Cumberland Gap National Historical Park & Cumberland Falls State Resort Park

This morning we had a five-minute drive from our hotel in Middlesboro, Kentucky to the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Visitor Center where we watched two videos regarding the history of the Cumberland Gap and Daniel Boone. From there, we drove up to the Pinnacle Overlook which offers a great view of the Cumberland Gap.

At the Pinnacle Overlook

By now it was time for some hiking, so we opted for the Tri-State Peak trail which is a 2.4-mile round trip hike that took us to the point where three states intersect - Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. With a little maneuvering, we were able to be in 3 states at one time!

In 3 states at one time!

Next, we drove over to the Daniel Boone Visitor Center, but for some reason it was closed, so we just enjoyed a picnic lunch on a bench out in front before driving into the tiny town of Cumberland Gap. This town has a short trail leading to the Iron Furnace which was used in the 1800s to produce iron.

Reading up on the Iron Furnace

The Iron Furnace

At this point, we had seen and done everything on our list for Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and still had some daylight hours left, so we drove toward another place we had read about - the Cumberland Falls State Resort. The Cumberland Falls State Resort has a waterfall that is 125 feet wide with a drop of 60 feet. It is known as the "Niagara of the South."

Cumberland Falls

Looking down the Cumberland River from the falls

After some time walking the pathway by the falls and the Cumberland River, it was time to finish off the day by driving the 2 hours to Lexington where we would stay the night.