6/18/15 - Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, VA


We took a very nice scenic road from Blue Heron Campground today to Cumberland Gap National Historic Park.  We stopped at the visitor’s center that is in Kentucky and watched a movie.  The Cumberland Gap is a passageway through the Appalachian Mountains from the eastern seaboard to the Ohio Valley. The trail was blazed by Daniel Boone and was used by hundreds of thousands of settlers as they migrated west to settle the country.

We drove into Tennessee and took the exit for the Wilderness Road Campground in the park.  The campground is in Virginia.  Within a 5 minute span we were in 3 states! After picking out a site and setting up, we drove to the historic town of Cumberland Gap, TN.  Our first stop was at the trailhead for Daniel Boone trail.  We walked a little way on the trail to walk in Daniel Boone’s footsteps.  Then we drove to another trailhead for a short walk to the Iron Furnace.  This was an old iron smelting furnace from the 1800s.  Behind it was a stream with surprisingly cold water.  We then drove the Pinnacle Road and walked to the Pinnacle Overlook.  From there you can see the peak where the three states meet.  Also, you can see the Cumberland Gap trail.  This drive had a stop where you could see the remnants of a gun battery at the site of Fort McCook.  Jim took a picture of me standing with my left foot in Kentucky and my right foot in Virginia (only half as many states as the Four Corners.)  We did a little shopping and then returned to camp to relax.

 
 
  
 



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