Bad Branch Falls

Issue #036 - Back Roads of Kentucky

One of the least-known scenic areas in southern Kentucky is the Bad Branch State Nature Preserve. A sixty-foot waterfall in a deep hemlock forest is protected by holdings of the Nature Conservancy and the Kentucky State Nature Preserve Commission. With 1,640 acres, this is the largest nature preserve in Kentucky. Bad Branch, a tributary of the Poor Fork of the Cumberland River, drops over a thousand feet in less than three miles. A beautiful waterfall, several rare and endangered wildflowers, and a clear-flowing stream are good reasons to visit this remote preserve in the mountains of Appalachia.

Drive about seven miles south of Whitesburg, Kentucky, over Pine Mountain. Turn south on KY 932 and drive 1.7 miles to the Nature Preserve, on your left. It’s only a few miles north of the Virginia border. Several times along the trail, I climbed down to the stream to photograph the small cascades. It’s one mile from the parking area to a trail marker pointing out the right turn on the side trail to the Bad Branch Falls. Pick your way carefully across the driest rocks in the river and climb the winding trail up the other side to the base of the falls. Frame the whole waterfall from the side, a short distance away, with a 28mm lens. With a shorter focal length, move in closer and shoot straight up the stream, including the whole cascade. Spray blows down the canyon, so keep your camera and lens covered until you are ready to shoot.

​I shot this waterfall late in the afternoon on a cold and drizzly day in spring and then went back the next afternoon when the sun came out. The highlights on the wet stones were too “hot” and the details in the shadows of the woods were lost in the photos.