Breaks Interstate Park
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 and Kentucky. It is the only one of two interstate parks in the United States operated jointly under a compact rather than as two separate state park units. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Kentucky Department of Parks are still major partner organizations.
| Breaks Interstate Park | |
|---|---|
Breaks Canyon, May 2003 | |
Location on Kentucky/Virginia border Breaks Interstate Park (the United States) | |
| Location | Kentucky and Virginia, United States |
| Nearest city | Elkhorn City, Kentucky |
| Coordinates | 37°17′47″N 82°17′49″W |
| Area | 4,500 acres (1,800 ha) |
| Established | 1954 |
| Visitors | 286,401 (in 2014) |
| Governing body | Breaks Interstate Park Compact |
| www | |
Breaks Interstate Park has been called the "Grand Canyon of the South". 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.