Cumberland Falls

The falls are about twenty metres high and sixty-five wide on the Cumberland River, which makes them substantial rather than spectacular by height. What makes the site unusual is the moonbow: on clear nights around the full moon, with enough spray in the air, moonlight refracts through it to produce a lunar rainbow, faint and usually read as white to the naked eye though colour shows in long exposures. Very few waterfalls in the world produce one predictably, and the park publishes the dates. It requires a clear sky, a full or near-full moon, and enough water - a dry autumn can remove it entirely. The park keeps the falls area open at night for it.

What you actually see

• A fall about twenty metres by sixty-five - broad rather than tall.
• A moonbow round the full moon - published dates each year.
• Colour only in long exposures - it reads white to the eye.
• Night access to the overlooks - kept open for the phenomenon.

When to go

Full moon nights on the published schedule; daytime year round. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The moonbow needs clear skies, sufficient flow and the right moon phase - most attempts on a given trip fail. It is fainter than photographs suggest. Moonbow nights crowd the overlooks in the dark. Winter roads can be difficult.

Nearby

Big South Fork is south-west; Corbin is east.