Athawominee - The Warrior's Path

 
Southwest on Route KY 989 to Carpenter Rd. to KY 57  

The trail descends the western flank of the Kentucky Ridge and soon intersects Fleming Creek.    
Fleming Creek flows south and then west into the Licking River. 
This would have been an obvious routing for this part of the Warrior's Path.

A traveler returning from the south could use the distinctive profile of Sugar Loaf Mountain
as a prompt to leave Flemingsburg Creek and turn east toward Eskalapia and Kentucky Ridge.

Warrior's Path access points
Route 989 closely follows Salt Lick Creek and climbs the flank of Eskalapia Mountain.
Privately-owned farmland lies astride the Warrior's Path route between the head waters
of Salt Lick Creek and the trail's intersection with Fleming Creek, west of Eskalapia Mountain.
Hiking the berm of the highway (Rt. 989) is not an ideal route, but the area is quite scenic.



The routing across Kentucky Ridge is highly problematic. Historical reports refer to 
the Warrior's Path as passing Eskalapia. Although Rt. 989 crosses the ridge near Eskalapia, 
the highway climbs a long grade to reach the top of the ridge. I suggest that it would have 
been unlikely that the Warrior's Path would have followed this route. 
A trail up nearby Toller Hollow gains altitude much more gradually, 
and mounts the ridge at a significantly lower point.

Either Route leads the traveler to the level ground before Sugarloaf Mountain. 
Having passed Sugerloaf, the traveler must traverse a short featureless area before picking 
up Fleming Creek as it leads him west and then south past Flemingsburg.

   

Click here for a larger image of the map below.