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
Old Hickory Watershed
Waters that flow through the Old Hickory Lake watershed eventually make their way to an impounded section of the Cumberland River known as Old Hickory
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 –
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
Harpeth River
En route to the Cumberland, the Harpeth takes on the Little Harpeth, Big Turnbull Creek, and Jones Creek – all streams (along with the Harpeth
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
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.
Lake Cumberland
Endangered gray bats spend nights foraging for insects over streams and the placid waters of the reservoir. Spectaclecase mussels avoid strong currents beneath the bluffs
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
