Public boat launch, Cumberland River, near Nashville, Tennessee (at old Clee's Ferry)
Cumberland River
Public boat launch, Cumberland River, near Nashville, Tennessee (at old Clee's
Ferry)
General Description & Characteristics: The Cumberland River flows nearly 700 miles from east to west, through the northern section of Tennessee. It dips down to Nashville, then back northwestward into Kentucky to its mouth on the Ohio River. About half of the river has been made navigable by a series of locks and dams.
Location and Navigable Mileage: A navigable channel is maintained on the Cumberland River for a distance of 381 miles, extending from Celina, Tennessee to the Ohio River upstream from Paducah, Kentucky. At Barkley Lake, a canal connects the Cumberland River with the Tennessee River (Kentucky Lake).
Interesting Features: The Cumberland River winds through a very scenic region of rolling hills and forests. As a transportation corridor, it connects the coal mining region of middle Tennessee to the Ohio River. Its course is arduously winding through this rugged region, the river's 381 navigable miles cover only about 170 miles as the crow flies.
Several of the dams along the Cumberland create large reservoirs, most notably Barkley Lake. These all have recreational facilities and public landings.
Additional Information:
Navigation Information, Charts
An article about cruising on the Cumberland
Connecting Waterways Marinas Marina List from Save the Cumberland web site. Towns, parks, attractions on/near the Waterway Books
- Coldhearted River : A Canoe Odyssey Down the Cumberland (Outdoor Tennessee Series)
- The Flowering of the Cumberland
- Seed Time on the Cumberland This book and the previous one, by Harriet Simpson Arnow, tell the story of early settlement of the Cumberland River valley.
- Riverman by Jack Knox
More Pictures . Environmental Issues/Organizations Cumberland River Compact (water quality issues) Acknowledgments/Contributors . Miscellaneous
