2021, 5-5, Cumberland Falls State Park

One of our favorite weekend getaways is Cumberland Falls State Park in Kentucky. The trail system is relatively small, but there is a lot of variety, and I managed to include the three loop hikes at the park in 50 Hikes in Kentucky.

5-5-21 Cumberland River Loop

Cumberland Falls

We drove up from Knoxville in the trailing edge of a storm system that had dropped a couple inches of rain. We stopped first at the falls for photos while the light was good, and the water would be high. For our first hike we picked the Cumberland River Loop, probably the area’s most diverse trail. The loop starts with an easy walk upstream along the river above the falls. Some wildflowers were still in bloom, but the explosion of early spring was past.

Fire Pinks.

Next the trail climbs to the restored CCC-era lookout tower on Pinnacle Knob. This tower, rebuilt in the late 2000s, has a huge compartment on top, large enough to have  housed the fire lookout. Though the cab and catwalk are closed to visitors except during tours, it is an elegant structure, well worth the climb for the view of the river and park.

Descending the bluff line to the river.

Pinnacle Knob Lookout.

Beyond the tower the trail then descends a series of bluff lines back to the river where it joins the famed Moonbow Trail. The north side of the loop is downstream of the falls. Here the wide riverbanks are replaced by steep cliffs, and the jumble of giant boulders shed from them. The river channel, instead of running smooth and fast, twists chaotically through a jumble of huge rocks separated by cascades and small falls.

Pink Lady Slippers.

We’d changed focus from flowers to the rocky scenery until a patch of lady slippers around a trail blaze caught our attention.

The river was high from our recent rains and boomed alongside us. We could see scattered river debris on the trail indicating our route had been at least partially underwater recently. One particularly low section of the STT/Moonbow had a designated bypass around it, and we found signs indicating that the old section had finally been abandoned in place of the bypass.

Trail Reroute.

Back at the falls we were amazed at how empty it was. Maybe a half dozen people were wandering around the overlooks around the falls, and the parking area was nearly vacant. In so many other areas an attraction like Cumberland Falls would be crowded to the point of overuse, even on a cool, damp, midweek day. We felt extremely likely to be there in the quiet, with such an attraction nearly to ourselves.

Cumberland Falls.

5-6-21 Eagle Falls and Blue Bend

Eagle Falls.

On Day 2 we hiked the Eagle Falls and Blue Bend trails which share a trailhead across the river from the developed side of the park. We chose to walk Eagle Falls first to again photograph Cumberland Falls in the gentler morning light. When we first were visiting the park there were several great overlooks early in the trail perched on the edge of the falls. But the trail is heavily used in midseason, and maintaining the trail on the steep hillsides was a constant battle. So, the trail was rerouted, trading some its vistas for a more sustainable trail. The new routing puts a better emphasis on an old CCC overlook shelter. Built in the 1930s the overlook gives hikers a unique perspective on the falls.

At the Overlook Shelter.

Cumberland Falls from the Eagle Falls Trail.

Just past the side trail are the primo overlooks. We had those to ourselves and took our time taking pictures. The falls looks much more horseshoe-shaped from this perspective vs. the straighter profile we’d seen from up close.

Next up was Eagle Falls. There’s another side trail to it, accessed by a couple sets of steep wood and steel ladders. Eagle Falls is a more traditional Cumberlands waterfall. Here a side stream pours off layer of thick bedrock into a small plunge pool. The flow in Eagle Creek was higher than we’d previously seen, and the increase produced some prodigious spray and noise.

Eagle Falls.

For our last hike we moved across the road to the Blue Bend Trail. Our trailhead was once the sight of an historic inn. The Blue Bend Trail starts up the old road that once brought in the visitors from Parkersville. The roadbed is now just a deep rut, and hard to imagine as a major thoroughfare. The trail passes some steps and foundations for the old inn, a pair of wooden bath houses nearby probably are much more recent additions. Once we reached the top of the hill, and turned off the old road, the walking was flat and easy. This is a trail for birders, and for wildflower enthusiasts, provide they are earlier in the season than we were . We’d hoped for wildflowers, but found the dry ridgetop relatively empty.

The old road to Cumberland Falls.

The scenery picked up at the far end of the ridge as the trail turns down to the river and to join the Sheltowee Trace Trail. We stopped at the junction for lunch and then headed down stream along the wide riverbed. Approaching Blue Bend itself, the valley narrows near the mouth of Bunches Creek. The next section of trail has marvelous bluff line walking with cliffs, rockhouses, and other formations. Closer to the end we saw one last wet weather falls before closing the loop.

A wet weather waterfall.