Kentucky Serendipity

Kentucky Waterways 19 August 2023

Kentucky has more navigable waterways than any other state in the lower 48. Of the 50 states, only Alaska has more waterways. Kentucky Living (an interesting monthly magazine) published an article on some available water adventures in Kentucky. There are many places for boating, fishing, water skiing, canoeing, diving, paddle boarding, and kayaking. You can even go on a subterranean water excursion at Red River Gorge. There guides take adventurers through an abandoned limestone mine. Visitors ride clear kayaks and paddleboards and navigate through 60-foot-wide passageways hundreds of feet beneath the Earth’s surface.

If staying above ground is more your thing (as it is mine), then there are many other places to visit and enjoy. One very popular spot is Cumberland Falls near Corbin, Kentucky. The fall is large — about 68 feet tall and 125 feet wide — and is called “the Niagara of the South.” I attended Union College in Barbourville, a few miles east of Corbin, and I and other students often visited Cumberland Falls. Despite my many visits, I am sorry to say that I never saw the moonbow. Yes, there really is such a thing as a moonbow. During a full moon (if the sky is unclouded) the light from the moon shining through the mist thrown up by the falls creates a colorful arc. Cumberland Falls is one of the few places in the world which regularly produces a moonbow.

With so many miles of waterways in Kentucy, it’s not surprising that there are many waterfalls; in fact, there are about 1200 confirmed waterfalls. Kentucky Monthly (another interesting magazine) published an article highlighting some of the waterfalls in Kentucky. Cumberland Falls is the most impressive, but there are many other lovely falls. A visit to a Kentucky waterfall almost always requires a hike, but most of the falls are in lovely wilderness areas so the hike is pleasureable. There is an online waterfall database which one can use to search for waterfalls to explore and enjoy. The Kentucky Wildlands has created a Waterfall Trail which goes from the Tenneessee border in southeastern Kentucky to Carter County in the northeast. Kentucky Wildlands is a tourism site and gives information on other activities in Kentucky so if waterfalls aren’t your thing, you can still find something to do.

August is a hot month in Kentucky, and water activities are a great way to cool down. Visit the web sites, use Google, and plan a wet weekend getaway.

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