Hey Guys!
This post continues our time in Cumberland Falls State Park and Big South Fork National Recreation Area.
Click here for hikes & activities in Cumberland Falls State Park & here for Big South Fork
Read Day 1 here
We started our morning with coffee and a delicous Nothing Bundt cake that we had brought from home.
After breakfast, we packed up and headed to the lodge to check out.
In 1927, T. Coleman DuPont offered to purchase this area for $400,000 in order to preserve it in its natural state. In 1931, his widow donated the land to the state of Kentucky for use as a public park.
In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed DuPont Lodge and 15 cabins along with campsites, picnic areas, roads and trails.
A fire destroyed the DuPont Lodge in 1940, but a new lodge was built in 1941. The Lodge has 96 rooms including lodge rooms and cottages.
The wooden beams, made of hemlock and pine, were harvested from the surrounding woods.
I loved the fall tree they had put up in the lobby!
The lodge had a beautiful stone fireplace. It is thought that a faulty fireplace caused the first lodge to burn down.
There were old pictures of the lodge hanging on the walls.
The views from the lodge’s back deck are incredible!
The deck was very spacious with lots of seating ….this is definitely an area that you would want to spend time if you ever stay here!
After checking out the inside of the lodge, we headed back outside where we spotted this sign along with a few others that told about the history of the hotel and park.
As we were leaving the lodge, we stopped for a quick picture of the park sign.
Click here to see a picture of the first park brochure ..it includes a map as well.
We then headed out to start our day.
We pulled into the Cumberland Falls parking area once we realized that we could get much better pictures of the historic Cumberland Falls Bridge.
Also known as the Edward Moss Gatliff Memorial Bridge, the bridge was started in 1953 and completed in 1954.
The bridge replaced a ferry that operated from the 1920s until the bridge was built. The ferry was often disrupted by fluctuating water levels and could break loose and go over the falls during flood stage.
Other methods of crossing the river included wagons, wooden boats, and a basket traveling along a cable between two wooden towers.
The bridge is a stone-faced span with four arches that permits the river to pass through as it makes its way to the falls.
The reflections of the bridge and the fall foliage was amazing!
We decided to walk down to the bridge to get some better pictures.
I took just a few too many pictures of this incredible bridge and the surrounding scenery!
After leaving here, we continued our drive.
We passed the historic Big South Fork scenic railway in Stearns, KY.
The Big South Fork Scenic Railway started operating on July 1, 1982. The railway has 7 open-air passenger cars, all home built.
The Big South Fork Scenic Railway takes a 14 mile trip down to Blue Heron, the largest interpretive collection of historic coal mining in America. The train descends 600 feet into the Big South Fork Gorge.
Near the train station is the McCreary County Museum.
The museum is housed in the old Stearns Coal and Lumber Company Corporate headquarters, built in 1907. The Museum was founded in 1988.
We continued our drive to our next stop which would be the Split Bow Arch.
The drive to the arch was down a long, gravel road and no one else was around….It totally creeped me out!
About 20 mins after passing the McCreary County Museum, we arrived to the parking lot for the Split Bow Arch trailhead.
Tip: Other nearby hikes include the Blue Heron Loop Trail, Blue Heron Overlook, Princess Falls, Lick Creek Falls and Catawba Overlook.
The hike to the arch is only 0.6 miles roundtrip or you can hike the 0.7 mile loop.
This hike actually combines two trails. The trail to Split Bow Arch is a combination of out-and-back and the Bear Creek Overlook that is a 0.5-mile out-and-back.. Both trails are accessed from the same parking lot.
We hiked the Split Bow Arch trail first…..the trail takes you through dense forest.
And through incredible rock formations!
After about 10 mins, we arrived to the arch.
The arch has a height of 50 ft and a span of 52 ft.
There are wooden stairs that lead you under the arch.
The arch was really cool!
After hiking to the arch, we hiked the short trail to the Bear Creek Overlook.
From the parking lot, you will follow the mowed trail through the grass. Eventually, the trail will transition back into the woods before descending via wooden steps to the overlook.
The trail ends at a wooden platform overlooking the river.
The views were spectacular!
We then headed back to our car where we stopped at the Split Bow Arch overlook.
The views of the arch from the overlook are mostly obscured by the trees.
From here, we continued our drive to our next stop.
About 20 mins after leaving the arch, we arrived to the Devil’s Jump Overlook.
You can access the Blue Heron Loop trail from this same trailhead.
If you read my last blog post, you will know that we made a stop at this overlook on our first day.
However, it was really foggy the first time we visited, so we decided to check it out again without the fog.
The views here are incredible!
By far the prettiest overlook we visited on this trip!
After leaving this overlook, we headed to our next stop.
Shortly after leaving the overlook, we spotted a small arch on the side of the road so we stopped for a quick picture.
About 30 mins later, we arrived to our next stop, Yahoo Falls.
You can also hike to the Yahoo Arch from the same trailhead.
The hike to the falls is 0.25 miles and the arch is another 1.25 miles from the falls.
Shortly after starting the trail, you will come to a split. You should take the trail to the left if you are just wanting to do the short trail to the falls.
The trail is forested and well shaded.
You will climb stone and metal stairs along the way.
We passed lots of cool rock formations!
After a short hike, we arrived to the falls.
At 113 ft, this waterfall is the tallest waterfall in Kentucky! However, it was just a trickle when we visited because the area had received very little rainfall. 
The waterfall isn’t the only attraction here, the rock shelter behind the falls is out of this world!
It is so massive, that pictures could never do it justice!
We spotted these guys standing on a huge rock…It gives you a sense of just how massive these rocks are in this area!
This is one of roughly 6000 rock shelters that the National Park Service protects within the Big South Fork. Archeological digs at this site have uncovered pottery shards and arrowheads dating back to 9000 B.C.
The views here are beautiful ….at times, you felt like you were in a rain forest!
We walked under the rock shelter to check it out.
My hubby was dwarfed by the massive rock formations!
There were rock stairs that led down to the bottom of the falls.
Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, the waterfall was just a trickle.
There were massive rock boulders near the falls!
A few more shots of this area
After checking out the falls, we started the hike back to our car.
We had decided not to hike to the arch due to time constraints.
Those stairs were so much easier going down!
Shortly after leaving the falls, we arrived to the small town of Whitley City where we passed the historic Dairy Bar. 
The restaurant started in 1933 by Mr. and Mrs. George P. Anderson. It’s known for its burgers and ice cream.
Read reviews here
The drive to our next stop took us down a very long gravel road!
The drive was absolutely gorgeous with the fall foilage!
There were several trails located on this drive…..including the trail to the Gobblers Arch.
Continuing our drive
I took way too many pictures along this gravel road!
After what seemed like forever, we finally arrived to the parking lot of the Twin Arches Trail.
The hike to the arches is only 1.4 miles roundtrip.
Also located here, is the Charit Creek Hostel. To reach the hostel, you will have to hike 1.8 miles.
The lodge was originally built in 1817 as a hunting camp by Long Hunter and pioneer Jonathan Blevins. Today it offers visitors a unique way to experience the beauty and serenity of Big South Fork without modern distractions.
Tip: There is no electricity at the lodge… heat and light are made possible the old fashioned way by stove and lantern. There is also an old homestead here called Jake’s Place.
The trail leads you through the forest and is completely shaded.
The hike is fairly easy until you come to these very steep stairs!
We passed cool rock formations along the way.
About 15 mins after starting the trail, we arrived to the first arch.
And it was huge!
Twin Arches Trail is located in Oneida, TN in the Big South Fork Recreation Area and is Tennessee’s largest natural bridge.
It’s called twin arches because there are two arches here that sit side by side….however, I will say, the signage to the other arch was confusing but don’t miss either of these arches as they are truly incredible!
This arch, the South Arch has a clearance of 70 feet, a span of 135 feet and its deck is 103 feet high.
It is super cool and with the fall foliage, it was even more picturesque!
It’s really hard to explain how huge this arch is until you see someone standing near it!
After checking out the south arch, we continued the trail to the north arch which is only a 2 minute walk. 
The rocks along this trail are massive!
You will see all kinds of cool rock formations!
The huge rock shelters in this area were once used by Native Americans, early settlers and even miners.
Tip: You can also hike to Slave Falls & Needles Arch on this same trailhead. Also near this area is the Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area.
Arriving to the North Arch!
This is the smaller arch but it is still amazing!
The North Arch stands at 62 feet high with a clearance of 51 feet and a span of 93 feet.
It is surrounded by huge rocks that have unique rock formations.
We climbed on some of the huge rocks to take pictures in front of the arch. You can really tell how massive it is when you photograph someone standing near it!
We actually took more pictures at this arch due to all of the surrounding geological features!
After leaving this arch, we continued the trail.
Shortly later, we arrived to a set of wooden stairs.
These stairs took us to the top of the south arch!
The top of the South Arch features a fantastic vantage point over the tree line to see for miles to the east and north.
The views were amazing so don’t miss it if you hike this trail!
We then headed back to our car to head home as we had a 3 hr drive ahead of us.
After driving a little over 2 hrs, we stopped and had dinner at a Mexican Restaurant.
After dinner, we continued our drive home.
This concludes our time in Cumberland Falls & Big South Fork.
Thanks for reading!
Read Day 1 here & Click here to see links to all of my blog posts