If you ask us, spotting a waterfall is one of the best reasons to go on a hike, ranking right up there with breathing pristine mountain air and sampling all the latest innovations in granola bars.
A spot on the map waterfall seekers will want to circle is the Kentucky Wildlands, a woodsy expanse in the eastern and southern parts of the state that has more than 800 different falls. They include the state's tallest—113-foot Yahoo Falls in the Big South Fork National Recreation Area—and the state's most famous, Cumberland Falls (pictured above), otherwise known as the "Niagara of the South" due to the cascade's commanding size and power.
To help make some of the area's top hydro-attractions easier for visitors to find and explore, the regional tourism office has just released the Kentucky Wildlands Waterfall Trail, which showcases 17 especially spectacular sites.
Accessed via the official Kentucky Wildlands website, the trail guide features an illustrated map as well as descriptions of each featured waterfall, photos, and useful info having to do with parking, hiking difficulty, and wheelchair accessibility.
Among the hundreds of options available, the trail's 17 falls were chosen for being reasonably reachable and for providing a range of unique natural experiences, according to Corbin, Kentucky's Times-Tribune.
(Eagle Falls at Cumberland Falls State Park in Kentucky | Credit: Alexey Stiop / Shutterstock)
Cumberland and Yahoo both made the cut, along with the kid-friendly Creation Falls, which spills into a plunge pool you can wade into on a hot summer day, and the more challenging-to-reach Anglin Falls, located in a wooded ravine amid small caves and limestone outcroppings in Rockcastle County.
To view or download the Kentucky Wildlands Waterfall Trail map and info or to discover other stuff to do along the route, go to ExploreKyWildlands.com.
Related: 10 of the USA's Best Waterfall Hikes
