Cumberland Gap and the moonbow at Cumberland Falls

Route description

From Knoxville take TN-33 north through Maynardville and US-25E to the small town of Cumberland Gap, about 1 hour 30 minutes. The town sits at the foot of the gap, with a historic main street and the start of trails to the Iron Furnace. US-25E then passes through the twin Cumberland Gap Tunnels, which opened in 1996, into Kentucky.

The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park visitor center lies just north of the tunnels. From there a narrow and winding road climbs to the Pinnacle Overlook, with a view of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia; vehicles longer than 20 feet (6 m) and trailers are not allowed. The park has a campground at Wilderness Road, and in summer rangers lead tours of the Hensley Settlement, a remote mountain farm.

Middlesboro was built inside a meteorite crater, one of the few towns in the world where this is true. From Middlesboro take US-25E north through Pineville to Corbin, about 1 hour. Pine Mountain State Resort Park, near Pineville, was Kentucky’s first state park.

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is about 30 km south-west of Corbin on KY-90. The falls are best after rain, and on clear nights around the full moon you may see a moonbow. The park has a lodge, cabins and a campground, and rafting trips run on the river below the falls in summer. Continue west on KY-90 and US-27 to Somerset on Lake Cumberland.