Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2016 - 15

WHEN YOU GO
The Hike: A rugged and strenuous 4.5 mile hike on the
Jenny Wiley Trail followed by a .5 mile road walk to connect with two moderate pathways onto a ridgeline and
beside Dewey Lake for a total of 9 miles in Jenny Wiley
State Park.
Getting There: From the intersection of US 23 and KY
302 a short distance south of Prestonsburg, follow KY
302 northward to enter the park in 4 miles. Bear right
onto Jenny Wiley Drive when KY 302 swings left in
another .4 mile, go past the convention center and into
the marina. Leave one car at the far end of the marina,
return to, and turn right onto, KY 302. Parallel the lake
for close to 5 miles to the Jenny Wiley Trailhead parking
on the left (across from a boat ramp).
Trail Information: A map and short descriptions of each
trail are available on parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/
jenny-wiley.
Jenny Wiley State Park Also Offers: ...a more-than-100
site campground with hookups, showers, store and
dump station; the May Lodge with rooms overlooking the swimming pool; one- and two-room rental
cottages; a restaurant; a marina with close to 200 slips
and pontoon boat rentals; a nature center that rents
canoes; picnic and playground facilities; three miles
of mountain biking trails; and elk viewing tours at a
nearby reclaimed strip mine. The Jenny Wiley Theatre
(jwtheatre.com) presents live dramas (including "The
Jenny Wiley Story") in the park's amphitheatre.
mayapple and fire pink, added their interesting shapes
to the forest floor.
Despite its name, Mayapple's fruit, which looks more
like a yellowish-green egg than an apple, usually doesn't
develop until sometime in June. Fire pink's name
doesn't refer to the color of the flower, but rather to the
notch at the end of each petal (think about how pinking
shears make a serrated edge on sewing material).
The steeply descending main route went through a
cemetery with graves from this and previous centuries.
The automobile and bicycle traffic, along with gangs of
running, yelling children, were a contrast to my solitary
woods walk, but a cold drink from the campground's
store was ample compensation as the day's temperatures began to increase.
Twice more the trail rose quickly, traversed a ridgeline
with additional views of the lake through vegetation and
dropped just as steeply before coming to the lake where
a paved road was followed into the marina. Passing by
my shuttled car, I rose on a connector trail going by May
Lodge and continued onto the gradually ascending Moss
Ridge Trail. Bluets, rattlesnake weed and penstemon
brought me by more weathered sandstone structures and

Striking rock formations are common along the trail.

onto a gently undulating ridgeline. Here the hike took a
right onto the Steve Brackett Memorial Trail.
Freed from having to pay attention to the steep inclines and rugged treadway of the Jenny Wiley Trail,
my mind was free to wander. And what did it wander
to? Did I solve any of the world's pressing problems or
think about ways to improve my life? Nope. Freed from
care, my mind decided to sing a procession of inane
songs. Songs with verses such as: Rudolph the red-nosed
reindeer had a very shiny nose and I'm all about that bass,
'bout that bass, no treble, I'm all about that bass, 'bout
that bass.
The songs receded to the background once I crossed
a road that could have been followed to the lodge if I
had wished to shorten the hike. A variety of warblers,
including bay-breasted, Nashville, worm-eating, Kentucky, Cerulean and American redstart, have been seen
by ornithologists who come to walk this road during
spring migrations.
Beyond is the aptly-named Lake Shore Trail with its
gently meandering ups and downs a few yards above
the water. I've never felt the need to go zipping pell
mell across the surface of a lake, but I must admit that
the people flying by in speeding boats looked like they
were having fun. Same for the numerous anglers slowly trolling the shoreline in their rectangular jon boats,
and a family of five was all smiles when they went kayaking by just as I returned to my car.
Driving away, I turned on the radio-only to hear
I'm all about that bass, 'bout that bass... 

AFTER THE HIKE
There are few open restaurants in Prestonsburg on a
Sunday night. Town tourism director Mitchell Pearson
suggested the locally owned Dairy Cheer. I have no
doubt that the tasty Classic Smashburger, spicy fried
pickle, and handmade pineapple milkshake went a
long way in replacing the calories expended on the
hike.

November/December 2016 15

http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/jenny-wiley http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/jenny-wiley http://www.jwtheatre.com

Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2016

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