Learn and talk about Breaks Interstate Park, Canyons and gorges of Kentucky, Canyons and gorges of Virginia, Parks in Dickenson County, Virginia, Protected areas established in 1954

Breaks Interstate Park
Breaks Canyon, May 2003
Location	Kentucky and Virginia, USA
Nearest city	Elkhorn City, Kentucky
Coordinates	37°17′47″N 82°17′49″W / 37.29639°N 82.29694°W / 37.29639; -82.29694Coordinates: 37°17′47″N 82°17′49″W / 37.29639°N 82.29694°W / 37.29639; -82.29694
Area	4,500 acres (1,800 ha)
Established	1954
Visitors	300,000+ (in 2005)
Governing body	Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and Kentucky Department of Parks

Breaks Interstate Park, also referred as the "Grand Canyon of the South", is located in southeastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia at the northeastern terminus of Pine Mountain. It is administered as a state park by the states of Virginia^[1] and Kentucky,^[2] and is one of two interstate parks in the United States.

The Breaks is the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi River,^[3] through which the Russell Fork river and Clinchfield Railroad (now the CSX Transportation Kingsport Subdivision) run. It is accessed via Virginia State Route 80, between Haysi, Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, and passes through the community of Breaks, Virginia east of the park.

American frontiersman Daniel Boone is credited with being the first person of European descent to discover the Breaks, which he first saw in 1767.^[4]

1 Geography
2 Amenities and recreation
3 Gallery
4 See also
5 References
6 Contact Information
7 External links

Geography [edit]

Breaks Interstate Park is located about 5 miles (8 km) east of Elkhorn City, Kentucky. The park covers 4,500 acres (1,800 ha). The park's main feature, Breaks Canyon, is five miles long and ranges from 830 to 1,600 feet (250 to 490 m) deep. The canyon was formed by the Russell Fork river through millions of years of erosion.^[3]

Amenities and recreation [edit]

Park Lodge with 82 guest rooms
5 modern cabins, overlooks Laurel Lake
Campground with 122 campsites with utilities
Rhododendron Restaurant
Visitor's center - Highlights the area's historical and natural features
Rhododendron Lodge Conference Center - 6,000 square feet (560 m²), seats up to 525 people
Mountain biking
Hiking - approximately 25 miles (40 km) of trails, ranging from easy to difficult
Fishing in Laurel Lake
Horseback and pony rides
White water rafting on the Russell Fork
Amphitheater^[5]
Splash in the Park

Gallery [edit]

Breaks Interstate Park

Breaks Canyon, May 2003

References [edit]

^ Virginia State Park Locations. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
^ Kentucky State Parks
^ ^a ^b http://www.virginia.org/Listings/OutdoorsAndSports/BreaksInterstatePark/ Retrieved on 2009-12-23
^ http://www.breakspark.com/index.php?page=our-history Retrieved on 2009-12-27
^ http://www.breakspark.com/index.php?page=activities-attractions Retrieved on 2009-12-23

Contact Information [edit]

Park phone number (276)865-4413

External links [edit]

Protected areas of Virginia

Federal

National Parks	Shenandoah Wolf Trap NP for the Performing Arts

National Historical Parks, Historic Sites & Monuments	Appomattox Court House NHP Arlington House Booker T. Washington NM Cedar Creek and Belle Grove NHP Claude Moore Colonial Farm Colonial NHP Cumberland Gap NHP George Washington Birthplace NM Harpers Ferry NHP Maggie L. Walker NHS

National Military Parks, Battlefields & Battlefield Parks	Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP Manassas NBP Petersburg NB Richmond NBP

National Cemeteries	Alexandria Arlington Balls Bluff City Point Cold Harbor Culpeper Danville Fort Harrison Fredericksburg Glendale Hampton Hampton VA Poplar Grove Quantico Richmond Seven Pines Staunton Winchester Yorktown

National Trails	Appalachian Trail Blue Ridge Parkway Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network George Washington Memorial Parkway Overmountain Victory NHT Potomac Heritage Trail Star-Spangled Banner NHT

National Wildlife Refuges	Back Bay Chincoteague Eastern Shore of Virginia Mason Neck Featherstone Fisherman Island Great Dismal Swamp James River Nansemond Occoquan Bay Plum Tree Island Presquile Rappahannock River Valley Wallops Island

National Forests	George Washington and Jefferson

USFS National Recreation Areas	Mount Rogers National Recreation Area

Other NPS Areas	Assateague Island National Seashore Prince William Forest Park

Wilderness Areas	Mountain Lake Wilderness Ramseys Draft Wilderness Rough Mountain Wilderness Saint Mary's Wilderness

National Estuarine Research Reserves	Chesapeake Bay

State

State parks	Bear Creek Lake Belle Isle Biscuit Run Breaks Interstate Caledon Chippokes Plantation Claytor Lake Douthat Fairy Stone False Cape First Landing Grayson Highlands High Bridge Trail Holliday Lake Hungry Mother James River Kiptopeke Lake Anna Leesylvania Mason Neck Natural Tunnel New River Trail Occoneechee Pocahontas Sailor's Creek Battlefield Shot Tower Shenandoah River Sky Meadows Smith Mountain Lake Southwest Virginia Museum Staunton River Staunton River Battlefield Tabb Monument Twin Lakes Westmoreland Wilderness Road York River

State forests	Appomattox-Buckingham Big Woods Bourassa Browne Channels Chilton Woods Conway-Robinson Crawfords Cumberland Devil's Backbone Dragon Run Hawks Lesesne Matthews Moore's Creek Niday Place Paul Prince Edward-Gallion Sandy Point Whitney Zoar

Natural Area Preserves	Antioch Pines Bethel Beach Big Spring Bog Blackwater Buffalo Mountain Bull Run Mountains Bush Mill Stream Camp Branch Wetlands Cape Charles Coastal Habitat The Cedars The Channels Cherry Orchard Bog Chestnut Creek Wetlands Chestnut Ridge Chotank Creek Chub Sandhill Cleveland Barrens Clover Hollow Cowbane Prairie Crow's Nest Cumberland Marsh Dameron Marsh Deep Run Ponds Dendron Swamp Difficult Creek Elklick Woodlands False Cape Folly Mills Creek Fen Goshen Pass Grafton Ponds Grassy Hill Grayson Glades Hickory Hollow Hughlett Point Johnsons Creek Magothy Bay Mark's and Jack's Island Mount Joy Pond Mutton Hunk Fen Naked Mountain New Point Comfort North Landing River Northwest River Ogdens Cave Parkers Marsh Parramore Island Pedlars Hill Pinnacle Poor Mountain Red Rock Mountain Savage Neck Dunes Unthanks Cave William B. Trower Bayshore Wreck Island

Wildlife Management Areas	Amelia Big Survey Briery Creek Chester F. Phelps Cavalier Chickahominy Clinch Mountain Crooked Creek Dick Cross Fairystone Farms Featherfin G. Richard Thompson Game Farm Marsh Goshen and Little North Mountain Hardware River Havens Hidden Valley Highland Hog Island Horsepen Lake James River Land's End Mockhorn Island Pettigrew Powhatan Princess Anne Ragged Island Rapidan Saxis Stewarts Creek T. M. Gathright Turkeycock Weston White Oak Mountain

Other

Registered Historic Places in Virginia	Counties A–B C D–G H–M N–R S–Z Bridges National Historic Landmarks

Protected Areas of Kentucky

Federal

National Parks	Mammoth Cave

National Historical Parks	Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Cumberland Gap

NPS National Recreation Areas	Big South Fork

National Forests	Daniel Boone George Washington and Jefferson

USFS National Recreation Areas	Land Between the Lakes

National Wildlife Refuges	Clarks River Ohio River Islands Reelfoot

State

State Resort Parks	Barren River Lake Benham-Lynch Buckhorn Lake Carter Caves Cumberland Falls General Butler Grayson Lake Green River Lake Greenbo Lake Jenny Wiley Kenlake Kentucky Dam Village Lake Barkley Lake Cumberland Natural Bridge Pennyrile Forest Pine Mountain Rough River Dam

State Historic Sites	Boone Station Constitution Square Dr. Thomas Walker Isaac Shelby Cemetery Jefferson Davis Old Mulkey Meetinghouse Perryville Battlefield Waveland White Hall Wickliffe Mounds William Whitley House

State Recreation Parks	Blue Licks Battlefield Big Bone Lick Carr Creek Columbus-Belmont Dale Hollow Lake E. P. "Tom" Sawyer Fishtrap Lake Fort Boonesborough General Burnside John James Audubon Kincaid Lake Kingdom Come Lake Malone Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Lincoln Homestead Mineral Mound My Old Kentucky Home Nolin Lake Old Fort Harrod Paintsville Lake Pine Mountain Trail Taylorsville Lake Yatesville Lake

State Forests	Dewey Lake Kentenia Kentucky Ridge Knobs Olympia Pennyrile Tygarts

State Nature Preserves	Axe Lake Swamp Bad Branch Falls Brigadoon Bat Cave and Cascade Caverns Beargrass Creek Blackacre Blue Licks Jesse Stuart JJ Audubon Natural Bridge Six Mile Island Tom Dorman

Other	Breaks Interstate Park Kentucky Horse Park

Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission ([1])

Visitor Attractions of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field region

Parks

State	Buckhorn Lake Carr Creek Carter Caves Cumberland Falls Dr. Thomas Walker Fishtrap Lake Grayson Lake Greenbo Lake Jenny Wiley Kingdom Come Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Natural Bridge Paintsville Lake Pine Mountain Pine Mountain Trail Yatesville Lake

Federal	Big South Fork Cumberland Gap

Interstate	Breaks Interstate

Museums

Forests

Reservoirs

Natural features

Miscellaneous

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Breaks Interstate Park

Contents

Geography [edit]

Amenities and recreation [edit]

Gallery [edit]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

Contact Information [edit]

External links [edit]

Talk About Breaks Interstate Park

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