Practically 100 folks crowded the Higher Overlook, eagerly gazing into the darkish abyss above the thundering waterfall in search of a touch of a lunar rainbow. It was a wonderfully clear evening with twinkling stars above and the moonlight was beaming brightly. Someplace within the mist above Cumberland Falls, I may see the faint moonbow.
After which my digital camera’s shutter clicked. The intense LCD got here to life. There was the picture of a superb lunar rainbow reflecting within the water droplets within the air.
It was the primary time I’d seen the Cumberland Falls moonbow in Kentucky. And years later, it’s nonetheless one thing I take into consideration each month. If you wish to witness this phenomenal pure occasion, right here is every little thing you want to know to plan the very best journey.
What’s a Moonbow?
The primary time I visited Cumberland Falls State Resort Park it was overcast and dreary. But it surely was my first time, so I parked the automobile and walked the brief distance to the highest of the roaring waterfall. I didn’t keep for lengthy, however I mentally bookmarked the park for a future journey.
Then, simply as I used to be leaving, a park ranger requested me a query that will change every little thing. “Are you coming again tomorrow for the moonbow?”
It was the primary time I’d heard the time period, so I needed to look it up. A “moonbow” is a naturally occurring occasion when moonlight is mirrored off water droplets within the air round a waterfall and creates a colourful lunar rainbow.
Moonbows are considerably uncommon as a result of it requires three components working in live performance: a full moon, a cloudless evening, and many water droplets within the air. Right here’s the way it all works collectively:
A full moon will mirror about 13% of the solar’s mild again to Earth. That’s in regards to the minimal quantity of sunshine required for a moonbow to look.
As a result of the complete depth of the complete moon is required to see a moonbow, it must be a cloudless evening. Even faint whisps of clouds are sufficient to dam a moonbow from showing.
Lastly, the moonlight requires a variety of water droplets within the air to mirror and create the colourful rainbow. Small waterfalls won’t ever have a moonbow as a result of there will not be sufficient water droplets within the air. Huge, churning waterfalls that kick up a visual mist in the course of the day are finest.
Taking all these into consideration, Cumberland Falls in Kentucky is among the finest locations within the Western Hemisphere to see a moonbow.
Cumberland Falls Moonbow Dates in 2023
Use this chart to plan your journey to see the Cumberland Falls moonbow. The perfect time is the evening of the complete moon, however anytime inside two days earlier than or after can be nice instances to see it. Plan the very best time every evening to reach to make sure you have most moonlight for the moonbow.
Listed below are the Cumberland Falls Moonbow dates in 2023:
Dates in daring are the complete moon
January
| Wednesday, January 4 | 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. |
| Thursday, January 5 | 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. |
| Friday, January 6 | 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, January 7 | 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, January 8 | 8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. |
February
| Friday, February 3 | 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, February 4 | 7:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, February 5 | 8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. |
| Monday, February 6 | 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday, February 7 | 9:30 p.m. – 11:30 a.m. |
March
| Sunday, March 5 | 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. |
| Monday, March 6 | 9:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, March 7 | 10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. |
| Wednesday, March 8 | 11:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. |
| Thursday, March 9 | 12:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. |
April
| Tuesday, April 4 | 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday, April 5 | 10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. |
| Thursday, April 6 | 11:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. |
| Friday, April 7 | 11:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. |
| Saturday, April 8 | 1:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m. |
Might
| Wednesday, Might 3 | 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. |
| Thursday, Might 4 | 10:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. |
| Friday, Might 5 | 11:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. |
| Saturday, Might 6 | 1:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m. |
| Sunday, Might 7 | 2:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m. |
June
| Thursday, June 1 | 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. |
| Friday, June 2 | 10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. |
| Saturday, June 3 | 11:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. |
| Sunday, June 4 | 12:30 a.m. – 2:30 a.m. |
| Monday, June 5 | 1:30 a.m. – 3:30 a.m. |
July
| Saturday, July 1 | 9:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, July 2 | 10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. |
| Monday, July 3 | 11:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. |
| Tuesday, July 4 | 12:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. |
| Wednesday, July 5 | 12:30 a.m. – 2:30 a.m. |
August
| Sunday, July 30 | 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. |
| Monday, July 31 | 10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. |
| Tuesday, August 1 | 11:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. |
| Wednesday, August 2 | 11:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. |
| Thursday, August 3 | 11:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. |
| Monday, August 28 | 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday, August 29 | 10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. |
| Wednesday, August 30 | 10:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. |
| Thursday, August 31 | 11:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. |
| Friday, September 1 | 11:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. |
September
| Wednesday, September 27 | 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. |
| Thursday, September 28 | 9:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. |
| Friday, September 29 | 10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. |
| Saturday, September 30 | 10:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. |
| Sunday, October 1 | 11:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. |
October
| Thursday, October 26 | 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. |
| Friday, October 27 | 8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, October 28 | 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, October 29 | 9:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. |
| Monday, October 30 | 10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. |
November
| Saturday, November 25 | 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, November 26 | 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. |
| Monday, November 27 | 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday, November 28 | 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday, November 29 | 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. |
December
| Sunday, December 24 | 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
| Monday, December 25 | 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, December 26 | 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday, December 27 | 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. |
| Thursday, December 28 | 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. |
Attending to Cumberland Falls State Resort Park
I returned to Cumberland Falls State Resort Park a 12 months after studying in regards to the moonbow. I used to be staying at a cabin within the Huge South Fork Nationwide River & Recreation about 45 minutes away. For months I had deliberate to see the moonbow – the time was lastly approaching.
The park is hidden, however straightforward to seek out alongside KY Freeway 90 – it’s solely a few 20-minute drive from I-75. However it would really feel like for much longer on the winding, two-lane freeway. It’s a scenic drive throughout daylight, however at evening it looks like a tunnel on a carnival trip.
There’s loads of parking on the customer heart beside the river. However on the evening of a moonbow, notably if the situations are favorable, the car parking zone regularly fills up. If the car parking zone is full, attempt parking on the picnic space throughout the highway – however watch out strolling throughout the highway at evening!
7351 KY Freeway 90, Corbin, KY | 606-528-8412 | https://parks.ky.gov/corbin/parks/resort/cumberland-falls-state-resort-park
Insider Tip: Plan to reach on the park about 3 hours earlier than the Meridian Passing Time – see the chart above – to ensure a parking house. In search of one thing to do whereas ready for the moonbow? Carry a folding chair and stroll about ten minutes on the Moonbow Path to a seaside space beside the river.
Greatest Place to See the Cumberland Falls Moonbow
After discovering parking, head towards the customer heart. There isn’t any admission price for seeing the moonbow, however you’ll must move by the customer heart complicated to achieve the waterfall.
The perfect place to see the Cumberland Falls moonbow is the Higher Overlook. It’s lower than a five-minute stroll alongside a paved path from the customer heart. The overlook is located on the high of the waterfall simply toes from the churning water. Steel rails cemented into the uncovered rocks retains folks a protected distance away from the turbulent water.
From this overlook, you’ll see the complete spectacle of the moonbow.
The appropriately named Moonbow Path descends a flight of concrete stairs, resulting in a hidden Decrease Overlook. Though this was my favourite place to view the waterfall by daylight, it was not a very good place to see the moonbow.
Greatest Time to See the Moonbow
Is a full moon approaching? Will or not it’s a cloudless evening? Is that waterfall churning? Even when all these situations are met, you continue to must know when to go to the park to see the moonbow.
And that may be a difficult reply.
For the very best and brightest moonbow, you’ll need to wait not less than an hour after sundown. That’s straightforward within the winter months, however in the summertime the sundown will be as late as 9 p.m. You additionally don’t to attend too late. When the moon is greater than 45 levels above the horizon, the depth of the lunar rainbow will fade.
The perfect time to see the moonbow is about two hours after moonrise. However plan to remain not less than two hours. Through the summer time months, the moon doesn’t rise as excessive within the sky, so it takes longer for the moonlight to get above the encompassing timber. In the summertime months, it is likely to be mandatory to remain 5 – 6 hours to see the very best moonbow
Suggestions for a Incredible Expertise
Listed below are just a few ideas that can assist you take advantage of out of your journey to witness the Cumberland Falls Moonbow.
- Arrive early. You received’t be capable of see the very best impact of the moonbow till about an hour or two after sundown, however I might nonetheless suggest arriving early to snag a parking spot.
- Don’t wait till the final day. There’s a five-day window every month to see the moonbow. Attempt going a day or two earlier than the complete moon, reasonably than ready till a day or two after.
- Carry a flashlight or headlamp. For apparent causes there are not any road lamps or lighting across the Higher Overlook. However watch out to not shine the road in anybody’s face or towards any cameras.
- Carry a chair, snacks, perhaps a blanket, and get snug.
- For the very best expertise ebook a few nights at DuPont Lodge within the park. It’s only a 0.5-mile hike from the lodge to the customer heart car parking zone alongside the Cumberland Falls Path.
Pictures Suggestions for Capturing the Moonbow
A mirrorless or bridge digital camera or a smartphone with the power to manually management the settings is the very best type of digital camera for capturing pictures of the moonbow. However though smartphone cameras have come a great distance over simply the previous few years, most smartphone nonetheless can not seize an important picture of the nighttime occasion.
Listed below are some recommendations on organising a digital camera or smartphone to seize pictures of the moonbow:
Digital Digital camera
- Set the digital camera on a sturdy tripod
- Use a distant shutter launch or smartphone app to set off the digital camera
- Set the ISO to 800-1600
- Set the aperture to f/5.6, f/4, or f/2.8
- Begin with an publicity of 30 seconds. If the picture is simply too darkish or shiny, alter the publicity time – however don’t change the opposite settings
Smartphone Digital camera
- Flip off the digital camera flash
- Connect the smartphone to a sturdy tripod
- Use an app like Digital camera+
- If attainable, set the app to Shutter Precedence mode
- Lock the main target within the digital camera app
- Begin with the longest publicity attainable for the smartphone
- Set a selfie timer to seize the pictures
Have You Seen the Cumberland Falls Moonbow?
Should you’ve seen this totally extraordinary pure occasion depart me a remark beneath and inform me all about it! Seeing the Cumberland Falls Moonbow was probably the most rewarding experiences all 12 months and that picture has been one among my favorites ever since.
The place to Keep
The plain alternative could be to remain on the state park whereas viewing the Moonbow, however if you’d like a extra snug lodge you’ll should journey again to Corbin, Kentucky. It will likely be a straightforward drive, however it would even be late.
Finances
High quality Suites is a reasonably snug budget-friendly lodge positioned alongside I-75. The lodge options an outside swimming pool and complimentary breakfast. Select from rooms with two queen beds or a single king mattress.
Crimson Roof Inn & Suites is a superb alternative for place to remain. Positioned alongside I-75, the lodge options inside entry rooms and an outside swimming pool. Rooms characteristic renovated fake hardwood flooring and comfy furnishings.
Reasonable
Fairfield Inn could be an important place to remain in Corbin. An indoor swimming pool and scorching buffet breakfast will make the keep nice. Select from rooms with one or two beds, or a room with a sleeper couch.
The Cumberland Falls State Resort Park Lodge encompasses a dozen varieties of rooms starting from a single mattress to a two-bedroom suite in a cottage. The rooms characteristic snug furnishings, free on-site parking, and a variety of facilities.
Tenting
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park contains two campgrounds with a complete of fifty campsites. 21 campsites have electrical hookups whereas water is accessible for all of the websites. The 2 campgrounds are positioned alongside the river with spectacular views.
Corbin/Laurel Lake KOA could be an important place to spend just a few nights. The property options giant RV websites, tent websites, and tiny residence leases. You’ll benefit from the nights with a mountain climbing path to the lake and out of doors swimming pool.
Often Requested Questions
Moonbows are created when moonlight from a full moon is mirrored in water droplets above a waterfall.
Sure and no. Moonbows can occur each month when there’s a full moon. Nevertheless, to see a moonbow you want a cloudless evening and many water droplets within the air.
Moonbows can seem anyplace a robust waterfall has clear sky overhead. Among the hottest locations for a moonbow in the US is Niagara Falls, Yosemite Falls, and Cumberland Falls. Victoria Falls in Africa is among the finest locations to see a moonbow on the planet.
A moonbow appears to be like like a faint rainbow with the complete spectrum of coloration mirrored in water droplets.
You possibly can see moonbows two days earlier than and after a full moon every month. Nevertheless, the spring months are the very best time of 12 months to see the moonbow.