After four and a half years of hard work, the “twin cities” of Estill County, Irvine and Ravenna, recently celebrated earning Kentucky Trail Town status.
Estill County has a lot to offer as an outdoor adventure destination. It contains the second most mileage of the Kentucky River, and is a gateway to the Red River Gorge. It’s also home of the annual Mountain Mushroom Festival and Fungus 5k – Estill County has a tradition of morel mushroom hunting – and are becoming known for their agate hunting opportunities.
A group of passionate residents and members of the Estill Action Group started working several years ago toward better organizing and marketing their outdoor assets. They wanted to share the county’s unique features and offerings with fellow Kentuckians and out-of-area visitors.
In addition to their Kentucky River water trails, the group organized regular community hikes and promoted cycling routes on their county’s ample hills.
The work culminated on the last weekend in July 2019 with the second annual “Weekend on the Water” event. Based out of the Kentucky River Recreation Park, participants could rent or bring their own tube to spend the afternoon tubing on the river. The park has a loop, making it easy for tubers to enjoy the river again and again. A 6-mile fun paddle was also available for kayaks and canoes. Mike’s Hike and Bike, an outdoor outfitter in Richmond, was on site with kayak rentals. Beyond the water activities, there were also vendors, food trucks, games and activities.
In the midst of the activities, Estill Action Group hosted a ceremony to celebrate their designation as a Kentucky Trail Town.
“We are so proud to earn our Trail Town Certification! It has been a labor of love to rally around our water recreation, trails at Lily Mountain Nature Preserve, and hiking near the Furnaces, all while planning for future ways to expand,” said Jess Stevens, Estill County Director of Tourism and Estill Action Group board member. “Estill Action Group started as a way to highlight the bright spots in our community and we feel like this is a great way to mark and celebrate that.”
In conjunction with the Weekend on the Water, the Kentucky Rail Heritage Center welcomed a massive steam-powered Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) locomotive to their location, which is currently under development in Ravenna. This event drew more than 1,500 people. Plans for the center include a museum, restaurant, brewery and event center, concert venue, walking trails and a railroad restoration instruction site for local schools.
“It’s all about the river and choo-choos all weekend long. We’re taking what we have, the assets we have, and we’re showing them off to the world,” Estill Development Alliance Executive Director Joe Crawford said at the Trail Town ceremony.
The Estill Action Group’s motto is “Everyone Striving To Improve Local Living.” Working to build outdoor opportunities takes advantage of local assets to help create healthy options for exercise and recreation and attract visitors looking for outdoor adventure. These opportunities are essential to creating Appalachia’s New Day.
About: This is story #31 in the Appalachia’s New Day campaign, a new storytelling effort launched in June 2019 by MACED for Eastern Kentucky communities. We can work with you to help identify, shape and amplify stories about businesses, programs and initiatives in your community that are helping build a new economy. Read more stories here. Contact us or sign up here if you would like more details.
