• Angel Falls Rapid on the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River

    Big South Fork

    National River & Recreation Area KY,TN

  • Whitewater

    Big South Fork of the Cumberland River is free-flowing with no dam controls. Check the river gauge readings before your river trip. Heavy rains can cause flooding and make river use dangerous. Always use a personal flotation device when on the river. More »

  • Steep Road Grade

    There is a 13% grade for an approximate 5 mile stretch on Highway 297 between Bandy Creek Road on the west of the river and Headquarters on the east side. This is called the gorge. Use caution when traveling with recreational campers or horse trailers. More »

  • Firewood Quarantine

    Firewood Ban is in effect for the park. Only firewood from the surrounding counties of Scott, Morgan, Pickett, and Fentress in Tennessee and McCreary in Kentucky can be brought into the park. Firewood is for sale or you may use dead and down wood. More »

  • Black Bears

    Black bears are found within this area. Store all food, cooking items, feed, cosmetics and coolers properly when in the campgrounds or when using the backcountry. More »

Big South Fork NRRA Employees Recognized for Support of National Park Service ARRA Projects

employees recognized
NPS
(l to r) Tom Blount, Etta Spradlin, Todd Knoedler

Subscribe RSS Icon | What is RSS
Date: February 23, 2011
Contact: Tom Blount, 423-569-9778

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area employees Tom Blount, Etta Spradlin, and Todd Knoedler were recognized by National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis for extraordinary performance in executing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects. The National Park Service awarded more than $750 million in less than 18 months for more than 800 critical maintenance and rehabilitation projects throughout the country.

Big South Fork NRRA awarded approximately $2 million for two projects to plug orphaned oil and gas wells and close abandoned mines. The two projects were contracted with local businesses and are the largest oil and gas plugging and reclamation projects that have been done in the National Park Service east of the Mississippi River. The wells being plugged are considered "orphaned" which means there is no responsible party to pay for the plugging and reclamation. The goals of the plugging project are to protect visitor safety and protect groundwater. The abandoned mines are being closed for visitor safety and wildlife protection.

For further information, contact Tom Blount at (423) 569-9778 or visit the park web site at www.nps.gov/biso. 

Did You Know?

Angle Falls Rapids on the Big South Fork River

The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area protects only 14% of its watershed.  Unfortunately it is the lower end of the watershed, so that everything which happens outside the park, impacts the parks water quality.