Hiking The Dawkins Line Rail Trail, August 20, 2019

Gun Creek Tunnel--Photo by Corey B on AllTrails.com

Yesterday, August 20, 2019, I spent an hour hiking on the Dawkins Line Rail Trail in Johnson County Kentucky beginning at the Swamp Branch Trail Head and going up Swamp Branch for probably two miles.  My wife Candice was with me and, since she is in a wheelchair, she stayed on the porch of a building under construction by the Griffith Family Farms which is intended to be a camping store and camp site in the next year. Candice frequently goes with me when I go to public hiking sites and reads a book while she waits for me to get in my usual hour. I had heard about the Dawkins Line Rail Trail ever since it became an active idea a few years ago but I have always had reservations about the project and, after having seen part of, talked to one adjoining landowner and a three man trail crew, I still have reservations.  I did not have my camera with me and did not take any photos. The two photos I have shared here are from public websites with full attribution to the photographers. My initial reservations about this trail project arose from having worked in social services in Magoffin County for several years and living in three adjoining counties for much of my life.  Both Johnson and Magoffin Counties are deeply mired in the ongoing opioid epidemic and crime of many varieties is a fact of life in both counties through which the trail passes.  I will admit that, so far, my initial misgivings have not fully materialized which is great news for the users and for the adjoining community.  But after yesterday's experiences, I still have serious reservations about safety for unaccompanied hikers and mountain bikers as well as for individuals such as my wife who might be waiting at isolated places along the route while family and friends hike the trail. I encountered the three man trail crew about 45 minutes into my hike when I was about one mile from where Candice was waiting on me at Swamp Branch.  I was greatly relieved when they told me they had seen her and waved at her as they passed her location.  

The trail crew and I also discussed the feedback they receive from the local landowners along the route which they referred to as "a  mixed bag" of opinions.  When I inquired if it might not turn into a "pain on weekends" for some landowners, the crew agreed with me in a limited way while likely also attempting to stay well within state employee guidelines for avoiding making negative statements about their work and work site.  The trail is a classic rail to trail conversion of an abandoned rail line which runs for 18 miles currently from Royalton, Kentucky, in Magoffin County, to Hager Hill, Kentucky, in Johnson County with plans to expand it to 36 miles in the near future.  The old rail line actually runs within a few feet of many homes and private property.  It is frequently only a few feet away from ordinary hard working citizen occupants who are trying to live their normal lifestyles after seeing the neighborhood significantly change over a short period of time with an influx of strangers, horses, mountain bikes, and hikers over the last few years.  Most of the homes I saw are clean, well kept, and obviously cherished by the owners who never know from one minute to the next when a group of horse riders or mountain bikers will come passing by what used to be a completely private and purely residential setting which just happened to have an abandoned railroad nearby.  I have also heard rumors over the  years of impermissible ATV usage on the trail which both the trail crew and the one landowner I spoke with deny other than to say that maybe some locals will get on with an ATV for short distances to go to neighbors, family members, or other property in the area which I am sure many of them did regularly without consequence when the rails and ties were still in place and the railroad was simply an abandoned right of way.  

The physical setting of the trail is one of the most potentially scenic in the state although it does not have any significant overlooks of which I am aware. But for me the most significant weakness of the trail without consideration of possible crime is that it is an old railroad line and there is little shade while hiking.  The trail is hard packed pea gravel and not the typical leaf mold you find on most mountain trails. But the up side of that is that it is not very prone to significant muddiness because of the gravel surface.  The trail has a mild grade in the area I hiked in as it ascends to pass through a tunnel between Swamp Branch and Royalton to make the grade into the higher mountains of the upper Licking River near Royalton.  There are several well maintained wooden bridges which used to be railroad trestles.  There are actually signs posted in this area advising hikers to "call the Johnson County Sheriff's Office if you are menaced by a dog".  Most of the landowners seem to have dogs which is perfectly normal in that area.  I only heard a couple of barking dogs as I hiked and was not confronted by one anywhere along the way.  Most of the landowners seem to have either fenced in, tied up, or housed their dogs inside.  But after my hike, I drove up Swamp Branch on the paved county road in order to show Candice some of the area on which I had hiked. We did see one somewhat rundown home with nearly a half dozen large dogs tied to wooden houses in the yard.  I will also say that this particular house was the only one I saw which I would have described as rundown.  The neighbors do take generally excellent care of their property and do seem to restrain their dogs.  But for the combination of private land in close proximity; the possibility of aggressive dogs; the lack of shade in general; and the hard packed gravel surface, I did not come away liking the hike.  I do not recommend the trail for solo hikers or vulnerable hikers.  With more than 7,000 miles of experience riding horses on public highways from Michigan to Florida, I also do not like the possibility of being a horseback rider who encounters an aggressive dog on a less than well broken horse in what is still an isolated setting.  As for horseback riding, I consider that to be the most appropriate use of the trail since a horse gives a rider a somewhat faster retreat in the event of aggression from dogs or criminals.  Mountain bikers will also like the ride I suspect but they will be much more susceptible to attack from dogs than horseback riders might be.  The surface is well suited to training for long distance runners in small groups but I would not recommend it for any solo hiker or runner even though I will likely return alone to at least one or two other starting points in the near future to further assess the trail. My bottom line is that if you use the trail be sure to have a cell phone which might or might not have service in the mountainous area; carry a first aid kit which would be appropriate in case of dog bite since even a properly restrained large dog can escape and cause trouble; observe all the posted rules at the trail heads; and travel in the company of at least one other able bodied person.  

Abandoned House on Dawkins Line Rail Trail, Photo by Justin Lewandoski on AllTrails.com