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

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Cordell Hull Lake by Chuck Sutherland

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 –

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Rockcastle River KY by Chuck Sutherland

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

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Harpeth River at the bend near the narrows by W. Stacy Vereen

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

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Caney Fork River by Chuck Sutherland

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

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South Fork River at Big South Fork - Chuck Sutherland

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.

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Cumberland River above Cumberland Falls by Chuck Sutherland

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

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Gatlin Point, Lake Barkley, Chuck Sutherland

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

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Businesses in the basin

FEATURED WATERSHED

Old Hickory Watershed