Breaks Interstate Park

Breaks Canyon, dubbed the “Grand Canyon of the South”, is one of the largest canyons in the eastern United States at five miles long and up to 1,600 feet deep with the Russell Fork River winding through it. The park sits on the Virginia/Kentucky border and is only one of two parks in the U.S. co-owned by two states. It’s located in a very remote area of the Appalachian Mountains but close enough to be a common weekend destination for regional travelers.

We spent a week at Breaks Interstate Park and it was nice to get a full hookup spot in the park campground so everything was right at our doorstep. Since the park is a locals destination and caters to kids with its pool and waterpark, it can get a little crazy on the weekends, but during the weekdays brings a feeling of solitude in the forest.

Although the waterpark and ranger programs will attract the young families, for us the main attraction was the canyon which can be enjoyed through a multitude of hiking trails and scenic overlooks. The park is small so it’s easy to explore in just a few days depending on how much time you have. Most of the overlooks can be enjoyed by a short walk and are quite spectacular. Stateline Lookout, with its broad view of the canyon across both states, is the most popular overlook, especially at sunset.

Our other favorite overlooks, which tend to be less visited, include Towers Trail Overlook, where you look across at a large geological feature at a horseshoe bend in the river and Clinchfield Overlook, the highest point in the park. Mill Rock Point and Lovers Leap Overlooks, located just outside of the park’s entrance gate, provide a different perspective of the canyon and are also spectacular. Oddly, our least favorite (still pretty spectacular) was Tower Tunnel Overlook (not to be confused with Towers Trail Overlook), which requires the most effort to reach, so you might want to skip this one if you’re doing the others. Important to note, look under those rocks before you sit down at the overlooks. We encountered a large copperhead at one of the overlooks.

Besides the overlooks there are some great trails which get you deeper engaged with the landscape. The trail system can be a little confusing with many interconnecting trails, but this allows you to customize your hike to your liking. Here are a few examples of hikes we did and enjoyed:

Geological Trail and Ridge Trail…

is accessed from Stateline Overlook and can be combined to make a Loop. The total trail loop is about a mile but goes through some pretty rough terrain. The Ridge Trail traverses through a forested area with a lot of mountain laurel, whereas the Geological Trail steps down the canyon one level into a much more rockier area that is super cool. We added the short spur trail to Grassy Creek Overlook, but after Stateline Overlook, it probably wasn’t worth the extra effort.

Prospectors’ Trail and Overlook Trail…

can also be combined as a recommended loop. Prospectors’ Trail travels along a lower ledge of the canyon through spectacular geological formations and below many of the overlooks, whereas Overlook Trail travels along the highest point of the canyon with stops along the way at several marked and unmarked overlooks. To do this as a loop you have to circle back on Geological Trail or Ridge Trail to get to the Overlook Trail. However, we did notice a cutthru from Prospectors’ to Overlook just south of the Stateline Overlook, which was not on the map. This could potentially be another way to do the loop. We started the trail from the Tower Tunnels Overlook parking area, but it can be done in other ways too.

Mule Skid Cove Trail…

is located off of Highway 80 on the northern edge of the park boundary. The trail takes you through a historical logging trail and combined with the lower section of Bottom of the Breaks Trail, gets you to the Russell Fork River. This new trail in the park immerses you in the forested wilderness and requires traversing across two swinging bridges over the Grassy Creek River. Although a very cool experience, this was a huge challenge for the dogs considering the open slats on the bridge. Access to the second swinging bridge at the end of the trail requires climbing down a steep ladder so that was a definite “no” for the dogs. An exciting footnote to this trail was that we spotted a black bear along the side of the road on the way out, which was a very short distance from where we just were on the trail. Although the black bears will usually avoid you, this is why we always carry bear spray when we are in bear country.

Other notable trail options include the Laurel Lake Trail which is a good easy stroll half way around Laurel Lake, Mountain Home Trail which features an abandoned 1940s Nash automobile and the aforementioned Bottom of the Breaks Trail which descends 800 feet from the top rim to the river below. We did not do the latter two so can’t speak to them personally, but understand they are great trails depending what you’re looking for.

If you’re looking for an easier way to get to the river, Garden Hole is the answer. Outside of the park gate and just south on Breaks Park Road is the Garden Hole River Access. The steep gravel road will wind down to a picturesque part of the river and if you time it right, you might even get to see a train go by on the other side of the river. Four wheel drive is not required but helpful for traction on the steep gravel.

Our one frustration with the park is that there seemed to be a bit of contradiction with trail and overlook markings and even where and if there are trails in certain circumstances. It just didn’t have that same state park level of detail and structure we’re used to seeing, which is likely due to the fact that the park is actually run by a separate entity from the states. However, with a little due diligence, we were able to figure things out.

Breaks Interstate Park may be out of the way for many to include in their travels plans, but we enjoyed our short stay there and would recommend it to others, even if you’re not local to the region. And for those kids riding their e-bikes 20 MPH through the park… slow down!

Check out our pictures of the magnificent Breaks Canyon.