Explore the Basin
Discover 18,000 square miles of rugged wilderness, beautiful streams and charming towns in the Cumberland River Basin of Kentucky and Tennessee.
Watersheds of the Basin

Rockcastle
Sections of the Rockcastle are protected under the state of Kentucky’s Wild Rivers Program and the river has been recognized with an Outstanding National Resource

Big South Fork
In the drainage, the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area attracts over 600,000 people and contributes over $10 million to local economies annually.

Stones River
Within the watershed, sections of Cripple Creek, Overall Creek, and the east, west, and middle forks of the Stones River are all found on the

Lower Cumberland
That said, it doesn’t lack for superlatives. It is home to more surface water and more wetlands than any other watershed in the Cumberland River

Old Hickory Lake
At 983 square miles, the watershed is the largest of the four in the region. It is home to Bledsoe Creek State Park, the Taylor

Caney Fork River
The Caney Fork watershed is drained by the Cumberland’s longest tributary, the Caney Fork River. This 143-mile river was named for the cane breaks Europeans

Cordell Hull
The watershed is home to three State Scenic Rivers that all flow into Cordell Hull Lake – Roaring River, Blackburn Fork, and Spring Creek –

Red River
The Red is distinctive in many ways. It has less surface water and less forest per square mile than any other watershed in the Cumberland