The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located at the border between Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, centered on the Cumberland Gap, a natural break in the Appalachian Mountains.

The park lies in parts of Bell and Harlan counties in Kentucky, Claiborne County in Tennessee, and Lee County in Virginia. The park contains the Kentucky-Virginia-Tennessee tripoint, accessible via trail.

The Cumberland Gap Visitor Center is located on U.S. Highway 25E just southeast of the city of Middlesboro, Kentucky, and just northwest of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel and the town of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. The visitor center features a museum with interactive exhibits about the Gap's role as a transportation corridor, an auditorium that shows films about the area's cultural and natural history, a book store and the Cumberland Crafts gift shop with crafts from Appalachia.

Physical geography

The park covers and is among the largest national parks in the eastern United States. As of 2010, of this was designated as Recommended Wilderness. At the northeastern end, the park sits adjacent to the Sillalah Creek Wildlife Management Area and the Martin's Fork Wildlife Management Area and State Natural Area. The surrounding states purchased and deeded the land of the park to the federal government in 1955, and the official opening took place in 1959.

In 1992, the park purchased the area surrounding Gap Cave, which had previously been privately owned.

As of 2010 there were plans to acquire an additional of land surrounding the lake.

Accommodations

thumb|The exterior of the visitor center in 2008

The park includes a visitor center, renovated in 2004, which features a museum and auditorium, providing exhibits on the areas cultural and natural history, as well as book and gift shops.

Guided tours of the Hensley Settlement and Gap Cave are provided from the tourist center.

There are of hiking trails, ranging from shorter routes such as the Sugar Run Trail, to the Ridge Trail, which spans the park and reaches an elevation of . The nearby Wilderness Road Campground includes 160 campsites.

Tourism

The park saw 737,547 visitors in 2017, according to statistics by the National Park Service. According to one federal study, in 2013 visitor spending amounted to $46 million in nearby communities, supporting 639 local jobs. Peak rates of visitation normally occur during the seasons of spring, summer and fall.

Recognition

In 2017, the park received the Keeper of the Light Award from the Southeast Region of the National Park Service, which recognizes excellence in education. In 2016, the United States Mint released a commemorative quarter as part of the America the Beautiful series honoring the park.

See also

  • Big South Fork of the Cumberland River
  • Cumberland Falls State Resort Park
  • Lists of state parks by U.S. state
  • List of areas in the United States National Park System
  • List of Kentucky state parks
  • List of mountain passes
  • List of national parks of the United States
  • List of Tennessee state parks
  • List of Virginia state parks
  • Mammoth Cave National Park
  • Pine Mountain State Resort Park

Notes

References

  • Official Cumberland Gap National Historical Park website
  • American Byways: Cumberland Gap