Moving on through Kentucky

We moved 100-miles to the west to settle in Corbin, Kentucky, a small town uniquely positioned between Knoxville, TN and Lexington, KY on Interstate 75. It sits by the shores of Laurel Lake, amid the pristine beauty of the Daniel Boone National Forest and is home to the “Niagara of the South” at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park.  This Kentucky oasis is an outdoor lover’s paradise with nature trails, white water rafting, boating, fishing, horseback riding, scenic beauty and wildlife. Corbin is the perfect destination for an outdoor adventure and we plan to find many!

Featured in this Blog you will find the following areas:
⭐ Corbin, Kentucky
⭐ Cumberland Falls State Resort Park
⭐ Big South Fork River
⭐ Pine Mountain State Resort Park
⭐ Big South Fork River National Scenic Area
⭐ Dining Recommendations
⭐ Campground Review – Laurel Lake Camping Resort

Corbin, Kentucky

Kentucky Fried Chicken

What? How can we start a post with KFC? Well…. a special fact about Corbin is that it is the home to Colonel Harland Sanders and the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken.  It is here that Harland Sanders reinvented himself into the Colonel at age 60 and created a lasting legacy that we still enjoy today. We just loved visiting the carefully restored original Sander’s Café and browsing the museum with artifacts from the early days of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park

This renowned State Park is located just southwest of Corbin, Kentucky and is contained entirely within the Daniel Boone National Forest. The park encompasses 1,657 acres and is named for its major feature, a 68-foot-tall Cumberland Falls.  The park offers a lot of different outdoor fun options for all different skill levels.

Within the confines of the park borders, we did the following:

Waterfalls

Cumberland Falls

There are several ways to get a good view of these namesake falls and it’s your best guess as to what is actually the best view. Some say it’s the trail/overlook leading to Eagle Creek Falls, some say it’s one of the several overlooks from the Visitor Center area. Here is our take on it:

Our Favorite View is from the Cumberland Falls via Eagle Creek Falls Trail. This 1.8 Mile Loop is described as moderately challenging because of the many stairs you will encounter along the route. There are two bonuses on this route; the overview of Cumberland Falls and the close up experience of Eagle Falls.

If you are so inclined, there is a side trail you can take that will lead you to Six Gun City, apparently an abandoned amusement park that never really go started. We found the trail and arrived at the “ghost town” to be disappointed. It was in very bad shape with vandalism and trash accumulated from humans. It appeared, to us, to be a junk yard more than anything else.

The paved overlooks near the Visitor Center offer various views:

First Overlook

Fourth Overlook

Sundown View

We decided one evening to see how Cumberland Falls looks when the sun is setting. Although none of the overlooks face the west, the sun did provide some nice colors behind the falls.

Up close with the 68′ Tall, 125′ Wide, Impressive Waterfall

White Water Rafting on the Cumberland River

Knowing we couldn’t leave the area without a trip down the Cumberland River, we worked with the very kind folks at Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort to make it happen. In mid-May we opted for the full-day Cumberland Below the Falls trip through the gorge with a lunch on the River Boat at the end. We chose to take our own Aire Lynx Tandem Kayak and were assigned a guide, JR to escort us although we were with a larger 6-raft group of middle schoolers. It was an AWESOME adventure! I’m not sure exactly what made it so awesome….. the bright-sunny-perfect-weather day, the kind guides, the hilarious energetic youngsters, or a combination of it all but we would HIGHLY recommend this adventure to anyone.

Moonbow at Cumberland Falls

What is 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.

Several things need to align to be able to witness this natural phenomenon. (1) must have a full moon (2) moon must be at the correct angle (3) sky must be clear and (4) falls must have enough mist being created for the moonbow to occur

WHAT🍀LUCK! All of these occurrences aligned while we were nearby so we arrived at the park at the specified time of 12-midnight and hung around with about 50 other viewers until 0130. At first I had no idea what I was looking at until a fellow viewer pointed it out and then it was difficult to see at times. Mike’s polarized lens and that of my iPhone captured it much better than the naked eye.

Eagle Falls

Water from Eagle Creek descends 44-feet before landing on the rocks below on the Cumberland River shoreline.

Dog Slaughter Falls

Within the Daniel Boone National Wilderness area and approximately 6-miles from the Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, on Forest Service Road 195, you will find the small trailhead for this easy 2.4-mile out and back hike that runs parallel to Dog Slaughter Creek through dense stands of hemlock and rhododendron. Near the mouth of the creek, a 15-foot Dog Slaughter Falls provides a scenic place to enjoy nature. We were lucky enough on a weekday prior to peak season to have the place to ourselves for a considerable period of time as we meandered to the other side and back again for photographs and to enjoy a picnic lunch on a rock while being lulled by the sound of the falling water.

Pine Island Double Falls

Within the Daniel Boone National Forest lies a rare double waterfall. It has been quoted that these two powerful blue cascades meet in the middle and plunge into a pool below. Our experience was during a bit of a drought for Kentucky. Even though we waited until a rain event, even hiking in drizzle, it made little difference in the very minimal water flow for this struggling falls.

It’s a nice easy 1.5-mile hike in the woods and the massive rock over-croppings are impressive. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Visitor Center

The Cumberland Falls SP visitor center has an information center, gift shop, snack bar (see Fried Oreos), viewing platforms, beach area, restrooms, picnic areas and different hiking trails that begin and end.

DuPont Lodge

While at the park you should make a point to visit the historic lodge. We stopped by on a Sunday morning for the breakfast but then realized it was Mother’s Day and we weren’t able to get in but we did enjoy some quiet time on the back patio overlooking the Cumberland River.

Big South Fork

Encompassing 125,000 acres of the Cumberland Plateau, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area protects the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries in northeastern Tennessee and southeastern Kentucky. The area boasts miles of scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs, is rich with natural and historic features and has been developed to provide visitors with a wide range of outdoor recreational activities.

While this is a 1-hour drive for us from Corbin, it is well worth the effort. The activities we experienced and would highly recommend in this area were:

Natural Arch Scenic Area

Not to be confused with Natural Bridge, Natural Arch is the largest arch in the Big South Fork region. Located on Stearns District of the Daniel Boone National Forest, is a great place to enjoy the outdoors. We started at the main overlook with these views:

Referring to the All Trails route, we then proceeded to the start point at the Amphitheater. This short 1.5-mile loop is rated moderate, likely because of the many stairs. You will quickly arrive at the spectacular sandstone arch that spans nearly 100 feet. 

The opportunity to walk through the arch provides an even more dramatic view with new wooden stairs to accentuate the view.

There are newly installed barriers to keep humans out of the fragile areas so please be respectful of those fragile areas and stay on the trail.

Big South Fork River Paddle Trip

This trip has been on our list for a while. The river as a strong current therefore the typical paddle trip is a one-way trip. Knowing this, we made arrangements with Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort for a shuttle service. They met us at the Alum Ford Campground, the takeout point, bright and early on the designated day, loaded our kayaks and gear into Dale’s vehicle and we were off for the 18-mile/30-minute drive to Blue Heron Mining Community.

Once at Blue Heron Mining Community, we quickly readied our boats for the paddle/float trip. The water was moving at a very good click and it wasn’t long before we hit a little white water that was fun. The river was peaceful and the views were spectacular and it wasn’t long and we found ourselves surprised that we were at the 8-mile point and the take-out of Alum Ford Campground.

We would highly recommend this trip and the fine folks at Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort will be able to offer advice, guidance and anything else you may need to make yours a successful adventure.

Buzzard Rock Overlook

We discovered this overlook of the Big South Fork River by a chance meeting with another photographer. Locals, Google and All Trails are aware of the trail but the only way we knew to find it was learning from a chance conversation, finding it on Google Maps to take us down a gravel road to nowhere and finally by the All Trails map to show us the trailhead as there is not a sign to signify. Once on the trail, you can tell it’s well traveled and within 1/4-mile you will find yourself on rock faces overlooking the bend in the river. Well worth the effort if you have the time.

Pine Mountain State Park Resort

Chained Rock Hike

Located on a section of the Pine Mountain chain this park is a true Appalachian gem nestled in the heart of southeast Kentucky. It is a hiker’s delight with 12 miles of self-guided trails. The most famous of these hikes is to Chained Rock Trail.

We were told by a friend that we should visit this park if for nothing else, the Chained Rock Trail.  Not knowing anything about this park or this hike, we headed out one fine day for a new adventure. Once arriving at the Pine Mountain State Resort Park entrance, we drove up a long winding, steep road to the top of the mountain. There was an overlook that allowed you to look out over the valley below and see the small town of Pineville.

As we hiked the 0.5 mile trail down and up various stairs and steps, over rooty and rocky trails, I could not help but wonder what is Chained Rock all about.  After walking along the edge of a smooth rock face, we see this sign that explained it all.

This huge boulder is precariously balanced on the top of the mountain and if it were to break loose and roll down, it could wipe out the town. So in 1933, the town hauled up this huge chain and connected it to the mountain.  This chain is extremely important to the town folk below.  

In some pictures you will see Cheryl sitting on this big rock. Now I asked myself, could this be the time when the big rock decides to break free? Is her life insurance paid? 😂 seriously?🤷‍♀️

Gorgeous 360-degree views can lead to insightful quotes.

Herndon J. Evans Lodge 

Ready for lunch after our outing we headed for the Lodge to admire the skilled craftsmanship of stone and wood throughout the lodge and to eventually be seated at a table in the Mountain View Restaurant with views of the mountains, bird entertainment while we dined at local favorites.

Laurel Lake RV Resort Campground

We wanted so much to love this park…. but there were too many negatives. At first glance at the entry gate and country store you would think it was KOA resort status but once inside we found:

NOTE: We had the one and only campsite we would have been remotely happy to stay for 2-weeks.

• uneven and poorly designed campsites scattered about
• unkept permanent resident sites
• allowed dogs to (1) be chained outside all…the…time and (2) allowed dogs to run free so witnessed things we wished we had not.
• There wasn’t a pool and the swimming area was a natural pond that did not look inviting with algae and dark murky water.
• Too much dirt and erosion, not enough grass or gravel.
• Most sites unlevel and too close to neighbor.

Not wanting to be completely negative, there were a few things we did like:

• the location was great for proximity to activities like Laurel River Lake (aka Laurel Lake), Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, Daniel Boone National Forest
• Convenient Dollar General location for last minute needs
• Good road system in and out of park
• Nearby Corbin had all of the needs with grocery stores, Wal-Mart, and various other shopping needs.

Dining & Other

While trying to maintain a reasonable budget, we opted for these two dining experiences:

• The Wrigley Taproom & Eatery. They have a 4.6-star rating on Google for good reason! We were one to give them a 5-star rating! The staff was very friendly, the beer on-tap was extensive, something for every taste and the food was very tasty. We met several locals who not only recommended different beers but also were very complimentary of the food. That speak volumes to us when locals recommend and frequent a local establishment.
• Sanders Café and Museum. This was certainly a very cool experience. Surrounded by memorabilia while eating authentic KFC and learning the history of the iconic Colonel Sanders is a must if you are in the area.
• Bubby’s BBQ. This was recommend by some locals so we gave the all-you-can-eat buffet a shot. It was always busy with locals and we did enjoy the southern favorites for a easy-on-the-wallet price.

In Closing…..

We enjoyed our 16-night stay in Corbin, Kentucky exploring the National Forest, the State Park, the extensive Laurel River Lake, the Cumberland River and so much more.

Stay tuned for lots of posts and more importantly….. photographs by James Frazier (aka Mike).

Dream Big….Travel Far….Live Well

Photography

Because of limited internet access, none of these photos have made it to our photography website yet, please check in at a later date or visit Nspired Eye Photography to see other areas around the United States.

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