You’ll know the impressive 60-foot cascade is near when the path turns rugged.
Photo Above: Several bridges help hikers make their way over the stream.
Photos Courtesy of Leonard M. and Laurie Adkins.
The walk to Bad Branch Falls in eastern Kentucky is a moderate one. Sort of.
Bad Branch originates on the south side of Pine Mountain and within several miles descends nearly 1,000 feet before meeting the Poor Fork of the Cumberland River. Its steepest portion is where it flows through Bad Branch Gorge.
Gradually ascending along the stream, we came into a grove of hemlock trees. Some were rather short and young, while a few had broad trunks and towered high above. I remarked to Laurie that, unlike the 95% of hemlocks that have succumbed to the hemlock woolly adelgid in Shenandoah National Park, almost all of the hemlocks here — no matter their age or size — appeared to be healthy and thriving. I later learned that a partnership of several public and private organizations has enabled tens of thousands of hemlocks to be treated to ward off the invasive insect. This is even more remarkable when you find out each tree must be individually treated.
As the pathway’s rate of incline gradually increased, we passed through a forest of beech, birch, buckeye and poplar trees with a luxurious undergrowth of rhododendron. Although the area was logged in the 1940s, there were some small patches of older growth trees that had obviously escaped the lumberjacks’ saws. At times we were close to the stream, other times many feet above it, passing by towering cliffs and interesting rock formations. Painted trillium, a flower I have seen often on the Appalachian Trail but considered threatened in Kentucky, grew in small clusters.
At about 1 mile into the outing the trail split in two. One continued more than 2 miles to a viewpoint at High Rock on Pine Mountain, but our course turned toward the falls. And it was at this point that the caveat about this being a moderate walk — sort of — came into play.
After negotiating a steep stairway, the pathway quickly descended into a rooty and rocky route, soon to be blocked by boulders, some nearly the size of pickup trucks that had to be clambered over while not falling into deep drop-offs that were within inches of our contorted bodies.
However, this jumble of an obstacle lasted just a few minutes, and we were near the base of the tumbling falls sending gallons of water 60 feet down a craggy sandstone precipice. With a crashing din, some of the liquid had such force that it shot 5 to 10 feet into the air, while other rivulets were almost silent as they slithered along the rock facing, reminding me of a line by Mexican author Octavio Paz: “The sound of water is worth more than all the words of poets.”
Outings in the woods tend to increase appetites, so our conversation turned to food on the return walk. We decided to take a short drive to Whitesburg’s Pine Mountain Grill for dinner. It’s rare to find a restaurant offering catfish any way other than fried, so I was happy that I could have it simply seasoned and grilled. Laurie went for the char-grilled shrimp skewers. Feeling almost too healthy, we split an order of fried apple pie topped with ice cream and a sauce made using Kentucky Mist moonshine.
When you go
The Walk: A 2-mile out-and-back to Bad Branch Falls in eastern Kentucky.
Getting There: Drive southward on US 119 for 7 miles from the intersection of KY 15 and US 119 in Whitesburg. Turn left onto KY 932 and the trailhead will be on the left in 1.7 miles.
More Information: A brochure and a map for the Bad Branch State Nature Preserve are on eec.ky.gov/Nature-Preserves/Brochures.BadBranchbrochure_bw.pdf.
Leonard’s writing has received numerous national awards, including the National Outdoor Book, SATW Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism, and IBPA Ben Franklin Awards, in addition to a Virginia Literary Award nomination. Find out more at www.habitualhiker.com. He also writes Mountain Wildflowers, found on BlueRidgeCountry.com.
The story above first appeared in our March / April 2026 issue.
