2336 square miles
The Appalachian Mountains are a predominant feature of the Upper Cumberland watershed. In the Upper Cumberland, one finds dense forests, steep ridges, narrow coves, and high gradient streams and waterfalls. Exceptional recreation opportunities can be found throughout, and Cumberland Falls attracts over 750,000 people annually. Sections of Rock Creek and Marsh Creek have been awarded Outstanding National Resource Waters designations.
Rainbow darter and hogsuckers swim amongst the fast creek riffles, and fourtoed salamanders burrow within the mosses of boggy wetlands. Hemlock and magnolia trees can be spotted along streams in coves and bottomlands, along with rich understories of rhododendron. Rising from the eastern corner of the watershed, Black Mountain is the highest mountain in Kentucky as well as the highest in the Cumberland basin, with a 4,145-foot summit.
The Cumberland River Basin project aims to promote the ecological and economical health of the Cumberland River Basin, an 18,000 square mile region that stretches across 70 Tennessee and Kentucky counties and home to more than 2 million people.
A majority of the photography featured on this site was provided courtesy of Chuck Sutherland. For more information please visit Chuck’s website.
