themed fare on the menu. Courtesy Photos: Leonard M. and Laurie Adkins
Plus fine food and entertainment to celebrate an anniversary.
State parks are always good day hike destinations, but add a lodge to the mix, like that one at Pine Mountain State Resort Park in eastern Kentucky, and there are multiple reasons to linger:
An early-morning bird chorus greeted us as we stepped onto the Honeymoon Falls Trail, a moderate 1.5-mile pathway. Thanks to her knowledge of songs and calls (and discerning ear), Laurie identified blue jays, chickadees, titmice and warblers. The melodies were replaced by a solitary woodpecker’s hammering as we walked farther into the woods.
Recent dry weather evidently had an effect on the falls. So much so that I jokingly told Laurie had I renamed it “Honeymoon Drip.” However, this did not detract from the beauty of the V-shaped grotto setting. Moss-covered rock walls rose 30 feet above us, topped by a multitude of deep green rhododendron leaves. Small caves went deep into the hillside, inviting explorations. Ascending a wooden staircase through more rhododendron, the trail passed through a tunnel created by giant boulders before returning to the trailhead.
The picture windows of the lodge’s Mountain View Restaurant overlook an expansive high mountain valley. It’s a scene you would most often need to hike miles of ascending trails to reach, but today we viewed it from padded-back chairs as we enjoyed our breakfast of eggs, biscuits and Kentucky-produced sausage.
Our mid-morning walk was along the Chained Rock Trail. In a successful publicity stunt in 1933, residents of Pineville connected one end of a massive 1.5-ton chain to a huge boulder that looked like it was ready to fall at any minute onto the town below. The chain’s other end was securely fastened to a solid cliff face. The chained rock was never really in danger of falling, but it still attracts visitors to walk the one-mile (roundtrip) trail to marvel at the chain and enjoy the soaring view of Pineville far below.
A light mist descended on the mountains as we ate our lunch of fried green tomatoes and a quesadilla in the restaurant. Later, we watched squirrels huddle in the treetops from our second story room before taking short naps.
The rain barely wet the ground, so we took a final walk on the moderate Lost Trail, which packs a lot into its half-mile length. A clear flowing stream runs alongside the trail, while magnolia trees grow above luxuriant mounds of mosses and ferns. Interesting rock formations, including aptly named Turtlehead Rock, rise up from the ground or jut into space from the hillsides. The Pinch is two upright boulders that the trail squeezes through on a descending set of stone steps.
Since this visit was a late celebration of our wedding anniversary, we decided on formal attire for the evening meal. Of course, for us, formal attire is merely hiking shoes, long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Dinner for me was Kentucky Hot Brown (it’s always good—and quite authentic—whenever I order it at a Kentucky state park) and cornmealed catfish for Laurie. Dessert was another Kentucky tradition, Kern’s Derby Pie.
A round on the nine-hole miniature golf course wrapped up the day before we retired to our room with its welcoming soft beds.
So…three moderate walks, three tasty meals, impressive mountain and valley views, a kitschy tourist attraction, a rain storm refuge, wildlife observations, a game from our childhoods and a climate-controlled room in which to slumber. As I said, state parks are much more than just day hike destinations.
When You Go
Getting there: Drive US 25E southward from Pineville for 1.4 miles, make a right onto KY 190, go an additional 1.6 miles and make a right onto KY 1491. Make a right onto KY 382 in another 1.7 miles and arrive at the state park lodge less than a mile later.
More information: Trail descriptions are on parks.ky.gov/pineville/parks/resort/pine-mountain-state-resort-park.
Find out more about Leonard’s walking and hiking adventures at habitualhiker.com.
The story above first appeared in our March / April 2022 issue.
