Athawominee - The Warrior's Path
Vanceburg to Eskalapia Mountain - 18 miles
The Warriors path follows Salt Lick Rd. (CR 3037, KY 10 & KY 989) through this area.
Salt Lick Creek is the principle access to the interior of Kentucky between Tygarts Creek and Maysville, Ky.
Judging from the broad valley it has created, its water flow must have been much greater in an earlier era.
Eskalapia Mountain was well known to Native Americas, and retains the name they knew it by.
The peak stands some 1,198 feet above sea level.
The Trail ascends the flank of Eskalapia ("Kentucky Ridge") to reach the broader Flemingsburg plain beyond.
Kinniconick Creek Alternate Trail Routing
While the routing described here is suggested by the historic references to the Warrior's Path passing
near Eskalapia, it is not the only route between the Ohio River and the Flemingburg plain.
A few miles to the southeast, the watershed of Kinniconick Creek links inner Kentucky with the
Ohio River. The Kinniconick however does have a major disadvantage to the walking or canoeing traveler.
Map of the Kentucky Ridge - Kinniconick Creek area
In the area of its outflow into the Ohio River at Garrison, Ky., the Kinniconick appears to be a wide,
deep and reliable waterway. However, much of its water volume is actually backwash from the Ohio River.
As those familiar with it can attest, its upper reaches tend to be dominated by shallows,
and many meanders and constrictions created by the surrounding hills. And while there is a
route that is fairly easy to follow from Garrison to the interior plain, a traveler from the southwest
would discover that finding the particular hollow and creek that connects to the Kinniconick is highly problematic.
The traveler who guessed incorrectly would soon me struggling over miles of untracked hills and dense forests.
That said, if this route was frequently used by Native Americans, it would have been clearly marked.
And of course, over the passage of time, both routes were probably used frequently.
