Ecotraveler....

KENTUCKY'S BIG SOUTH FORK

SCENIC RAILWAY

In 1974, Congress designated 106,000 acres in Kentucky and Tennessee as the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. This area is more than 250 million years old, created when the sea retreated and left layers of siltstone, shale, and coal.

The Big South Fork region is filled with natural wonders, including Lake Cumberland, Natural Arch, and Cumberland Falls, where visitors can enjoy one of only two places in the world where moonbows occur. Other options include: camping, rafting, biking, fishing, and hiking. But one of the best ways to see the area is aboard the Big South Fork Scenic Railway.

The railway is a concessionaire of the National Park Service, which now manages the area. The railroad traverses 6 1/2 miles from the historic town of Stearns to the Blue Heron Mine and Outdoor Historical Museum. The open coaches ease past the rapids of Roaring Paunch Creek, Stearns Company's Mine No. 1 at Barthell, through a 265-foot tunnel hand-cut into a mountain, and along the beautiful countryside of McCreary County.

The typical excursion lasts about three hours. This includes about 1 1/2 hours of time to explore the museum, which provides visitors with a glimpse of the industrialism that changed the face of a remote mountain community forever.

The Big South Fork Scenic Railway runs trips from mid-April until October. They also offer many theme excursions, including wildlife and wildflowers in April and May, coal mining excursions in May, old-fashioned excursions in July, gospel music themes in August, and a variety of fall programs in September and October.

Contact the Big South Fork Scenic Railway P.O. Box 368, Stearns, KY 42647, (800) GO ALONG (462-5664) or (606) 376-5330.