American Travel Journal: Blue Heron - Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Blue Heron - Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area

The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area includes 125,000 acres of the Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky and Tennessee. The small coal mining town of Blue Heron, Kentucky was located along a horseshoe bend in the river upstream of Roaring Paunch Creek. Mine 18 of the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company was active from 1937 to 1962. The former town site is located at the western end of KY 742. It can also be accessed by the Big South Fork Scenic Railway on many days during the summer season from Stearns, Kentucky. Note that the train trip does not allow time to hike any of the trails, but does provide time to visit the interpretive exhibits in Blue Heron.

While there is no written history of Blue Heron, the park service has compiled a great amount of information about the community from people who lived and worked there. While approximately 200 miners worked Mine 18, only about a dozen families lived in Blue Heron. Most of the buildings were either removed when the mine shut down or falling down when the park service arrived. An outdoor museum of "ghost" structures of the same size and orientation was built on the site of the original structures. Paved walkways allow access to these structures for all visitors. However, the church and the school require climbing steps to enter either building.

A concession building is located at the south end of the parking area. I visited the area in early June 2016 on a day without train service and found the book store, gift shop, and concession building closed. Restrooms with running water are located at both the concession building and the interpretive center and were open.