top of page
  • Writer's pictureMTNestWanderer

Virginia and Kentucky - Cumberland Gap National Historic Park


This morning, I drove to the Daniel Boone Parking lot and Trailhead for the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. I think the town of Cumberland Gap is actually in Tennessee, but the parking lot that I went to is in Virginia, which is precisely why I chose that hike to do in this park. I hiked on the Historic "Wilderness Trail" - it is one of those old roads that has been used for hundreds of years - first by the native people, then people traveling west (aka, Daniel Boone), then the Civil War troops, etc. It has a ton of history. On my hike, I actually crossed into Kentucky, then at one point, had a foot in Kentucky, a foot in Tennessee and a hand in Virginia.

After the hike, I went to the Visitor Center, which is in Kentucky. There was the obligatory film, which told about Daniel Boone, and his journey and desire to settle in that area. He apparently led over 300,000 people through the Cumberland Gap by way of the Wilderness Trail. Along the way, there were a lot of fights with the natives, and two of his sons were killed.

Its a pretty area, but it is more interesting to hear about the history of the road.

3 views
bottom of page