THE PINE MOUNTAIN TRAIL
of KENTUCKY AND VIRGINIA
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- The Pine Mountain Trail Conference was started in 1997 as a grass roots
effort by those who loved hiking and the mountain, and soon grew to include
the Kentucky state government, the National Park Service, the U. S. Forest
Service, and Virginia. It runs along the ridge of Pine Mountain, the last
in a western progression of Appalachian ridges, and now has designation
as a Kentucky State Park.
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- Hiking the trail reveals the greatest diversity of plant life in Kentucky
and also provides lessons in history and geology as you observe pioneer
homesteads, waterfalls, cliffs, rock shelters, caves, and upland bogs.
Spring and Fall are special times on this central Appalachian mountain,
too.
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- The Pine Mountain Trail is open to hiking its entire length, and to
biking and horseback riding in some sections. The northern 40 miles will
travel through Virginia and the southern 80 miles in Kentucky. As of 2002,
about 30 miles were open, from Breaks Interstate Park (a cooperative state
park effort by KY and VA since 1954) to just south of the trail's crossing
of US highway 23 at Pound Gap. When completed, it will connect with the
Cumberland Trail of Tennessee at Cumberland Gap National Historic Park
which will stretch another 300 miles all the way to Chattanooga.
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- Wildlife include black bear, white-tailed deer, elk, coyotes, snakes,
ticks, chiggers, and mosquitoes. Hikers must also be wary of poison ivy,
green briar, stinging nettle,and blackberry briar. Summer months are very
warm and humid, and fog can obscure vision, especially in the morning.
Also be aware of local hunting seasons, generally April, May, and September
through December.
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- Yellow blazes mark the trail, as well as signs with the PMT logo. The
Conference sells trail guides which are invaluable to the hiker, with pages
of good info as well as detailed mile-by-mile directions/descriptions of
open sections of the trail. The guide also provides history and pre-history
of the region, checklists for flora and fauna found in the area, geology
of the region, photos, and poetry and artwork by local residents.
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Info: