The Daniel Boone National Forest is located in Eastern Kentucky, the foothills of Appalachia. Considering the number of visitors who visit the Daniel Boone National Forest every year, over 5 million annually, this is a destination for any nature lover.
Acres of lands, 707,000 to be exact, make up this national forest. The USDA Forest Service describes the Daniel Boone National Forest as “lands characterized by steep forested ridges dissected by narrow ravines and over 3,400 miles of sandstone cliffs.” A helpful website accessed for further details at http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/boone, also mentions recreation opportunities which can be found in this region.
Over 260 miles of trails known as the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail can be accessed in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The name Sheltowee is an Indian name given to Daniel Boone by the Shawnee Indian Tribe in the 1700’s. This word means “Big Turtle”.
Famously this forest is named after Daniel Boone, the great frontiersman who explored this region in the 1700’s. Daniel Boone blazed a trail known at the Wilderness Trail through Virginia into Kentucky, this trail led the way for many others to follow.
A term Cumberland Plateau is used to describe the entire Daniel Boone National Forest, including the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail. The Cumberland Plateau is a description of the Southern part of the Appalachia Plateau which includes most of Eastern Kentucky, western portions of West Virginia and parts of Tennessee. Inside the Cumberland Plateau there is wildlife, lush plant life, variety of tree life, which makes this a great region to explore. The region in Eastern Kentucky is marked with rolling hills, mountainsides and scenic beauty beyond our imaginations.
Located within the Daniel Boone National Forest are three lakes, they are Cave Run Lake, Laurel River Lake and Lake Cumberland. All three are a great destination in the summer time in foothills of Appalachia.
The Daniel Boone National Forest is a great destination for nature lovers, and the entire family. Nature is a way of bringing us all closer to each other, something to value in a region appreciated for beauty, a place known as Appalachia.
Gather more information about the great frontiersman known as Daniel Boone at http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95nov/boone.html.
Please visit a past article written on this region at http://www.examiner.com/appalachian-nature-in-atlanta/morehead-kentucky-small-town-appalachia.
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