Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Visitor Center is located on U.S. Highway 25E just south of Middlesboro, Kentucky. The earliest written account of Cumberland Gap dates to the 1670s, by Abraham Wood of Virginia. Use our easy Lodging Search to find exactly the type of accommodation you are … In the winter months, January through March, temperatures range in the 30s to 40s F (0s C) and are generally mild with rain and few periods of snow.[4]. [2] It lies within Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and is located on the border of present-day Kentucky and Virginia, approximately 0.25 miles (0.40 km) northeast of the tri-state marker with Tennessee. It is one of seven named highways designated in Kentucky's parkway system. The nearby town of Cumberland Gap, in Tennessee, is named after the gap. Entrance Fee: $0.00, There is … It is a world of darkness, with fantastic dripstone formations and strange animals who have adapted to the cave environment. 1501 Hwy 25 E Middlesboro, KY 40965 606-268-2855 Text Us Now Text us × Close. Cumberland Gap is located on the route of the famous old "Wilderness Road," one of the entry points into Kentucky during the pioneer period. The Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway is a 92-mile-long (148 km) east–west controlled-access highway in the U.S. state of Kentucky, extending from Barren County in the west to Somerset in the east. [15], Of the 371 species of animals listed so far within the park, 33 are mammals, 89 are birds, 29 amphibians, 15 reptiles, 27 fish, and 187 are insects, however many others remain to be included. It remained isolated until the coal mining boom of the 1900s when railroads connected it with surrounding towns. The gap was formed by the development of three major structural features: the Pine Mountain Thrust Sheet, the Middlesboro Syncline, and the Rocky Face Fault. You can go to the overlook up on the mountain, they have a nice vistitors center. Last-minute getaway? The population was 204 at the 2000 census. It's not as big as the GSMNP nor does it get anywhere as crowded. Ranger led tours of Gap Cave are offered throughout the year. [17], This article is about a mountain pass in the United States. Of all the beautiful areas in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, the Hensley Settlement is one of the most beloved destinations for staff and visitors alike. [2], The discovery of the Middlesboro impact structure has proposed new details in the formation of Cumberland Gap. Camping near Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is easy with Hipcamp, where private landowners offer one-of-a-kind camping experiences. Indians used Cumberland Gap as a gateway through the mountains before the arrival of the white man. List of mountain passes in the Appalachian Mountains, "Geology of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park", "Cumberland Gap National Historical Park", "Profile for Cumberland Gap National Historical Park", "Impact at Cumberland Gap: Where Natural and National History Collide", National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Cumberland Gap Historic District - Virginia/Kentucky/Tennessee, "Plants: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park", "Animals: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park", Magoffin County Pioneer Village and Museum, Bat Cave and Cascade Caverns State Nature Preserves, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cumberland_Gap&oldid=994082213, Rail mountain passes of the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. First Name. 10 on the Mississippi River and the right held by Brig. The summers are typically sunny, warm and humid with average high temperatures in the mid to upper 80s F (29-32C). Visitors traveling on Interstate 75 in Tennesseee should exit on Highway 63 at Jacksboro/Lafollette. Probably an hour from Knoxville. Cumberland Gap is situated on the Kentucky-Virginia boundary approximately one-quarter mile north of the point where Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee meet. Explore camper reviews and photos of the campgrounds in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Middlesboro ARH Hospital and Wilderness Road State Park are also within 9 mi (15 km). The park lies in parts of Bell and Harlan counties in Kentucky, Claiborne County in Tennessee, and Lee County in Virginia. [16] Over 120 species of birds have been logged in the park on the website eBird. Courtesy of Randell Jones, www.danielboonefootsteps.com States Cornerstone: This cornerstone marks the location at Cumberland Gap where Kentucky, Tenneseee, and Virginia meet. [11] By the 1790s, the trail that Boone and his men built had been widened to accommodate wagon traffic and became known as the Wilderness Road. It is located near the point where Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee meet between Middlesboro, Kentucky, and the town of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. In 1750 Dr. Thomas Walker discover Cumberland Gap while searching for a settlement area. The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. Visitors traveling on Interstate 75 in Kentucky should exit on 25E at Corbin. It is famous in American colonial history for its role as a key passageway through the lower central Appalachians. Park ranger with visitors in Gap Cave However, the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is closed until further notice. (Cumberland Gap National Historical Park was founded in 1959.) Background. For additional park information, please visit the NPS web site. Lying south of the Middlesboro Basin in Kentucky, geologists have found evidence of an ancient meteor crater adjacent to the Cumberland Gap. (Romance Novel), This page was last edited on 14 December 2020, at 00:58. From the new album POOR DAVID'S ALMANACK, out now on Acony Records. The gap has been mentioned in many other songs, including: ”Tennessee Moon” by Norah Hess features a fictionalization of the Cumberland Gap post-Civil War as the main setting. The stories of early pioneers and settlers, Civil War Soldiers, and mountain communities come alive when visiting the numerous historic buildings and structures found in the park. The path was used by a team of frontiersmen led by Daniel Boone, making it accessible to pioneers who used it to journey into the western frontiers of Kentucky and Tennessee. The base of the gap is about 300 feet (91 m) above the valley floor, even though the north side of the pass was lowered 20 feet (6.1 m) during the construction of Old U.S. Route 25E. The following year, in a bloodless engagement in September 1863, Union Army troops under General Ambrose Burnside forced the surrender of 2,300 Confederates defending the gap, gaining Union control of the gap for the remainder of the war. Middlesboro, KY They will also be having Open House all day from 10 to 7 p.m., serving refreshments and a door prize drawing of a gift certificate. [7], The passage created by Cumberland Gap was well traveled by Native Americans long before the arrival of European-American settlers. Bears are active in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. [12], U.S. Route 25E passed overland through the gap before the completion of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel in 1996. If … Long used by Native American nations, the Cumberland Gap was brought to the attention of settlers in 1750 by Thomas Walker, a Virginia physician and explorer. In September of that year, Confederate States Army forces under Edmund Kirby Smith occupied the gap during General Braxton Bragg's Kentucky Invasion. Used Cars Middlesboro KY At Cumberland Ford Lincoln, our customers can count on quality used cars, great prices, and a knowledgeable sales staff. Cumberland Gap Artists Co-op members will be Father Christmas' helpers, and they will be giving a beautiful stuffed animal to the first 200 children who come. Tour Hensley Settlement and experience what life was like in a 20th century mountain community. Park Address: 91 Bartlett Park Road, Middlesboro, KY 40965. [2] One of three astroblemes in the state, it is a 3.7-mile (6.0 km) diameter meteorite impact crater[5] with the city of Middlesboro, Kentucky, built entirely inside it. Little Congress Bicycle Museum 807 Llewellyn St Cumberland Gap, TN 37724 P:423-869-9993 bicyclemuseum.net Cumberland is a city in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. It was an important part of the Wilderness Road and is now part of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Full Line of Pork Products. The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. Our brands include Cumberland Gap, Hickory Hills, Olde Kentucky, Olde English and Pine Mountain which are all Naturally Smoked with 100% real hickory wood. The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located at the border between Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, centered on the Cumberland Gap, a natural break in the Appalachian Mountains.. The nearest cities are Middlesboro, Kentucky, and Harrogate, Tennessee. It is estimated that between 200,000 and 300,000 European-American settlers passed through the gap on their way into Kentucky and the Ohio Valley before 1810. Review of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Reviewed July 25, 2012 Went to the pinnacle overlook-it was amazing and beautiful, but I am terrified of heights and was a little scared. To the south, the ridge rises 600 feet (180 m) above the pass, while to the north the Pinnacle Overlook towers 900 feet (270 m) above (elevation 2,505 feet (764 m)). The Cumberland Gap Inn has the best view of the Smoky Mountains in town—and it should, because it’s smack in the middle of the Cumberland Gap National Park. The museum was established June 18th 2003 and is located in famous Cumberland Gap, TN, where the borders of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia come together. The pass is located in the southeastern United States. It is famous in American colonial history for its role as a key passageway through the lower central Appalachians. On his arrival, Boone discovered that Martin had already arrived in Powell Valley, where Martin and his men were clearing land for their own settlement – the westernmost settlement in English colonial America at the time. [13], The gap and associated historic resources were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district on May 28, 1980. For other uses, see, Narrow pass through the Cumberland Mountains. This combination of natural geological processes created ideal conditions for weathering and erosion of the rocks. Also got to meet some extremely nice people up there and saw several deer. What are the most popular housing types in Cumberland Gap, TN? The population was 2,611 at the 2000 census and was estimated at 2,291 in 2007. The park features many hiking trails. Cumberland Gap, natural pass (elevation 1,640 feet [500 metres]) that was cut through the Cumberland Plateau in the eastern United States by former stream activity. Explore a hidden world found underground- inside the mountains! Further constriction to the northwest of Cumberland Mountain developed into a fault trending north-to-south called the Rocky Face Fault, which eventually cut through Cumberland Mountain. In September 2003, the site was designated a Distinguished Geologic Site by the Kentucky Society of Professional Geologists. Visitors to the park can expect to see gray squirrels, white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbits, songbirds, hawks, snakes, turtles, and perhaps black bear or bobcat. 40965. All food must be properly stored in a vehicle when not in use and garbage must be properly stored or … Shatter cones, a rock-shattering pattern naturally formed only during impact events, are found in abundance in the area. The Confederates held a long line of fortifications across Kentucky, Tennessee and into Missouri under Albert Sidney Johnston.The center of Johnston's defenses was Bowling Green, KY with the left flank anchored at Island No. But Martin and his men were chased out of the area by Native Americans, and Martin did not return until 1775.[10]. Cumberland Gap is located 50 miles southeast of Corbin on Highway 25E. In Cumberland Gap, most buildings are single detached homes, and the remaining dwellings are mainly mobile homes. [3], Because it is centrally located in the United States, the region around Cumberland Gap experiences all four seasons. [8], The gap was named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II of Great Britain, who had many places named for him in the American colonies after the Battle of Culloden. The original trail was then restored. [5], Without the Rocky Face Fault, it would have been difficult for pack-horses to navigate this gap and the gap in Pine Mountain near Pineville, and it would be improbable that wagon roads would have been constructed at an early date. Things to know when planning a trip to Cumberland Gap NHP. [2] In 1966 Robert Dietz discovered shatter cones in nearby sandstone, proving recent speculation. The Cumberland Gap is one of many passes in the Appalachian Mountains but the only one in the continuous Cumberland Mountain ridgeline. Middlesboro is the only place in the world where coal is mined inside an astrobleme. COVID-19 Update: Please note that KY Co Hwy 988, US 25E through the Cumberland Gap Highway Tunnel, and VA Hwy 58 through the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (CGNHP) will remain accessible to traffic. The Cumberland Gap is a passageway running through Cumberland Mountain at the Virginia-Kentucky border. [14], Within the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park there are currently 855 known species of vascular plants identified, but that number is expected to increase with reports from National Park Service inventory and monitoring programs. [9] The explorer Thomas Walker gave the name to the Cumberland River in 1750, and the name soon spread to many other features in the region, such as the Cumberland Gap. Several American Civil War engagements occurred in and around the Cumberland Gap and are known as the Battle of the Cumberland Gap. In June 1862, Union Army General George W. Morgan captured the gap for the Union. Discover rich history, spectacular overlooks, unique rock formations, cascading waterfalls, and an extensive trail system in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park's 24,000 acres. The passage through the gap was originally created by herds of woodland buffalo that traveled across it over thousands of years, drawn by the abundance of salt in the region. Nonprofit MEMBER of Cumberland Gap Region Tourism Association. Today 18,000 cars pass beneath the site daily, and 1.2 million people visit the park on the site annually. Cumberland Gap National Park has a lot to offer: rich history, spectacular scenery, impressive vistas, unique geologic sandstone formations, magnificent underground caverns, and abundant and diverse plant and animal life. Lateral compressive forces of sedimentary rocks from deep layers of the Earth's crust pushing upward 320 to 200 million years ago created the thrust sheet. The once flat-lying sedimentary rocks were deformed roughly 40 degrees northwest. 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