Cumberland Falls State Resort Park

I went to see the Moonbow at Cumberland Falls SP, unfortunately it was overcast but still very cool.
The campground was on a little bit of a hill.  The sites were good size. I set up my trailer tent and had lots of room. The facilities were well maintained and the campground was shaded and quiet.
There were trails to hike and smaller falls to enjoy. The main falls are near the trailhead for several trails. There is a visitors center and education center by the falls and a picnic area across the road. 


Moonbow!

Good campgrounds with access to the most beautiful waterfall. "Southern Niagarra"

Cumberland park

If you can plan your visit around the full-moon and a clear night you will be able to see the infamous moon bow!!!

MOONBOW

Maybe it was the time of the year but, this is a busy area! Lots to see in the immediate area and guided horse tours as well. Nice, tight camp. You will probably get to know your neighbors quite well. Bathhouse on site, small campground.

Crowded!

We stayed here on a whim when we weren't able to paddle the Green River in Mammoth Cave National Park due to high water levels. We did a little research and found ourselves here for a few nights. The campground is a bit older than some but the sites are well maintained for the most part. Unfortunately, there had been a great deal of rain so things were quite muddy but our site seemed to drain well.

We weren't able to see the famous "moonbow" but the falls were quite beautiful. Sadly, there is a massive amount of trash at the bottom (as you can see in the pictures posted here) which takes away from the natural appearance of the falls. The falls area does get quite crowded so be prepared to bob and weave around the crowd.

There is easy access near by to paddle the relatively calm water (mostly class I and a bit of class II) above the falls. You can contact a local outfitter to arrange a shuttle if needed.

The park has a few nearby natural attractions that offered good views. The facility is pet friendly and has a nice little camp store. I would stay here again if I was in the area.

Good spot for paddling the Cumberland River

I hadn't been here before and unfortunately our campsite was kind of the worst. It was gravel and full sun the entire day. Cumberland falls is ok, it is super crowded, and as another reviewer mentioned there is tonssss of trash. Personally I highly recommend visiting eagle Falls, another waterfall at the park. It's a tough trail to get there but way worth it. Plus you can swim there. All in all the trails are great, the campground not so much.

Also one of the workers tried to tell us we could walk our kayaks to the bottom of Cumberland Falls and head out from there, and no, no you cannot.

Cumberland falls state park

What a nice surprise! We aren’t the type that typically makes reservations; and we were simply looking for a place to stay the night when we saw this state park on our trusty Nat Geo road atlas. Well, we found it…and stayed for nearly a week. Filled with waterfalls (the main falls are the largest south of Niagara Falls), numerous hiking trails, and the home of the only regular moonbow (lunar rainbow) in the northern hemisphere, we just couldn’t get enough of this place. The lunar rainbow appears every month during the full moon – 2 days before and 2 days after, when the night skies are clear. Check the calendar at the park for details about dates and times.

The best viewing spot for the moonbow is down the first set of stairs, which winds you down and around the rock outcropping that forms the waterfall. Bring some headlamps, as the stairs are wet and dark. What you will see with the naked eye may not be as impressive as what you can see with a tripod and DSLR camera with a wide aperture and slow shutter speed, but it’s still worth seeing. Don’t expect to get anything with a cell phone camera or point and shoot camera, though many people try. Since I have a DSLR and am an environmental educator, I was thrilled to show kids of all ages what I could see with my camera. I even had people taking pictures of my images so that they could show their friends and family! Also, be patient…as the night progresses and the moon rises higher, the rainbow gets higher and brighter, making for better viewing and photography.

With all this said, when we landed at this state park in early December, the weather was absolutely amazing, there were no bugs, and it was practically empty. The campground is tiny and the sites compact, with almost no room in between, but it is perched on top of a rock outcropping, so you are surrounded by views of trees. Admittingly, had it been busy, we may have only stayed a night or two as it would have been cramped. Each site has a picnic table, fire pit, and lantern pole. Don’t expect to bring your 30’ RV here, I can’t imagine something bigger than 20’ would fit. We squeezed our 15-footer into a spot though. Plenty of tent spots, though, and the campground was clean and well-kept.

In addition to a campground, there is a lodge, cabins, visitor’s center, pool, and a whole host of affordable/free programs for families during the main season. A night camping at the fire tower with astronomical interpretation (complete with dinner)…wow, sign me up!

The winter rates were $20 per night, which provided us with a campsite and a clean pit toilet, and surprisingly strong wifi. Normally, there are additional amenities such as drinking water, showers, and flush toilets, but those we are closed for the season. We did, however find that the drinking water in the picnic area near the falls was running, so we just filled up water and took it back to our campsite.

Waterfalls and Moonbows!

We had our family reunion here and we all had a wonderful time. Waterfall was beautiful and it turned out the last night we got to see the moon bow

beautiful

Camp ground was small, very close to camp grounds, can’t swim in the river, great for fishing, lots of activities for families. Has small store for ice and the basic essentials, there’s not a big store around if u forget something.

Beautiful area

Sara’s ? birthday 

The falls here are great ! The hiking is good, the only thing is the markers are a little confusing . When we went some of the trails where closed and it was unclear on the trail markers where to go. The facilities where good except the bathrooms where closed . The rest was clean and the staff was very knowledgeable.

Beautiful place 

I loved site 48 at Cliffy Campground. It was the most secluded spot we could find. Definitely book ahead of time if you can. 

Thumbs up.

This small campground is good only for small campers(20ft or smaller). The spots are uneven and many backup to a large hill. Some spots have decks. Be sure to bring an extension cord if you want to use power. The hookups are too far away. It was quiet and wooded. The best part is the proximity to Cumberland falls. ( .8 miles)

campground near falls

We stayed in tent site 19. I think it is definitely the best site in the campground. Sites 19 and 20 are a couple of the only sites with any privacy. Site 19 is a walk in (down) but the site itself is huge and the tent platform is built out on a rock outcrop. Overall the campground is nice but the other sites are very close together. The rangers/camp hosts came by while we were gone to warn us about bear activity in the campground, you do need to be careful with food. We went to see the moonbow so it was fairly busy while we were there. We also took a hike to Eagles Falls where it seems to be clothing optional swimming...lol It didn’t bother us but just an FYI. We had a very relaxing 3 days at Cumberland Falls, would definitely recommend it. 

Very Nice Campground

Best site for privacy is 49 plus it's pretty big.  Sites 40-47 have electric and water.  Sites 48-50 do not but all sites are close to the bath house. In my opinion, the privacy of site 49 was worth the lack of electricity and water.  Site 50 was pretty close to the parking lot - I would not recommend that one. Site 48 was at the end of the 40-47 row, so I didn't walk down to check it out, but it looked like it had grass and the others didn't. 

Best site in the campground

So thrilled to see the falls since 27 years of my resident in KY!! My 80 years old parents joined to look. Awesome!!!  Campground is very clean. We love the Camper’s trail just next to campground. We want to hike at Eagle Falls. But, not ready for it. We enjoyed hiking down to the beach and climb on big rocks.  We like our site #22. Not big but perfect for our 18 ft TT. We would want to try site 19. Bigger and privacy. Pool is huge and clean. Towels available for campers and resort!  Cool!  Want to come back and see Moonbow if possible.  Also, hike more around. 

Amazing time at Niagara of the South!

We stayed at site RV33. We have a 25ft travel trailer and it was perfect. There were two tent sites very close to us, but we had more than enough room. If we were to go again, we would pull straight into the site (this would have put our slide towards the road). The tent sites looked to be the best tent sites I’ve seen. The bath house was very clean. The staff was very helpful.  There were trails from the campground to Cumberland Falls. We hiked to see Cumberland Falls (from the lodge) and Eagle Falls. After a short drive, we hiked Natural Arch and Yahoo Falls. 

Amazing time 

This place is not for you if you are looking for solitude or silence. It might be your scene if you’re into parties. Tent sites were not all accessible by drive up - some you had to park at the top of the hill and walk down. Bathrooms were clean though, and the staff was friendly. Can’t beat the proximity to the falls either. 

Crowded and noisy

The sites are inconsistent between their sizes on the Clifty campground.  We had two small tents and one car.  If we had any more gear or people it would have been uncomfortable.  

I had to be careful when parking as I had to avoid the water supply, 2 trees, a safety pole for the water supply (painted brown), electricity box, and then the drop off on the other side of the road.  It did take a few turns to get in and out of the campsite.  We did have cell phone service (Verizon) at the campground.  My friend that was T-Mobile did not have cell service. There are areas in the park where I did not have a signal such as when we went hiking or exploring.  I would pre-download maps for the area on All Trails as that was extremely helpful. 

Some of the campsites at Clifty were much larger and were 2 of my site.  Each site had a water hook up, standard lantern/trash pole, fire ring, electric box, and was a short walk from the Clifty campground bathroom. If you can hand pick your site or scout it out before hand it is well worth doing that if you have a larger sized family or tent. 

I actually preferred Clifty over the main campground (Ridgeline). Ridgeline was down a long winding road.  It had way more folks.  Ridgeline is better suited for the RV and large tent crowds. Look closely as each site is rated for a different RV length and they had one pull in site. At Ridgeline they even have one campsite (tent) that was rated for 16 campers.  Generally, each site was rated for 8 campers.  Ridgeline also had some horse campers as I was able to see their horse trailers when going through the campsite. I saw 3 riders on horseback when I was driving to the camp store.  The stables are in two spots on the road down to Ridgeline. 

Taken from Cumberland Falls State Park webpage "Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is the perfect destination to introduce the family to the thrill of horseback riding. The park offers guided trail rides that are easy enough for the first timer and still adventurous for the more experienced. Riders, age 6 and up will enjoy a 45-minute ride through an eastern Kentucky forest, beautiful in any season. The stables open weekends in May and are daily after Memorial Weekend until Labor Day. Also open on weekends during Sept. and Oct. Rides start on the hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cost is$20.00 per person. **Personal horses are not permitted on the trails at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park,** but there are several opportunities to do so in the surrounding area. There are many miles of trails and several horse camps in the nearby Daniel Boone National Forest and The Big South Fork National River and Recreation area."

Clifty was smaller and quieter.  It felt like it had more trees and only tents on this row of campsites.  The campsites are close to each other as we talked with our camp site neighbors on the both sides.  When I first booked my site I knew of the difference in locations between Ridgeline and Clifty but I couldn't figure out what the difference in settings/vibe would be like and I am so happy that I had picked Clifty. 

The perk about the Clifty campsites is that they are close to the pool.  You can easily walk to the pool with your family when it opens.  The pool is free for campers.  I didn't get to check out their bathrooms but my fellow camper did and she said it was good.  I also discovered a trail and more down behind the Clifty campground.  I only found it as I noticed yellow blazes by the bathroom and followed it back to the trailhead.  Close to the bathroom is the dumpster with a home made jamming device to keep the bears out of the dumpster.  The Clifty bathroom was not ADA accessible as no wheelchair bathroom stall.  Shower wasn't accessible either if you have any mobility challenges. 

Moonbow at Cumberland Falls - We arrived early and had a picnic dinner.  The moon bow is best when the moon is high over the falls.  We were hoping to see it around sun set at 9:30 - 10:00 but we actually had to stay later.  Make sure you take advantage of the picnic tables that are near by and the bathrooms.  The best site to see the Moonbow is at the Upper Falls which is close to the gift shop/snack bar.  You can see the falls from further down at the other observation decks. We hung out there for some time to avoid the crowds at the Upper Falls.  

The parking lot will fill up as it gets closer to the time of the Moonbow. I avoided that by doing the picnic dinner and coming before sun set. The Cumberland Falls remain open till midnight as they know folks will want to see the Moonbow this is only seen at certain times of the year due to the moon.  It was nice to notice the ranger at the entrance of the park as we were leaving.  He was keeping tabs on the crowds at a distance as he wasn't needed at that time. 

Hiking - Ask for a map at the lodge as I didn't see them at the campgrounds or even signs explaining what trail 12 vs 2 was in the area.  Also, be aware that the Sheltowee trail is in the area this is a 333 mile long trail and you will see the white blaze or turtle blazes. 

Even some of the signs such as where the waterfall was for the near by Dog Slaughter Falls Trail said the falls were 1 mile away but it was actually several more miles.  I used the All Trails App and kept track of the miles on my Fitbit.  We found the Extended trail on All Trails and that matched up to the GPS tracking we did while on the trail.  We found 3 different signs for this hike in 3 different locations and each time the mileage was off.

Hand pick your site if you can 

We stayed two nights in the Ridgeline Campground, site R22.  This is a beautiful area, but there is nothing beautiful about the campground.  Seemed run down and the spots are right next to each other.  Make sure to watch the “max vehicle length” - we have a 21’ van and we barely fit into our site that had a longer max length.  Also, the water and electric hookup for this site is very far away from the actual site - we had to use a regular 110 extension cord to get the hookup to our van and we couldn’t use the water at all because we only had a standard length hose.  There is also a drop off on the back of the site, so getting in and out of the back of our van was tricky - especially after it rained and that area was muddy.  The trail from the campground to the falls viewing area seems like it has zero trail maintenance.  Sites 19 and 20 are nice - they are listed as tent only sites, but people had RVs.  Both sites have good privacy and nice deck areas secluded in the woods.

Sad campground for such a beautiful area

Stayed here in October 2021.  Campground was a little tight but we liked it. Close to the falls.  Bathhouses dated but clean.  Some sites did require long power cords and water hoses.  Would not recommend a trailer much over 25’.  Leaves were turning and very pretty.  Lots of hiking and things to do.  

Nice Little Campground

We went here with family - the cabins have all the comforts of home. Lots of hiking nearby, including the chance to walk along the river to see the moon bow (very developed trails/ infrastructure).

Very spacious, fully home-like cabins!

The campground is small and the sites are small. Not for bigger campers. Our is 23 feet and barely made it in our site. They are close together as well. It’s such a beautiful setting we didn’t mind. Love the falls and lots of hiking to do as well. 

We love this area 

Be aware, that the campsites are exactly the length as indicated. Not an inch more! Some people were able to fit their rigs in diagonally. The park itself is beautiful, the campground good enough to spend the night. Sites are very close together.

Tight campsites - beautiful park

This was my first time to the Niagara of the South. My husband and I left our dog back in Louisville for this trip which was originally an attempt to see the moon bow at Cumberland Falls. 

We looked at the tent site map on the state resort park map and nothing looked GREAT except for Clifty Campground spots 050, 048, and 049 they all look isolated from any of the other sites with 050 being a site that you have to traverse a grassy/rocky area from your car to set up. 

We opted for spot 047 because, on the map, it looked set back from the campground road… and it was… sorta. Nothing at this campsite is going to be private. The majority of the sites do not have so much as a weed between them although the sites themselves are very roomy for car camping. Your vehicle will be a presence at the site, which have electric hookups so if, like me, you have an electric car… it's nice to be able to simply plug the car in. This site did not get a lot of shade except for where we had the tent set up, and still… that would've received sun had it not been raining. 

Our site had a good picnic bench, a sturdy wooden post for hanging trash etc and the fire pit seemed pretty new. The grill wasn't bent at all, which was a 1st in my years of camping. The view from this site was pretty cool… we set out tent up at the furthest out spot on the small cliff as we could before it turned to mostly rock and faced the door out over the trails. We hung our rain tarp because, instead of a moon bow, we endured a nearly 24 hour torrential downpour. The tarp, which is small, and having the tent faced appropriately gave us a semblance of privacy although we had a camper van family next to us. Site has a lot of gravel so it was reasonably muddy but not dried out quick. 

There are a lot of raccoons that visit the dumpster area so expect it to be a little messy if your fellow campers aren't shutting the dumpster lids. Shower facilities reminded me of middle school camp… kind of mildewed… and well… rustic. Everything functioned and it wasn't "gross" just old. Water was hot. Toilet stalls (ladies) were small. I weight 130 and at 5 foot 2 it was a tight squeeze for me. 

We hiked the WIldflower Loop Trail (1.5 miles) in a drizzle and although wet it was safe. When the rain stopped we hiked Eagle Falls Trail and it was very muddy but the views were worth it. 

Would love to go back but if camping in a tent it's a must to get one of the two more private spots, or at the very least

A few great tent sites. Tons to do!

Other reviewers will do this place more justice than I can. It’s already been said. I’ll just say that a 45 minute horse ride for $25 is an absolute steal. Seeing the falls is free. There is a small on-site store and a playground for the kids.