cumberline
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Lake ends at Yahoo overlook
Stopped by the overlook at Yahoo Falls near Whitley City last Thursday, curious to see how the lowered level of the lake looked from that vantage
point. It appears that the backed up waters of the Big South Fork end right below the overlook at the parking lot, before you start on the trail to
the falls.
In the first photo, looking upstream, you can tell there are rushing waters, and they can clearly be heard from the 150 foot high overlook.
The second photo looks downstream (just to the right of the above photo. These waters are back up by the lake. I'm guessing it would be possible to
boat this far up the BSF from Burnside, but you need to be careful of depth and underwater large rocks.
Yahoo Falls (pronounced YAY-hoo after its original Native American name) is one of the neatest places to visit in the Lake Cumberland region. It is
the highest waterfall in Kentucky, is surrounded by very nice views and contains a great trail system maintained by the National Forest Service and
the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (National Park Service). The Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail comes through, and there
are nearby arches.
It is located off KY-700 about maybe 6-7 miles west of Whitley City. Turn off US-27 on KY-700 west at the northernmost road lights in the city. Just
drive until you come to a sign pointing to Yahoo Falls in a turn to the right onto a gravel road. There is a maintained grave of a Revolutionary War
soldier at the turn.
It is 1.5 miles down the gravel road to the parking area. There are primitive toilets and picnic tables. The overlook is at the parking area. You take
a level trail about a half mile out to the top of the falls where there are several overlooks looking down. You can also trail down the high cliff to
go to the bottom of the falls and under the overhanging cliff over which the waters plunge.
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mamakin
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WOW! Great photos cumberline  That might be a cool trip to try by boat up BSF,
but being very careful and running slow, of course.
~Here....fishy fishy fishy - I have some cheeze whiz fer ya~
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cumberline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by E_HILLMAN
Wow, thanks Cumberline. Now when you gonna get a big ole bus and take us all for a ride around the lake area? |
Actually, I had planned just that... well, a test run with about 5-6 vehicles ... last fall. The best time for a Deep Country Road Trip is the first
weekend in November. While you can visit anytime, and summer is great, my idea for a big loop to the great spots routes over some of the best road
scenery in the region, and you really need to have most of the leaves just out of the way for the best views. It was sort of scheduled but I had to
back out because of preparations for the two plays I was directing at the time. Just couldn't possibly get away. Hope to pull it off this year.
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scarlet
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These day trips always sound so good. So many times we come down in the off season and want to go somewhere we haven't been. Is there anywhere to
obtain a map that shows all the overlook locations in the area?
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2WeeksOld
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Anyone know offhand how far it is by water from this overlook to Burnside?
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cumberline
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Roughly 30 miles. Be sure to bring enough fuel, no place to fill.
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2WeeksOld
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| Quote: | Originally posted by cumberline
Roughly 30 miles. Be sure to bring enough fuel, no place to fill. |
I've been a little past the Day Ridge ramp (had to turn around for the reason mentioned - fuel), so I guess I was almost to Yahoo then.
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cumberline
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The lake ends. The river begins. The gorge contains all.
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sheltowee
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Here is a picture of Yahoo Falls Overlook taken this weekend.
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cumberline
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It's interesting to watch the new greenery begin to paint the exposed shoreline, happening all around the lake.
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sheltowee
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And another one......
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sheltowee
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| Quote: | Originally posted by cumberline
It's interesting to watch the new greenery begin to paint the exposed shoreline, happening all around the lake. |
Beautiful, isn't it?
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sheltowee
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Here is picture of Yahoo Falls from the trail and the rock shelter behind the falls. It's hard to see the water trickling down due to lack of rain in
the region.
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sheltowee
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This one is looking up at the falls as I was hiking on to Yahoo Arch.
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abigail
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Great pic .cumberline i can almost see the cabin,i think this end of the lake would make a great trip.just give me some notice ,you guys can bunk
here.we can sleep 30+ with no proplem. Enjoy and be safe.
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CoyneOperated
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We took the boats down BSF until we ran out of map. We turned back. didn't want to continue without knowing exactly where I was. this was last
Sept. It was beautiful. Real nice ride.
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Gr8ful
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From Burnside state dock, via car; how long of a drive would this be?
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sheltowee
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Gr8ful
From Burnside state dock, via car; how long of a drive would this be? |
Total distance of about 30 miles.
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cumberline
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Yes.. depending on the weight of your foot, about 30 mins to Whitley City from Burnside. The first flashing overhead caution light you come to is
KY-700. Turn right there, cross the railroad tracks and keep going about 5-6 miles. You'll enter the National Forest soon and the drive is interesting
(and a little curvy). You'll come upon the sign to turn right to Yahoo Falls where there is a fenced gravesite of a Revolutionary War soldier. Follow
that gravel road that winds down and down and down the hill to the parking lot. You're still way above the river, but the viewpoint for the above
photos is located right there.
The Big South Fork gorge is impressively deep.
By the way.. back at the US-27 / KY-700 junction where the light is -- if you turn left instead (east) it's a curvy, very scenic back way to get to
Cumberland Falls. I recommend it for a nice deep country drive.
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cumberline
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Speaking of the Revolutionary War soldier, it's not unusual for him to be there. A very large number of veterans were given land grants in the
Kentucky territory of Virginia for their service. Many of the original settlers of the lake region fought in the Revolutionary War.
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MarineAssist
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