Daniel Boone National Forest

Stretching across 21 counties of eastern Kentucky's rugged Appalachian terrain, Daniel Boone National Forest protects over 708,000 acres of deeply carved sandstone gorges, mixed mesophytic forest, and some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the temperate world. The forest's crown jewel is the Red River Gorge Geological Area, where over 100 natural sandstone arches -- the highest concentration east of the Rockies -- draw rock climbers from across the globe. The 319-mile Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail runs the length of the forest.\n\nCumberland Falls, the "Niagara of the South," produces one of only two reliably occurring moonbows in the Western Hemisphere, visible on clear nights during a full moon. The forest protects extensive cave systems, including portions of the world's longest known cave system. Cliff-dwelling communities of rare Appalachian plants, including the white-haired goldenrod found nowhere else on Earth, cling to the sandstone overhangs.\n\nDaniel Boone's diverse habitats support black bears returning to eastern Kentucky after decades of absence, Indiana bats, and the cerulean warbler. The forest's waterways harbor over 100 species of fish and support recreational paddling and trophy smallmouth bass fishing. Named for the legendary frontiersman who blazed the Wilderness Road through Cumberland Gap, the forest remains an essential economic driver for some of Kentucky's most rural communities.