Breaks Interstate Park

Breaks Interstate Park
Breaks Canyon, May 2003
Map showing the location of Breaks Interstate Park
Map showing the location of Breaks Interstate Park
Location on Kentucky/Virginia border
Map showing the location of Breaks Interstate Park
Map showing the location of Breaks Interstate Park
Breaks Interstate Park (the United States)
LocationKentucky and Virginia, United States
Nearest cityElkhorn City, Kentucky
Coordinates37°17′47″N 82°17′49″W / 37.29639°N 82.29694°W / 37.29639; -82.29694
Area4,500 acres (1,800 ha)
Established1954
Visitors286,401[1] (in 2014)
Governing bodyBreaks Interstate Park Compact
www.breakspark.com

Breaks Interstate Park, also known as "the Breaks," is a bi-state state park located partly in southeastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia in the Jefferson National Forest, at the northeastern terminus of Pine Mountain. The land is managed by an interstate compact between the states of Virginia[2] and Kentucky.[3] It is one of two interstate parks in the United States operated jointly under a compact rather than as two separate state park units.[citation needed] The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Kentucky Department of Parks are still major partner organizations.[clarification needed]

Breaks Interstate Park has been called the "Grand Canyon of the South".[4] Russell Fork river and Clinchfield Railroad (now the CSX Transportation Kingsport Subdivision) both pass through it. It is accessed via Virginia 80 and Kentucky 80 between Haysi, Virginia, and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, and passes through the community of Breaks, Virginia, east of the park.

  1. ^ Virginia State Parks 2014 Attendance and Economic Impact Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
  2. ^ "Virginia State Park Locations". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. 25 June 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  3. ^ "About". Breaks Interstate Park. Kentucky Department of Parks. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  4. ^ "Breaks Interstate Park". Dickenson County Board of Supervisors. Retrieved February 5, 2024.