Kingdom Come State Park is a part of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

's state park system in Harlan County atop Pine Mountain near the city of Cumberland. It was named after the 1903 best-selling novel '' The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come'' by native Kentuckian

John Fox, Jr. John Fox Jr. (December 16, 1862 – July 8, 1919) was an American journalist, novelist, and short story writer. Biography Born in Stony Point, Kentucky, to John William Fox Sr. and Minerva Worth Carr, Fox studied English at Harvard University ...

Features of the park include Raven Rock, Log Rock, and a mountain lake. The section of the park is also a legally dedicated state nature preserve by the

Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves The Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves is an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the United States dedicated to the protection of Kentucky's natural heritage. The agency's primary focus is protecting rare and endangered species habitat. It o ...

Park features

Natural formations

Raven Rock is a naturally bare, large rock face composed mostly of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, leaning at a 45° angle over in the air. Nearby is the Cave Amphitheater. In the back of the Cave Amphitheater are deep crevices that house thousands of bats. Also within the park is a natural sandstone bridge called "Log Rock", which resembles a petrified tree that has fallen over. The Log Rock has been severely vandalized over the years, and the underside is now covered with people's names that they have spray-painted or scratched onto the stone. There are also numerous overlooks to the valleys below. Among the most popular of these viewing points is the Creech Overlook.

Wildlife

Black bears inhabit Kingdom Come State Park and adjoining lands in the Cumberland, Kentucky area. Black bears naturally recolonized extreme eastern Kentucky counties (Harlan, Letcher, Bell, and Pike) over the last three decades from the neighboring states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee. The species was not reintroduced to Kingdom Come State Park or any portion of Kentucky east of Interstate 75. It is illegal to feed black bears. Other wildlife species also call Kingdom Come State Park home, including the state-threatened common raven, fox, multiple species of hawks, cottontail rabbit, multiple bat species, coyote, multiple species of amphibians, and an array of insect life.

Activities and amenities

Fourteen hiking trails, a 9-hole miniature golf course, lake with paddle boats, picnic shelters, fishing, and primitive campsites are available at the park. The park offers access to Little Shepherd Trail, a primitive road for mountain biking and adventure driving that winds across the Pine Mountain ridgetop to the city of Harlan.

Nearby

The

Kentucky Coal Mining Museum The Kentucky Coal Museum is a heritage center located in Benham, Kentucky. Its focus is the history of the coal industry in Eastern Kentucky, featuring specific exhibits on the company towns of Benham and neighboring Lynch. It is housed in a fo ...

, Portal 31 Mine Tour, and Benham Schoolhouse Inn are operated by the Kentucky Community and Technical College System in Benham.

References

External links

Kingdom Come State Park
Kentucky Department of Parks {{authority control Protected areas of Harlan County, Kentucky State parks of Kentucky Protected areas established in 1961 1961 establishments in Kentucky