National Geographic says this state park offers the best outdoor adventure in Kentucky
Photographers may especially enjoy National Geographic’s pick for the best outdoor adventure in Kentucky.
The publication released its top picks for every state in an Oct. 4 article, “Here are the best ways to get outdoors in all 50 states.” For Kentucky, National Geographic recommends a visit to Cumberland Falls State Resort Park to take a photograph of a rare “moonbow.”
A moonbow appears when the full moon’s light shines through water droplets from a source like a waterfall, creating a rainbow effect.
Three things have to be in line in order for a moonbow to happen, according to a post from Dark Sky International, a group focused on reducing light pollution. First, the moon has to be full or almost full, the sky has to be almost completely dark with little to no light pollution, and there must be little to no cloud cover.
“There’s a five-day window of seeing the moonbow occur if the sky is clear,” Jehan Abuzour, parks program services supervisor at Cumberland Falls, told the Herald-Leader over the phone. “What makes it so special is there’s not a lot of places in the world that has this natural phenomenon that occurs, which has to align with the geography and the location of where the waterfall is.”
As for capturing a picture of the moonbow, National Geographic shared some tips.
“Faint and barely visible to the naked eye, the moonlit rainbow will show up in your pictures if photographed using a slow shutter speed. Moonbows are especially pronounced in winter months when the sky gets dark earlier,” the article reads.
Taking a trip to Cumberland Falls
Abuzour said the state park, located southwest of Corbin, sees close to 1 million visitors every year. She recommends checking out the website before deciding when to take a trip.
“As far as seeing the moonbow, you want to go [online] and see our events calender .... and we should have the moonbow dates on the website, as well,” Abuzour said.
The next possible dates to see the moonbow are, according to Kentucky Tourism:
- Nov. 25
- Nov. 26
- Nov. 27
- Nov. 28
- Nov. 29
You won’t pay admission to visit Cumberland Falls.
To reach the falls, you can either drive up and park at the visitors center or trek 11 miles along the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail there at Cumberland Falls. The trail section starts at Mouth of Laurel boat ramp, according to Kentucky Tourism. All trailheads can be found in Cumberland Falls State Resort Park.
Cumberland Falls is one of only two places in the world where you can view a moonbow on a consistent basis. The only other area you can see the phenomenon consistently is Victoria Falls on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border.
The state resort park is about a two-hour drive from Lexington, according to Google Maps.
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This story was originally published November 15, 2023 at 11:03 AM.
CORRECTION: CORRECTION: This article was updated at 8:24 a.m. Nov. 17 to better reflect the location of the state park.
