Discover Letcher: Trails, Nature and Culture

A 20-mile road follows the Little Shepherd Trail through the Pine Mountain Wildlife Management Area to Kingdom Come State Park. Letcher brings together landscapes like these with geological history, art and music. These varied themes offer different ways to plan your trip—from nature watching to events and regional history.

Pine Mountain, Wildlife and Trails

Kingdom Come State Park and State Nature Preserve protects Kentucky’s third-largest colony of the federally endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis). Black bears, deer, elk and various small animals and birds can also be spotted on Pine Mountain. So, alongside the landscape, its wildlife is also a focus.

The old-growth forest at Lilley Cornett is used by Eastern Kentucky University as a research station and living museum of natural history. While hiking the High Rock Loop Trail, you can see the waterfalls in Bad Branch State Nature Preserve. Since a trail’s construction or development status can change, check the latest trail information before your hike.

Geology and Trail Navigation

The Pine Mountain Pound Gap Thrust Fault was exposed at Pound Gap during construction of the new section of US 23. On September 26, 1998, Pound Gap was designated Kentucky’s first Distinguished Geologic Site. US Route 23 runs through the gap between Jenkins, Kentucky, and Pound, Virginia, making the pass a specific point of reference between the two places.

The Tanglewood Trail is a 4.6-mile route for pedestrians and cyclists through Whitesburg, running mostly along a disused railway line. Its development may continue, so check the current route in advance. Together with the Little Shepherd Trail, it illustrates two different ways of getting around: a road route and a trail for pedestrians and cyclists.

Art, History and Collections

Appalshop is a multimedia arts center featuring June Appal Records, Headwaters Television, WMMT-FM and the nationally known Roadside Theater. It also offers monthly bluegrass music events. If a concert is important to your trip planning, check the dates in advance, as event schedules can change.

The town center is listed as a Historic District in the National Register and recalls the beginning of the coal boom in eastern Kentucky around 1912. It includes numerous examples of the work of Italian stonemasons who founded a Little Italy in Letcher County. The Harry Caudill Library has a genealogical collection of handwritten family histories and published works. A museum displays items donated by veterans from Letcher County, including a Jeep, a 3/4-ton truck, a 2 1/2-ton truck and an M60-A3 tank.

Music, Dates and Activities

Seedtime on the Cumberland takes place annually on the first weekend in June in downtown Whitesburg. The festival features food, arts and crafts, and music, and has been held since 1987. Be sure to confirm the dates for your travel year. If you’d like to learn to play music yourself, consider the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School as another trip date: it offers five full days of music classes for all skill levels in the summer, during the last week of June.

The Letcher County Recreation Center has a three-story climbing wall with several routes for everyone from beginners to experienced climbers. Kentucky Mist Moonshine offers another glimpse of local craft and product traditions: the craft distillery is located in the Appalachians and is connected to eastern Kentucky’s distilling tradition. Kentucky Mist makes fruit-flavored moonshine using whole fruits.

Discover more destinations: Hallie, Fleming-Neon, Cumberland County, Graves County, Meade County, Owen County, Shelby County, Jessamine County.

For the broader travel overview: Kentucky.