Tygarts Creek South to Olive Hill
Trail Access Points
There are few public access to the Ohio River near Tygart's Creek. I found a local home owner who is willing
to allow me to put a kayak into Tygart's Creek on her property just north of the railroad
right-of-way above US Rt. 23. I was also unable to find public access to
Tygart's Creek for several miles south of Rt. 23.
There is informal public access to Tygart's Creek beneath the Bennett's Mill Covered Bridge.
The only access points to Tygart's Creek in this area are those places where highway bridges
cross over the creek.
Route 784 is an excellent biking or road hiking trail.
On foot or horseback, following Tygarts Creek is a straight forward matter, but there are few roads
through this area that the car or bike traveler may use to closely follow the course of the creek.
In any case, the available back country roads in the Rt. 784 - Rockhouse Rd. are quite scenic.
It should be noted that portions of Rockhouse Rd. south of Route 7 are not paved,
so speeds are best kept under 25 mph through these sections.
There is access to Tygart's Creek a several points south of the AA highway and along Rock House Road.
This is an excellent driving or riding area and the scenic beauty make it an above average hiking area.
Rock House Road parallels Tygart's Creek closely for the first several miles, and is within close walking
distance all the way to Smith Branch Road.
The extent to which our trail conforms to the route used by Native Americans in 1793 varies
greatly. Often there is no good road or public access to the most likely route of the original
Warrior's Path. In many cases, following the trail requires a four wheel drive vehicle, a canoe or
hiking. In any case, there are many paths down a hollow or river valley, and the preferred
route would have likely evolved over time depending upon changing local conditions.
We would be wrong to assume that Native Americans always walked the literal creek beds along the
Warrior's Path. The creeks were valuable source of water, but more importantly, they were in effect,
a natural compass. It is easy to lose ones sense of direction in a heavily wooded area or on featureless
open ground that one is not familiar with. The cross-country walker can lose valuable time if
he loses his way. In 18th century Kentucky (and for millenia before that time), losing one's way
was not just an inconvemience, it could prove fatal.
Following a known creek kept the traveler on course toward his destination. He didn't have to physically
walk the bed of its watercourse. Just knowing where the creek was, relative to the desired direction
would have been quite sufficient.
Lastly, we should always remember that in farming areas, the present routing of the creeks does not
necessarily reflect their natural course. The practical farmer will soon redirect a stream
from the midst of his cultivated area to one side or the other. Commonly redirecting it along
the base of an adjoining hillside. What we see as long contiguous flat fields of cultivation
would have been a web of creeks, marshes and unulating forestlands in the base of the hollows.
It is known that Native Americans sometimes set fire to these bottoms to facilitate the hunting
of game, but they would have had little inclination to re-direct creeks or make level
the undulations of the landscape.
The extent to which our trail conforms to the route used by Native Americans in 1793 varies greatly. Often there is no good road or public access to the most likely route of the original Warrior's Path. In many cases, following the trail requires a four wheel drive vehicle, a canoe or hiking. In any case, there are many paths down a hollow or river valley, and the preferred route would have likely evolved over time depending upon changing local conditions. We would be wrong to assume that Native Americans always walked the literal creek beds along the Warrior's Path. The creeks were valuable source of water, but more importantly, they were in effect, a natural compass. It is easy to lose ones sense of direction in a heavily wooded area or on featureless open ground that one is not familiar with. The cross-country walker can lose valuable time if he loses his way. In 18th century Kentucky (and for millenia before that time), losing one's way was not just an inconvemience, it could prove fatal. Following a known creek kept the traveler on course toward his destination. He didn't have to physically walk the bed of its watercourse. Just knowing where the creek was, relative to the desired direction would have been quite sufficient. Lastly, we should always remember that in farming areas, the present routing of the creeks does not necessarily reflect their natural course. The practical farmer will soon redirect a stream from the midst of his cultivated area to one side or the other. Commonly redirecting it along the base of an adjoining hillside. What we see as long contiguous flat fields of cultivation would have been a web of creeks, marshes and unulating forestlands in the base of the hollows. It is known that Native Americans sometimes set fire to these bottoms to facilitate the hunting of game, but they would have had little inclination to re-direct creeks or make level the undulations of the landscape.
