This National Park is Offering Rare Behind-the-Scenes Tours of a Highway Tunnel

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is opening up a part of the park most visitors only drive through. From October 16 through 18, visitors can take a rare behind-the-scenes tour of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel.

The tunnel turns 30 this year, and the park is celebrating with several special programs. The tours will take visitors into areas normally closed to the public, including the tunnel’s primary operations room.

You’ll also get to look inside one of the tunnel bores and head to the top for a view of the surrounding area. Tours are free, but space is limited, and reservations are required.

The Cumberland Gap Tunnel opened on October 18, 1996. NPS Superintendent Lisa Baldwin said it was considered a “marvel of engineering” when it opened.

You Can See How The Tunnel Operates

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The two-hour tunnel tour starts at the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Visitor Center. Visitors will ride to the tunnel together in a park shuttle because there is no public parking at the tunnel itself.

Once you get there, there’s quite a bit of walking. NPS says the tour includes about 100 stairs, so strollers aren’t allowed. Backpacks also have to stay behind. Visitors must remain with the group while inside the tunnel and can’t leave early unless there is an emergency.

NPS allows personal photos at the top of the tunnel and in designated areas near the tunnel bore, but it does not allow photos or video of tunnel operations.

There Are Seven Tunnel Tours Over Three Days

One tour is at 2 p.m. on October 16. On October 17 and 18, tours are scheduled for 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Make reservations by calling the visitor center at 606-248-2817. NPS recommends arriving at least 10 minutes before your scheduled tour.

The park is also offering ranger-led hikes through the historic Cumberland Gap during the anniversary weekend. Those one-mile hikes look at how the route changed from the Wilderness Road to Old Highway 25E and eventually back to a trail.

An evening program also covers the history and construction of the tunnel at Wilderness Road Campground. The hikes and evening program don’t require reservations.

The Tunnel Took Years To Build

The tunnel did more than give drivers a new way through Cumberland Mountain. It allowed the National Park Service to remove traffic from the historic Cumberland Gap and restore part of the old route.

NPS said the $265 million project included twin tunnels stretching about 4,600 feet through the mountain. Construction work on a smaller pilot tunnel started in 1985.

Crews found plenty of surprises underground. Springs produced about 450 gallons of water every minute, while other areas contained large caverns and even a pool of water about 30 feet deep. The tunnels finally opened to traffic in October 1996.