CUMBERLAND GAP NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK – KENTUCKY
Established June 11, 1940, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park runs along the Cumberland Mountains and encompasses 24,000 acres in parts of Bell and Harlan counties in Kentucky, Claiborne County in Tennessee, and Lee County in Virginia. The park is mostly forested, with over 14,000 acres designated as Recommended Wilderness.
Discover rich history, spectacular overlooks, unique rock formations, cascading waterfalls and mountain streams, cool caves, birds and wildlife, and over 80 miles of trails that range from the short and easy to 21 miles Ridge Trail. Visit Pinnacle Overlook for views of Cumberland Gap, a pass in the Cumberland Mountains once used by pioneers headed west. Take a ranger led tour of Gap Cave to see bats and stalagmites, and tour historic sites that include Civil War fortifications, the ruins of an old iron furnace, and hand-hewn cabins and split rail fences at Hensley Settlement. Wildlife is abundant and includes: deer, beaver, fox, bobcat, bear, and over 150 species of birds!
Home to a museum, auditorium, book and gift shop, the Cumberland Gap Visitor Center is a great starting point, and is located on U.S. Highway 25E just southeast of Middlesboro, Kentucky and just northwest of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel and Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. For more information call (606) 248-2817 or visit https://www.nps.gov/cuga.
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