This state has over 800 waterfalls and just created a trail highlighting the top 17

Kentucky is going to be the perfect place to cool off this summer. The southern state recently announced the launch of its new waterfall trail. The trail highlights 17 of the area’s most unique and convenient waterfalls in the Bluegrass State.

The Kentucky Wildlands is a regional tourism organization that oversees 41 southern and eastern Kentucky counties.

The 14,000 square miles of unspoiled terrain boasts over 800 waterfalls in this part of Kentucky. Aside from the waterfalls, the acres of land are home to ancient forests and mountains.

Tammie Nazario, director of the Kentucky Wildlands, spoke with Afar about the unexpected but natural beauty of the trail.

“The trail is meant to expose visitors—many of whom might be unfamiliar with the area—to the unfiltered beauty of the region and encourage them to explore.”

She added. “We hope this easy-to-follow guide inspires them to plan a trip to experience some of the many waterfalls we have to offer.”

Nazario detailed how she and her team at Wildlands were able to downsize the list of waterfalls from 800 to 17.

She said her team “weighed various elements, including accessibility (for instance, considering if public parking is nearby and if the path to the fall is doable even for beginner hikers) and uniqueness.”

The standouts of the 17 waterfalls include the tallest in Kentucky, the 113 feet Yahoo Falls and Cumberland Falls, also known as the “Niagara of the South”—3,600 cubic feet of water spill over the sandstone cliff every second.

The Wildlands also consulted with regional experts to help decide which ones made the list.

“These 17 impressive waterfalls tie the Kentucky Wildlands together and best represent the area as a whole,” She said. “Our hope is that the waterfall trail will be just a starting point for visitors and will encourage them to discover all the other waterfalls in our 41 counties that are just as amazing.”

Martie Bowser is a journalist and public relations professional in Charlotte, NC. She enjoys amplifying the voices of POC and women that fill a void within their community. Her favorite things to cover include “person of interest” pieces, small business highlights, pop culture commentary, entertainment features, and everything about Beyoncé. Her bylines can be found in Blavity, Black Excellence, Signature Bride, Black Wall Street Times, and HipHop Weekly.

This story was originally published May 17, 2023 at 8:03 AM.