Cumberland Falls State Resort Park

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park in Corbin in southeastern Kentucky protects a 125-foot-wide curtain of water that drops 68 feet over a sandstone shelf on the Cumberland River, earning it the informal title of the Niagara of the South. The falls are among the largest waterfall by volume east of the Mississippi River, and are one of only two places in the Western Hemisphere — the other being Victoria Falls in Africa — where a moonbow, or lunar rainbow, can be reliably observed. On clear full-moon nights, mist rising from the plunge pool refracts moonlight into a luminous arc visible with the naked eye, typically appearing for one to two hours centered around local midnight. The moonbow phenomenon draws visitors on each full-moon night year-round, and rooms at the park's DuPont Lodge — constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps — often book months in advance for the nights surrounding a clear full moon. Beyond the falls, the park encompasses approximately 1,800 acres of landscape laced with 17 miles of hiking trails. The Eagle Falls Trail (1.5 miles round trip) descends through the gorge downstream from the main falls to a smaller secondary cascade accessible only by a creek-side scramble, making it the most rewarding short hike in the park. Additional trails pass through stands of hardwood and hemlock along the Cumberland River gorge rim. Whitewater rafting on the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River is available through permitted outfitters for Class III and Class IV rapids. Horseback riding trails depart from a stable on the park's north side. The park is located approximately 70 miles south of Lexington via US-25, about 20 miles west of Corbin.