Cumberland Falls

For the Cumberland Falls meteorite of 1919, see meteorite falls.

Cumberland Falls
Cumberland Falls, as viewed from Whitley County.
Location	Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, McCreary County & Whitley County, Kentucky, USA
Coordinates	36°50′17″N 84°20′40″W / 36.83801°N 84.34444°W / 36.83801; -84.34444Coordinates: 36°50′17″N 84°20′40″W / 36.83801°N 84.34444°W / 36.83801; -84.34444
Type	Block
Total height	68 ft (21 m)
Number of drops	1
Watercourse	Cumberland River

Cumberland Falls, sometimes called the Little Niagara, the Niagara of the South, or the Great Falls, is a large waterfall on the Cumberland River in southeastern Kentucky. Spanning the river at the border of McCreary and Whitley counties, the waterfall is the central feature of Cumberland Falls State Resort Park.^[1]

On average the falls, which flow over a resistant sandstone bed, are 68 feet (21 m) high and 125 feet (38 m) wide, with an average water flow of 3,600 cubic feet per second (100 m³/s). ^[2]

Under a full moon on clear nights, an elusive lunar rainbow or moonbow is sometimes formed by the mist emanating from the falls.^[3]

In June 2004 Tyler Mac Williams made a 7:00am descent in his kayak on the far side of the fall.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ Cumberland Falls Retrieved on 2010-05-29
2. ^ Kentucky Society of Natural History Retrieved 2010-05-29
3. ^ Cumberland Falls Moonbow Retrieved on 2010-05-29

Further reading

• Caudill, Harry, "Night Comes to the Cumberlands", 1962. ISBN 0-316-13212-8

External links

Canoers just upstream from Cumberland Falls.

• Kentucky tourism site
• Kentucky state parks information page
• Cumberland and Other Kentucky Waterfalls