- Grand Canyon of the South
- The Breaks Interstate Park is a recreational and scenic park that encompasses
an area of 4,500 acres of woodland. The park is one of only two interstate
parks in America and so has received its name from the fact that it sits
astride the state line shared by both Kentucky and Virginia. The east and
west sides of the park are separated by a 1,600 foot deep, 5 mile long
canyon that forms the park’s centerpiece.
- The Breaks Interstate Park is often referred to as the "Grand
Canyon of the South." The canyon is among the longest and deepest
east of the Mississippi River. For millions of years the Russell Fork River,
a tributary of the Big Sandy, has carved the solid sandstone to break through
Pine Mountain creating breathtaking scenery along the canyon walls.
- The Breaks Interstate Park attracts more than a third of a million
visitors annually. The spectacular beauty of the park is showcased with
12 miles of trails and four scenic overlooks that offer these visitors
a variety of activities and attractions. For more information click here.
- For active visitors, the park also offers hiking, bike and driving
trails, picnic and recreation areas, a lake with pedal boots, a swimming
pool, horseback riding and an amphitheater. For extended visits, a rustic
lodge built on the rim of the canyon, cottages that are secluded by the
peaceful woodlands and a large campground offering 122 campsites with utilities
are readily available to guests.
In recent years white water recreation (rafting, kayaking, and canoeing)
on the Russell Fork River has become a major sport, drawing white water
enthusiasts from many parts of the world. Rafting depends upon releases
from the John W. Flannagan Reservoir. From the dam, the first two miles
are Class II rapids which progress downstream reaching Class V+ rapids.
Some of the most challenging rapids in the eastern United States can be
found while traveling through the Breaks Park with names such as 20 Stitches,
Broken Nose and Triple Drop
 Remote and formerly
inaccessible, the area now known as Breaks Interstate Park was virtually
undiscovered by the traveling public until after World War II, when two-lane
roads were built into the coal-rich mountains. Black seams of coal are visible
still in the roadside cliffs throughout the area.
John Fox Jr., author of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, traveled three
days in 1900 in a horse-drawn buckboard to reach The Breaks from Big Stone
Gap, 70 miles distant. His subsequent article in Scribner's magazine caused
a flurry of interest in what he called "the most isolated spot this
side of the Rockies."
Daniel Boone is credited with discovering The Breaks in 1767 as he attempted
to find ever-improved trails into Kentucky and the Ohio River Valley beyond.
Passes through these rugged mountains were called "breaks" by
early settlers. The Breaks was one of only a handful of narrow passageways
through 125-mile-long Pine Mountain.
Even today, no more than half a dozen roads cross Pine Mountain. Dickenson
County, where The Breaks is located, is one of the few counties in Virginia
that does not have a U.S. highway within its borders.
The Breaks was too much for Boone and his two companions. When they tried
to navigate this awesome gorge by foot, they encountered copperheads and
rattlesnakes, as well as the Russell Fork of the Big Sandy River as it crashed
through a constricted canyon with 1,000-foot sheer walls. They were overwhelmed
by impenetrable tangles of rhododendron and mountain laurel and a forest
of towering trees, some of which were 7 feet thick. The three men pitched
camp nearby, sat out the winter of 1768, then turned back to their homes
on North Carolina's more peaceful Yadkin River.
|
