Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area
The Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area is managed by the National Park Service and falls into four Tennessee counties and McCreary County, Ky. In addition to Scott County, the BSF falls into Fentress, Morgan and Pickett counties in Tennessee.
The park encompasses the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River, its major tributaries and surrounding lands. It is the fifth-largest National Park Service unit east of the Mississippi River, and the second-largest in Tennessee, behind the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Origin
The Big South Fork NRRA was established by Congress and signed into law by President Richard Nixon on March 7, 1974. It was the first unit in the National Park System to be designated as a National River and as a National Recreation Area.
The establishing legislation passed by Congress in 1974 called for 125,000 acres to be included in the national park. The U.S. Dept. of the Interior currently owns 116,000 acres.
U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr. led the congressional effort to designate the Big South Fork, along with his Kentucky counterpart John Sherman Cooper.
Damming the Big South Fork River had long been proposed, with two sites identified as possible locations for a dam. One was at Devils Jump rapid near Blue Heron in Kentucky, and one at the confluence of New River and Clear Fork near Helenwood. The efforts dated as far back as the 1930s but never came to fruition, eventually leading Baker to propose the national park.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was charged with developing the park, and began purchasing land and developing facilities. Once that process was completed, the Big South Fork NRRA was turned over to the National Park Service in 1991.
Facilities
The Big South Fork NRRA has three developed campgrounds: Bandy Creek near Oneida, Blue Heron near Stearns, Ky., and the smaller Alum Ford near Stearns, Ky. Together, they offer 233 campsites, 97 of which have water and electric hook-ups, along with 100 tent sites and 36 sites in group camping. There are also equestrian campgrounds at Station Camp near Oneida and Bear Creek near Stearns that offer a total of 49 sites with water, electric and stalls.
The BSF has visitor centers at Bandy Creek and Stearns. Additionally, BSF rangers staff several community visitor centers, including the Scott County Visitor Center in Helenwood and visitor centers in Rugby, Tenn. and Crossville, Tenn.
The Blue Heron Mining Community opened in 1989 as an historical tribute to Mine 18 of the Stearns Coal & Lumber Co. The old mining camp is partially restored with “ghost structures” that consist only of framing. The original coal tipple was fully restored, and a mine opening is preserved.
Backcountry
The Big South Fork offers 141 miles of hiking trails, 182 miles of horse trails, and 24 miles of mountain biking trails (most horse trails are open to mountain bikes, as are a few hiking trails). The mountain biking trails — which include Collier Ridge Loop, West Bandy, and Duncan Hollow Bypass — have been designated “Epic Ride” trails by the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), as have Grand Gap Loop and John Muir Trail, two hiking trails that are shared-use with mountain bikes.
Backcountry camping is permitted throughout the Big South Fork NRRA, except inside rock shelters and in parking lots or trailheads. A permit is required.
There are four historic farmsteads in the backcountry that are preserved: John Litton Farm, Oscar Blevins Farm, Lora Blevins Farm, and Charit Creek Lodge. The latter is operated by a private concessionaire as a backcountry hostel. Additionally, there is a non-historic home in the Big South Fork, the J.D. Burke Cabin near Station Camp, that still stands.
Activities
The most popular activity in the Big South Fork NRRA is hiking, with 141 miles of hiking trails. The most popular of those trails is Honey Creek Loop, which has been named by USA Today as one of the top day hikes in the United States.
The second most popular activity is horseback riding, with 182 miles of horse trails and two equestrian campgrounds. The most popular areas for riding are in the vicinity of Bandy Creek and Station Camp near Oneida.
The third most popular activity is mountain biking. There are five trails, totaling 34 miles, that have been named as “Epic Rides” by the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA). They are all located within the vicinity of Bandy Creek.
Other popular activities include whitewater rafting and rock climbing. The whitewater rafting season is from about December to about May, and is especially popular in the spring. Guide service is offered by Sheltowee Trace Outfitters in Kentucky. Whitewater paddling is most popular from the confluence of New River and Clear Fork to Leatherwood Ford.
Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine called the Big South Fork “America’s last frontier” for rock climbing. While climbing isn’t as popular in the BSF as it is at nearby Obed Wild & Scenic River or Red River Gorge, the park draws a large number of climbers. The bolting of new sport routes is prohibited within the Big South Fork, but there are a handful of bolted routes to be found. Most of those are in the vicinity of Blue Heron, which has 35 sport and traditional routes.
Hunting and fishing are permitted in the Big South Fork. Seasons and regulations are the same as statewide seasons in Tennessee and Kentucky, and licenses are purchased through the departments of natural resources in those two states. Additionally, the Big South Fork has a pig hunting season that runs from the start of deer season in September to the end of February. A special permit, issued by the National Park Service, is required to hunt pigs.