Cave Run to Morehead to Olive Hill

Tygarts Creek flows from the west, but turns north at Olive Hill, Ky. West of Olive Hill,
the northerly fork is call Upper Tygart, the southerly is the Soldier Fork.

To a walker or horseback rider traveling from east to west, it is not readily apparent which 
fork is the more efficient route to or from the west.

The Upper Tygart branch carries a bit more water flow, and the valley it has 
created is somewhat wider than the valley created by the Soldier Fork to the south.

In contrast, the traveler who has followed Triplett Creek upstream to its headwaters has 
a somewhat easier choice. One branch of Triplett Creek flows from the base of a 
substantial ridgeline that geologically separates it from the easterly flowing waters 
of the Upper Tygart branch of Tygarts Creek.

A second branch of Triplett Creek emanates from a narrow east-west hollow that points 
directly at the headwaters of Soldier Branch. There is no substantial high ground to impede 
easterly travel from Triplett Creek into the Soldier Fork valley. Once the traveler has 
tried both paths, the logical choice becomes obvious.

The distinct advantages of the one trail over the other is somewhat masked by the routing of 
modern highways. Route 60 climbs the north-south ridgeline at a moderate grade over the course 
of about two miles. The traveler must make a conscious effort to appreciate the significant 
change in altitude as the ridgeline is traversed. On foot, the change is more clearly apparent.

The advantage that the Soldier Branch has is not immediately apparent because Rt. 174 also climbs 
a grade between the Soldier Branch valley and the Triplett Creek valley. But one has only to glance 
to the north of the highway to see that there is a narrow east-west valley below the highway which 
the road builders did not take advantage of. Why they did not is unknown, but it may have had 
something to do with the sitting of the railroad that was surveyed through this section 
in the 1880's. The original wagon road/trail may have been displaced by the railroad right-of-way.


Trail Access

Although road berms are narrow on Rt. 174, traffic is light and generally travels 
at a moderate speeds, so this is a good biking area.

The abandoned CSX railroad right-of-way closely follows the course of Tygart's Creek. 
Portions of it are privately owned, but I have never heard of a hiker's access being questioned.

We're certain of the routing of the trail through this area because contemporaneous reports 
of the party pursuing the raiders states that they followed a path that paralleled Tripletts Creek.

Tripletts Creek flows down from the east fairly directly through a valley that passes Morehead, Ky.

There are virtually no alternative routes to or from the east through the hills in this 
area. Topographic maps show that the hills east of Morehead lay densely on the land, 
valleys are narrower, and few hollows extend in any direct for any significant distance, the 
Tripletts Creek valley being the notable exception.



There is limited access to Triplett Creek, but a hiker or biker who follows US Rt. 60 
is not far from the original trail.

This is not the ideal biking area, but it is safe for an experienced rider. 
There is some limited hiking close to Triplett Creek in the area of an old golf course,
but most of the bottom land is occupied by commercial and residential properties.

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