When the mountains are calling, many people flock to the peaks of Appalachia, an East Coast mountain region with quaint, affordable towns and nature retreats. These mountains have a footprint of almost 2,000 miles, and there are a variety of communities where you can experience them. Each mountain town is special in its own way, but only one gets the bragging rights of lying within a meteor crater. That’s Middlesboro, Kentucky, just an easy day trip from Knoxville, Tennessee.
At some point in the past 300 million years, a meteorite struck the Earth near Kentucky’s portion of the Appalachian Mountains. The round crater that was created measures about three miles wide. In the late 1800s, that unique landscape became the town of Middlesboro, which earned it the nickname of “Crater City.” Visitors can see a historical marker that shows it is a “Designated Geological Site” upon arrival. There’s also a coffee shop in the cute downtown that pays honor to the crater through its name.
Middlesboro’s charming small town has less than 9,000 residents, but visitors enjoy this Kentucky town, too. One of the things drawing in folks is Cumberland Gap National Historical Park – a tri-state national park that has camping and hiking trails. Tripadvisor lists it as the top attraction there. This redditor is a former resident and reminisced about her time in Middlesboro on r/Appalachia. “I have so many great photos of my kids and I hiking in those hills. It was so lush and enchanting and we totally took it for granted. Now we live out here on the plains and in all honesty nothing I’ve seen here even begins to compare. Anyone living there who isn’t taking advantage of the beautiful hiking trails in the national park are missing out on something so special.”
Hike these beautiful trails in Middlesboro, Kentucky
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park has several hiking trails, but according to AllTrails, the most popular one in Middlesboro is the Tri-State Peak Trail. This 1.2-mile round-trip hike takes you hiking on an old road that dates back to the Civil War. There are some other little surprises along the way, as this reviewer shared. “We followed the recommendation from another hiker to take a right at the first fork to get a peek at a waterfall and it was definitely worth it.”…