Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
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| Cumberland Gap National Historical Park | |
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| IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) | |
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| Location | Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, USA |
| Nearest city | Middlesboro, Kentucky |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 20,508 acres (83 km²) |
| Established | June 11, 1940 |
| Visitors | 1,006,447 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
Established on June 11, 1940, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located at the border between Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The Cumberland Gap is a sizable natural break in the Appalachian Mountains. The gap was long used by Native Americans, as many species of migratory animals passed through it from north to south each year. It was fertile hunting territory and the only easy cut through the mountains from the southern wintering grounds of wild deer and buffalo to their northern summer range. Starting around 1775, the Gap became the primary route of transit for American settlers moving west into Kentucky; between 1775 and 1810 as many as 300,000 settlers may have used the Gap.
The current Park preserves the natural beauty of the surrounding area while focusing more on historic preservation, including tours through the old Hensley Settlement, trips into Gap Cave, also known as Cudjo's Cave, (once used for shelter by traveling Indians and settlers), campfire programs and demonstrations of the settlers' lifestyle, Living History events, and Appalachian music festivals and concerts. In recent years, the former roadbed of U.S. Highway 25E through the park was restored to an early 19th century wagon path; this was made possible with the 1996 completion of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel, which rerouted US 25E under the park.
The park lies in parts of Bell and Harlan counties in Kentucky, Claiborne County in Tennessee, and Lee County in Virginia. The park contains the Kentucky-Virginia-Tennessee tri-state area, accessible via a short trail.
The Park covers 20,508 acres (83 km²), and saw just over 1 million visitors in 2005. The Cumberland Gap Visitor Center is located on U.S. Highway 25E just south of Middlesboro, Kentucky.
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