Blue Heron Loop, Devil's Jump, and Catawba Overlook, McCreary County

Sept 19, KY - 3 miles from Mile 236: Blue Heron, or Mine 18, is a restored mining community that was built by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company in 1937 on the banks of the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. The mine was closed in 1962. In the late 1980's, the National Park Service restored this area as an outdoor museum, with fantastic interpretation. Hikers enjoy numerous vistas of the gorge from overlooks above the mining community and coal can be found at the lower elevations. Devil's Jump is a giant, overhanging slab of sandstone cliff that looms over the river valley. The rock that once composed the cliff fell into the river creating hazardous (and deadly) rapids. I visited just after the floods of Ivan receded and was surprised how high the river crested and the amount of mud deposited. Access from the Sheltowee Trace is a short hike down Beech Grove Road at Mile 236 and into the gorge via the Catawba Overlook Trail.