![bigsouthfork]()
The Big South Fork on the Cumberland River as seen at Leatherwood Ford in March 2020 when it recorded a record height of 39 feet. One year later, it recorded a new record height of 41 feet. The flooding destroyed four boat ramps in the area, the park service has now rebuilt them all. Big South Fork is a very popular paddling destination. National Park Service
Big South Fork completes substantial repairs to four boat launches damaged in series of rain and windstorms
ONEIDA — Workers in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area completed repairs to four popular boat launches damaged by significant generational flooding events over the past couple of years.
Park staff dismantled and rebuilt the boat launches at Blue Heron Mine-18, Brewster Bridge, Station Camp and Peters Bridge, all of which were severely damaged during flooding in March 2021 that arose after 8 inches of rain fell in and around Big South Fork. The Big South Fork of the Cumberland River reached 41 feet at Leatherwood Ford; three days prior it was at 7 feet.
The second-highest flow of the river since rain gauges were installed in the park in 1984 occurred just a year earlier in 2020 when the river hit 39 feet.
The park also experienced flooding in 2024, during which a man perished after he fell in a park waterway. Severe storms also damaged or destroyed multiple Big South Fork facilities and blocked roads and trails for weeks.
Big South Fork includes nearly 250 miles of rivers and streams and is a destination park for water recreation, and rock climbing.
![2 After repairs boat launch]()
The National Park Service has completed reconstruction of four boat ramps in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area destroyed in a 2020-2021 series of floods along the Big South Fork. The ramp locations included Station Camp and Blue Heron. National Park Service
Big South Fork, which straddles the Tennessee/Kentucky border northwest of Knoxville, escaped significant flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Helene. That storm spawned flooding that destroyed entire communities along the spine of the Southern Appalachians to the east of the Cumberland Plateau across the Tennessee Valley.
Other National Park Service facilities and parks, such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, were impacted greatly by Helene, which could rank among the costliest hurricanes on record.
The National Park Service has completed reconstruction of four boat ramps in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area destroyed in a 2020-2021 series of floods along the Big South Fork. The ramp locations included Station Camp and Blue Heron. National Park Service