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Increase in camping rates at the Wilderness Road campground
Effective June 1, 2013, camping rates will increase. Tent sites will increase to $14.00 per night and RV sites with electrical hookup will increase to $20.00 per night. Group camp sites will increase to $35.00 per night.
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Special Program offered in place of Hensley tour on June 16
The regularly scheduled Hensley tour will not be offered on June 16 but will be replaced by a special Father's Day program. The road to the Hensley Settlement will be open to visitors and living history demonstrations will be offered. More »
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Cave Tour Alert!
White Nose Syndrome is a disease that is killing bats in great numbers and has been found in park caves. While visiting Gap Cave please do not wear or bring anything that has been in other caves. Skylight Cave is currently closed.
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Civil War Event Cancelled
Invisible Souls: Behind the Veil of the Civil War, a special event showcasing stories of the Civil War October 4, 5, and 6, 2013 has been cancelled. Please call the park visitor center at (606) 248-2817, extension 1075 for more information.
Fern Lake Land Acquisition
Fern Lake NPS Photo As a result of the Fern Lake Conservation and Recreation Act in 2001, the park was authorized to complete one of its' original goals; the protection of the Fern Lake Watershed. The 4,500 acre area provides both a scenic view from the park's most visited point, the Pinnacle Overlook, and also provides clean drinking water to the nearby city of Middlesboro, Kentucky. The protection of the watershed was a "win-win" for everyone in the Tri-State area, and work immediately began to actually purchase the lands. 
Park Ranger marks boundary near Fern Lake NPS Photo The first two phases (1,850 acres) were completed in the Spring of 2008, and involved the Trust for Public Lands (TPL) purchasing the land from Ataya Hardwoods, and then transferring the land to the National Park Service using money from the land and Water Conservation Fund. Phase III (1,268 acres encompassing the headwaters) was finalized in January of 2009 through a similar, cooperative effort with Molpus Woodlands Group, and a fourth phase involving 905 acres from Molpus was completed in the spring of 2009.
This new acquisition of lands around Fern Lake increased the park acreage by approximately 20 percent! The result is the permanent protection of the watershed and the viewshed for the public, and the addition of a new portion of the park for visitor to explore. |
Did You Know?
Between 1775 and 1810 some 300,000 settlers crossed Cumberland Gap and began settling the land west of the Appalachians. These brave pioneers were following dreams of prosperity in the wilderness of Kentucky.