Broad curtain
Over the ledge.
ChrisKuehl — Public domain · Chris Light — CC BY-SA 4.0 · James St. John — CC BY 2.0 · James St. John — CC BY 2.0 · Chris Light — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cumberland Falls, sometimes called the Little Niagara or the Niagara of the South, is a waterfall on the Cumberland River in south-eastern Kentucky, about 25 km in a straight line west of the town of Corbin, on the border of McCreary and Whitley counties. It is the centrepiece of Cumberland Falls State Resort Park and part of the state's Wild River System. The falls are believed to have formed at the Pottsville Escarpment near today's Burnside and retreated about 72 km upstream to their present position, cutting the Cumberland River gorge, up to 120 m deep in places, as they went. Various Indigenous peoples lived at the site in pre-modern times, and it later passed through several private owners before being donated, with the surrounding land, to Kentucky in 1933. The river pours in a broad curtain of brown and white water over a rock ledge, sending up thick spray over huge boulders, with green forest on both sides of the gorge. On sunny days rainbows form in the spray, and most famously a «moonbow» appears regularly here on moonlit nights, one of the few places in the world known for it. Visiting is free, and viewing decks are close to the car park. The moonbow appears when the full moon is in a clear sky; the rocks near the water are very slippery, so stay behind the railings.
Over the ledge.
On moonlit nights.
In the spray.
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, Kentucky, United States
On clear full-moon nights.
Yes.