Cumberland Falls
A Different Kind of Rush
Called the “Niagara of the South”, this 125-foot curtain of water drops 60 feet down into the gorge below, creating an awe-inspiring mist. Through that very same mist, you can catch one of the world’s only regularly occurring moonbow on a clear, full-moon night. Beyond the falls, this area is a hiker’s paradise, with 17 miles of hiking trails that wind through the park to scenic areas. The Moonbow Trail connects with many backpacking trails in the Daniel Boone National Forest.
History
of Cumberland Falls
1800: Matthew Walton and Adam Shephard, engineers who served under George Washington during the American Revolution, become the first recorded landowners of the falls.
1850: Lewis Renfro, a Baptist minister, and his wife Mary, build a cabin and become the first landowners to permanently settle at Cumberland Falls. Their cabin was later used as a hospital during the American Civil War.
1875: Socrates Owens purchases the falls and 400 acres of surrounding land and builds the Cumberland Hotel, which was taken over by his wife Nannie and his son Edward following his death.
1902: Henry Bunson purchases the land and hotel, managing it alongside his daughters until 1931.
1927: The Kiwanis Club sponsors a trail to be built from nearby Corbin, Kentucky, and dedicates it to Kentucky governor, William J. Fields.
1931: The park officially opens on September 7, 1931.