Wednesday, 7 Sept
The Journey from Chain O’ Lakes, IN, to Cove Lake State Park, TN
We departed from Chain O’ Lakes State Park in Indiana around 10:15 AM and began our journey south. Our route took us near Cincinnati, where we merged onto I-75 and continued toward Lexington. Both areas were heavily congested, making for a slower and more stressful drive.
We briefly stopped at a Pilot Travel Center just north of Lexington to refuel before continuing. As we neared the Tennessee border, we encountered a sobering sight: a Class A motorhome had left the road and landed in a ditch, lying on its side. People were climbing around the vehicle, and rescue crews had just arrived, indicating the accident had occurred moments earlier. One of my long-standing concerns with Class A RVs is the design—some models have only a single door. Thankfully, in this case, the door was on the upper side of the rollover, providing an escape route.
Crossing into Tennessee, we entered the Cumberland Mountains. While the elevation climbed about 1,000 feet, the grades weren’t particularly steep—one stretch had a 4% descent. Our F-150 pickup handled the climb and descent effortlessly, making for a smooth drive through this scenic section of the trip.
Cove Lake State Park
We arrived at Cove Lake State Park around 3:30 PM. The campground features 100 campsites spread across three loops, each with water and electrical hookups. I had reserved site C-72, located near the lake. The park offers convenient amenities, including a dump station, two modern bathhouses with hot showers, and heated restrooms.
While our site was close to the lake, it was separated by a steep slope and a chicken wire fence, limiting direct access. Thick brush and trees obscured the view, leaving us with the bugs but no scenery to enjoy. Despite this, the campsite itself had recently been renovated, featuring a new gravel pad that was reasonably level. We did need to place pads under the trailer tires on one side to ensure stability.
The campground was mostly empty, typical for a weekday, adding to the peaceful atmosphere.
After the long drive, we decided to take it easy for the evening and stayed at the camper, enjoying the quiet surroundings.
Thursday, 8 Sept
We left the camper around 10 am and after getting gas, we headed south down winding back roads to the Museum of Appalachia.
Museum of Appalachia
The Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tennessee, is a living history museum located about 20 miles north of Knoxville. As a Smithsonian affiliate, it boasts a collection of over 30 historic buildings and thousands of artifacts that showcase the southern Appalachian region. Admission was $18 per person, but I received a $3 discount for being a veteran.
Established in the 1960s by John Rice Irwin, an East Tennessee educator, and businessman, the museum preserves not only structures and artifacts relevant to the region’s history but also each item’s individual history—who owned it, when and how it was created or obtained, and how it was used. These oral histories are mostly handwritten on placards next to the items. While some stories sounded like tall tales, they brought the items to life and detailed all aspects of rural life in Southern Appalachia. The museum’s grounds resemble a working pioneer Appalachian farm, with gardens growing typical crops and animals such as goats, chickens, turkeys, and peacocks freely roaming the grounds.
Most of the artifacts are housed in three buildings: the two-story Appalachian Hall of Fame, which showcases items from colorful individuals along with a large collection of musical instruments; the two-story Display Barn, filled with general pioneer frontier items; and the People’s Building, which houses the evangelist Henry Harrison Mayes exhibit, the Christy Exhibit, and the museum’s folk art exhibit. Most items include photographs and short descriptions detailing each item’s original owner and usage.
After an hour in the Hall of Fame building, we took a break and ate lunch at the local snack bar. We ordered the special: Chicken and Dumplings, cornbread, and two sides. I had squash casserole and fried apples, while Lisa had green beans and beets. We ate outside on picnic tables overlooking the grounds, with peacocks and chickens freely roaming around the tables, looking for handouts. We chatted with a talkative local who told us about the area and his many businesses. He even showed us a picture of his three-bedroom, two-story floating house that he once had on the Norris Dam reservoir. He mentioned that the snack bar is very popular, especially on Sundays.
We finished walking through the grounds and various buildings by 2 pm. We could have spent days there, reading all the descriptions and stories of the displayed items.
Cumberland Falls
We then decided to drive one hour north back into Kentucky and see Cumberland Falls. They are the second largest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains and the largest waterfall as measured by water volume in the Eastern United States, south of Niagara Falls, so they are impressive to see.
Blue Heron and Devils Jump Overlook
We then drove into the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in McCreary County, KY. Managed by the National Park Service, this 125,000-acre area protects the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries. It’s best known for its miles of scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs.
First, we headed to the parking lot of the Blue Heron Overlook and took the easy 0.3-mile out-and-back paved trail to a rock ledge overlooking the Big South Fork River canyon. The ledge had sturdy metal fencing, allowing us to safely walk up to the edge and take in the panoramic view of the canyon and the river 400 feet below.
Across the river, we saw a towering bluff known as the Devil’s Jump—a sandstone overhang formed when massive blocks sheared from the bluff and tumbled into the canyon. The river is choked with house-sized boulders, creating the Devil’s Jump rapids below.
Next, we drove 0.2 miles east to the Devil’s Jump Overlook trailhead. This 0.3-mile out-and-back paved trail descended a short way to an overlook with benches and a shelter. From this 400-foot perch, we stood directly across from the Devil’s Jump and gained a different perspective of the Big South Fork canyon.
Why is it called Devil’s Jump? According to local folklore, in the early 19th Century, settlers drilled salt wells in the nearby Bear Creek area. One crew drilled so deep that they thought they might reach “Hell.” Suddenly, they struck oil, which some say was the first known oil well in the United States. Being unfamiliar with oil and seeing how this black, smelly, sticky liquid burned, they became convinced they had drilled into hell and called the substance Devil’s Tar. They collected samples and appointed one of the crew members to raft down the river to identify the substance and determine its potential use. The raft overturned in the rapids below the towering bluffs, spilling the oil into the churning water. Instead of admitting his mistake, the crew member claimed that the Devil had jumped onto the raft, flipped it over, and reclaimed the stolen tar. Thus, the area has been called Devil’s Jump ever since.
Drive Home
We then returned to the campground, following the scenic Old US-27 back into Tennessee. Our route took us through the charming town of Oneida, where we turned onto KY-456 south and followed it to the Baker Highway. As we continued our journey, we drove along Cove Creek into the park, where the sight of kudzu and a few mud buggies added to the adventure.
Intrigued by mysterious signs labeled “Top Secret,” we later discovered that these trails were part of the Top Secret Trail, a self-guided tour created by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. This trail takes visitors through some of East Tennessee’s beautiful scenery and best-kept secrets.
Friday, 9 Sept
We left at 11 am and headed to visit family. We will be parking the camper nearby but staying in their house.