Seldom Seen Trail

Seldom Seen Trail is an easy 0.6-mile out-and-back from the west, downstream end of Nuttallburg’s coke-oven battery to the former residential site. The spur leaves Tipple Trail beside the company-store foundation. Plan on 0.3 miles each way and about 30 minutes. It’s a worthwhile add-on while you’re exploring the historic site, especially if you want to see where miners’ families lived; it is a short history walk, not a day hike.

Start beside the company-store foundation and follow the named path to the settlement. The mapped line ends about 30 feet higher than it starts. The trail is rated easy and allows hiking and biking, but published information doesn’t describe the tread or grade in detail, so don’t treat “easy” as a promise of accessible footing.

The community took shape in the early 1900s for Nuttallburg miners and their families. About two dozen houses once stood along a narrow shelf beneath the gorge wall, where there was little room to expand uphill. The homes are gone; stone foundations among the trees are the clearest remains. From near the foundations, the opposite wooded slope shows through the trees.

The route mileage begins at the Tipple Trail junction, not at the main parking area. Nuttallburg’s main lot has a vault toilet, and designated parking for visitors with disabilities is 0.1 mile farther toward the tipple. Pets are allowed on a physical leash no longer than six feet. There is no drinking water at the trailhead.