Keeneys Creek Rail Trail

Keeneys Creek Rail Trail is a 3.3-mile one-way point-to-point walk on a wide former railroad grade between two small access areas on Keeneys Creek Road. It is rated easy and follows a roughly 4% grade across rugged mountain terrain. I’d choose it if you want a long, steady walk with a real industrial story and creek-side trestle views; plan your return before you set off, because the listed distance is one way.

The grade carried coal from mines and communities along Keeneys Creek to Nuttallburg and the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway mainline. John Nuttall began building infrastructure here in 1870, and when the railroad reached the gorge in 1873, Nuttallburg was ready to ship coal. Henry Ford leased the mines in the 1920s, then sold his interests in 1928 after he couldn’t control or afford the railroad that moved the coal. The easy grade is a reminder of the engineering it took to move coal through this rugged drainage.

Several trestles look out over mountain streams, including Short Creek, and the rail grade passes beneath the old conveyor. That’s the route’s visual payoff: from the trail, frame a bit of the trestle with the stream below instead of photographing only the water. The walk is about the line and its industrial setting as much as any single destination.

The 3.3 miles is one way, so allow about 1.5 hours between the two access areas. Walk back to your starting car and it becomes roughly 6.6 miles. The wide former rail grade and 4% slope make for a steady, nontechnical walk, but you’re still committing to a long outing if you don’t arrange a pickup at the other end.

There are two small trailhead pull-offs on Keeneys Creek Road. From US 19, turn onto Lansing-Edmond Road, follow it 6 miles to Winona, then turn onto Keeneys Creek Road; the first pull-off is 2 miles later, just beyond the second bridge, and the other is 1.5 miles farther. The approach roads are narrow, winding and partly single-lane, so be ready to yield or reverse. Dogs are allowed on park trails on a physical leash no longer than six feet; there is no drinking water at the trailheads.