Eerie 100-Yr-Old KY Tunnel Still Welcomes Bikers, Hikers, and Riders

I can be really corny when I want to be. Here's a prime example...I will honk going through long tunnels. The equivalent of a "dad joke," I hit the horn just about every time I drive though that I-64 tunnel in Louisville. The looks I must be getting from the locals, right? I might as well be wearing a camera around my neck and staring at a map.

Gun Creek Tunnel in Eastern Kentucky

But there's no honking allowed--or, I should say, there's no honking POSSIBLE--if you visit the creepy yet no less fascinating Gun Creek Tunnel in Magoffin County in eastern Kentucky. And that's only because your vehicles aren't permitted in the tunnel. Gun Creek is a close neighbor of Jenny Wiley State Park whose guests often take full advantage of the trail.

The tunnel is part of a former railroad bed--once a segment of the Big Sandy & Kentucky River Railroad--now known as the Dawkins Line Rail Trail. It's become quite a popular destination for bikers, hikers, and horseback riders. So, by all means, bring your equine friend with you.

Gun Creek Tunnel was constructed in the early 1920s, and it has seen many a train car pass between its uniquely wooden walls. That's right. Gun Creek sets itself apart as one of the few railroad tunnels to feature wood on the inside. I'd never thought about how rare that it is, but I've never been inside a train tunnel either.

You'll have your hands full on a trip to the Commonwealth's Appalachian region, but make sure you take time to visit a chapter from Kentucky's past.