11/14/26. Perfect fall day for my return to Cumberland Gap. This time, I started on the TN side and walked the historic Wilderness Road (now a National Recreation Trail) into Virginia, taking the spur path up to Tri-State Peak along the way. Stood in TN, VA, and WV at the same time. Simple pleasures.
The path through what is now known as Cumberland Gap was once a herd trail formed by bison and other game. Native Americans followed that trail and used it as a main route for trade and migration. Later, Daniel Boone and other pioneers formed a road out of this path as they made their way through the mountains and toward the West. Both Union and Confederate troops fought over control of the Gap during the Civil War. Today, you can hike through the pass on Boone’s Wilderness Road and connect with other trails that explore the surrounding wilderness.
