The paved Tanglewood Trail offers just over four miles of level and enjoyable walking with touches of history and friendliness.
Photo Above: The old train tunnel has become a highlight of the trail.
Photos Courtesy of Leonard M. and Laurie Adkins.
I was born and raised in the mouth of Hazard hollow
Coal cars roaring and rumbling past my door
Now they’re standing rusty rolling empty
And the L&N don’t stop here anymore
Jean Ritchie sang about the downturn in the coal industry, the demise of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad and the economic hardships they caused in eastern Kentucky in the 1960s. By the time the tracks were removed in the 1980s, it was obvious the trains were never coming back. Decades later, Letcher County, the City of Whitesburg, Kentucky, and several regional organizations have created the Tanglewood Trail along the railroad’s route through residential, downtown and green spaces.
The L&N also operated passenger service in eastern Kentucky and as Laurie and I walked the trail on a sunny mid-spring day, I felt like an observer sitting in one of those cars as it progressed from west to east, taking in the daily life of the city.
Children on bicycles were our primary companions where the outing started in a neighborhood of modest homes. A calmer atmosphere prevailed once the trail crossed the North Fork of the Kentucky River (which it does four times) to parallel the stream. Here Virginia creeper vines cling to the rock wall chiseled out of the hillside, enabling trains to negotiate this narrow passage.
On city sidewalks for a few blocks, the trail goes near downtown businesses, restaurants, public art and the city’s first legal moonshine distillery, Kentucky Mist (open during evening hours).
Penny Vaccaro walked by as we were taking a selfie and welcomed us to “this little slice of heaven” as she referred to Whitesburg.
“I grew up in Louisiana, moved here a few years ago and simply love it. The people are so friendly and I’ve used the trail to train for a half-marathon.”
We met Clay Christian, Letcher County tourism director, as we crossed the river for the final time. Talking about the area, he said he grew up in eastern Kentucky, graduated college and, along with a friend, enjoyed living in China for several years operating a successful American-style restaurant. Yet, when it came to raising a family, he knew it was time to return home to “the best place I’ve known.”
The trail enters an old railroad tunnel that Christian explains was cut out of the mountain in the 1910s. “After the trains left, the tunnel was made inaccessible, but we recently reopened it and paved the treadway as a trail highlight.” I couldn’t help but think about how an entire hospital complex now exists on top of the mountain we were walking through.
Beyond the tunnel, the trail leaves the rail bed to follow a horseshoe bend in the river and double back on itself through Riverside Park. Families barbequing while attending a children’s sporting event invited us to join them, reinforcing Penny Vaccaro’s assessment of the friendliness of the area’s residents.
When to Go
The Walk: A level 4.2-mile roundtrip (or 2.6-mile one way) walk along Whitesburg, Kentucky’s paved Tanglewood Trail.
Getting There: From the US 119/KY 15 intersection east of Whitesburg, drive westward on KY 15 for 2.3 miles, turn right onto Hazard Road, continue another .4 mile, turn right onto Parks Street and start walking from the parking lot near the school. (If you have two cars for a shuttle, leave one car at the trail’s eastern end by driving .6 mile from the US 119/KY 15 intersection, turning right onto Hospital Road and parking in Riverside Park.)
More Information: Letcher County Tourism (discoverletcher.com) can provide additional trail details.
A Most Convenient Location
Restored in 2021, the 1924 Sears and Roebuck Salyer House (airbnb.com) was our lodging for the night. With six suites, each with private bath, the home has a full kitchen with common sitting areas and overlooks Whitesburg, about a two-minute walk to downtown and the trail.
Leonard has written 20 books on the outdoors and travel. Find out more at www.habitualhiker.com.
The story above first appeared in our March / April 2024 issue.
