Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is a park located just southwest of

Corbin, Kentucky Corbin is a home rule-class city in Whitley, Knox and Laurel counties in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 7,856. Corbin is on Interstate 75 and US Route 25W, about hal ...

, and is contained entirely within the

Daniel Boone National Forest The Daniel Boone National Forest (originally the Cumberland National Forest) is a national forest in Kentucky, United States. Established in 1937, it includes of federally owned land within a proclamation boundary. The name of the forest was ...

. The park encompasses and is named for its major feature,

Cumberland Falls Cumberland Falls, sometimes called the Little Niagara, the Niagara of the South, or the Great Falls, is a waterfall on the Cumberland River in southeastern Kentucky. Spanning the river at the border of McCreary and Whitley counties, the waterfa ...

. The falls are one of the few places in the western hemisphere where a

moonbow A moonbow (also known as a moon rainbow or lunar rainbow) is a rainbow produced by moonlight rather than direct sunlight. Other than the difference in the light source, its formation is the same as for a solar rainbow: It is caused by the refracti ...

can frequently be seen on nights with a full moon. The park is also the home of Eagle Falls. The section of the Cumberland River that includes the falls was designated a Kentucky Wild River by the Kentucky General Assembly through the

Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves The Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves is an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the United States dedicated to the protection of Kentucky's natural heritage. The agency's primary focus is protecting rare and endangered species habitats. It ...

' Wild Rivers System. The forest in the park is also a dedicated State Nature Preserve.

History

After the discussion of building a

hydroelectric power plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

above the falls in 1927, Kentucky native T. Coleman du Pont offered to buy the falls and surrounding acreage in order to create a state park. Although he died before he could purchase the land, his wife purchased the falls and the surrounding it for $400,000 on March 10, 1930, after the

Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in th ...

(legislature) approved the creation of the state park. Cumberland Falls was dedicated as a state park at 1:30 p.m. on August 21, 1931. Following a $2 million renovation project in 2006, the park received an upgraded rating from two diamonds to three diamonds from the

American Automobile Association American Automobile Association (AAA) is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 million members in the United States and Cana ...

(AAA) in 2007.

Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park is a public recreation area located on the northern shore of Kentucky Lake in Marshall County, Kentucky, United States. The state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-n ...

also received the upgraded rating. The two facilities were the first state resort parks to achieve the three-diamond rating following AAA's revision of its rating system in 2001.

Recreation

* Visitor center * Interpretive center * Tennis Court * Playgrounds * Firepits * Picnic tables in each cabin group, perfect for a cookout *

Mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

Hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

- approximately 20 miles of trails *

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...

* Horseback rides * Pool (recently refurbished) * Different activities by the week for guests of the park such as square dancing, archery, arts and crafts, group hikes, and animal encounters *

White water rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

and canoeing on Cumberland River

The Dupont Lodge

* 51 guest rooms * 3 stories * Home to the Riverview Restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner * Patio outlook onto the Cumberland River * Maid services provided * Internet access

Cabins

* Multiple modern one and two-bedroom * Two different cabin groups * In a standard one story cabin, there are two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, a dining room and a kitchen * There are also a few two-story cabins with the living room, kitchen, a half-bathroom, and a dining room upstairs, and the two bedrooms and connecting bathrooms downstairs * Both cabin groups are dog-friendly * Maid services provided * Many cabins have been renovated * Newly added internet access to both cabin groups * There are "Woodland Suites" available that have the experience of a cabin, but at a smaller size and cheaper cost

Events

*Backpacking 101 - (Several times a year) *Native American Weekend - (March) *Overnight Canoe Adventures - (April, May, October) *Nature Photography Weekend - (April) *Birding and Wildflower Weekend - (May) *Kentucky Hills Craft Festival - (September) *Moonbow Trail Trek - (November)

Hazards

* The Daniel Boone National Forest is home to much wildlife, and although there are several beautiful animals, make sure to watch out for black bears and copperhead snakes * The falls used to be an area of recreation for swimming, but that has been shut down due to the dangerous current of the river * Each year people try to canoe over the falls, but this is very dangerous because of the rocks located underneath the waterfall

In Popular Culture

*In Film The 1955 western The Kentuckian, starring Burt Lancaster, was partly filmed at Cumberland Falls. An establishing shot of Cumberland Falls is used in the 1997 action film Fire Down Below starring Steven Seagal. *In Literature

Silas House Silas Dwane House (born August 7, 1971) is an American writer best known for his novels. He is also a music journalist, environmental activist, and columnist. His fiction is known for its attention to the natural world, working-class characters, a ...

, the poet laureate of Kentucky, published a popular poem called
Cumberland Falls
in

The Bitter Southerner ''The Bitter Southerner'' is a digital publication that was created on August 6, 2013, by Chuck Reece, Dave Whitling, Kyle Tibbs Jones, and Butler Raines. In 2015, Eric NeSmith joined the team and became Publisher of ''The Bitter Southerner''. ...

magazine that uses the falls as a setting and a metaphor. It was also selected as a featured poem by the Academy of American Poets. Cumberland Falls also serves as a scene setting in Lee Cole's 2022 novel, Groundskeeping, House's 2001 novel Clay's Quilt, and Kim Trevathan's 2006 memoir, Coldhearted River.

References

External links

*
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park
Kentucky Department of Parks
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park
at American Byways {{authority control State parks of Kentucky Protected areas of McCreary County, Kentucky Protected areas of Whitley County, Kentucky Protected areas established in 1931 Daniel Boone National Forest 1931 establishments in Kentucky