Cumberland Falls

Believe it or not, I leave The Mitten from time to time. I do so reluctantly, but I usually end up enjoying myself. Recently, we took a quick trip south of the Mason-Dixon line. I am talking about Corbin, Kentucky. What a random place hey? The focus of the trip was Cumberland Falls State Park within the Daniel Boone National Forest.

Thanks to Groupon we got a smashing deal on a few nights at the state run lodge that overlooked the Cumberland River. 

The GPS lead us through the flat farmlands of Ohio and the rolling pastures of Kentucky to Corbin Kentucky. From Corbin we followed two-lane roads with very small shoulders upward. We continued upward for miles; miles of climb and turn, climb and turn. Just when it seemed as if we could not climb higher without paying a toll to St. Peter we came upon the Lodge.

The Kentucky Parks Department apparently runs several lodges throughout the state, kind of a cool concept. This particular one is perched atop the mountain with a balcony and restaurant that offer panoramic views of the lower country.

By far the best thing about the lodge was that all of the hiking trails started right out the back door. From there you could access the network of trails that lead to Cumberland Falls and all of its subsidiary trails.

Here are some of the shots of leg one of the hike:

Perfect Section of trail.

Chelsea, acting as a reference point for the grandeur of the rocks.

This bridge leads to the network of trails on the other side of the river, the subject of my next post.