Yahoo! Paving of road to popular picnic area accomplished without use of County funds

Thanks to a recent paving project, visitors to Yahoo Falls will find the drive to the popular scenic location much easier on their vehicles.

 

With the 1.7 miles of Yahoo Road paved from Alum Road to the Yahoo Falls parking area, visitation and use of the area is likely to increase.

“Paving the road, which traverses both U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service lands, that leads to the Yahoo Falls recreational area is a great benefit to support increased visitation,” the National Park Service stated.

According to McCreary County Judge Executive Doug Stephens, McCreary County worked closely with the National Park Service to apply for funding from the Federal Lands Access Program to pave the road.  State officials later assumed leadership with the project resulting in no county funds being expended on the project.

The Yahoo Falls area was first developed as an accessible scenic attraction in the 1960s.  An unpaved road was built to the top of the gorge ending in a parking area.  Trails were constructed with a long flight of steel stairs leading visitors down into the gorge.  As one of Kentucky’s highest waterfalls, Yahoo Falls drops 113 feet from the top edge to a pool below.  Visitors are able to walk beneath the falls and frequently enjoy splashing in the cool water.  The area also has ADA accessible comfort stations, picnic facilities, and scenic overlooks of the Big South Fork River gorge.