big south fork train

We stopped in recently while visiting the Big South Fork area. The train was not running, the offices and gift shop were not open but we still enjoyed a visit to Blue Heron Mining Camp! We drove to the site, had the place to ourselves.... There were open air shelters built to represent the buildings with lots of photos and commentary on the town. The place was literally a ghost town on a Tuesday in March... But it was a great, informative visit!

We went to Stearns, Ky to look at the fall leaves and to ride this historic train. There are two tours a day, one at 11:00 AM and the other at 3:00 PM. The train ride lasted quite a while compared to other train rides we have taken elsewhere and was very scenic with lots of forest and sheer drop offs on the sides. Most of the cars are open air so dress appropriately. They played a prerecorded history lesson while on the ride and it was very informative and explained everything along the way as well as a few stories as we went along the tracks.Once we arrived we toured the many structures that housed information on what buildings stood in that area and what they were used for. You can even go partway into a coal mine entrance with more historical information.The trails are a little hilly but we noticed several grandma's making it up and down the trails just fine. A lot of the trails are paved and all were in excellent shape. There is also a huge building that loaded the coal into the rail cars so it could be taken to market. All in all it made for an interesting morning and was well worth the price of admission.

This was very educational in history, and was really nice to travel through the mines on a nice fall day. Would recommend to anyone of all ages.

Very cool tourist train to the Blue Heron Mine, which is run by the National Park Service. Very friendly staff and wonderful mountain views. If you're so inclined you can even reserve a cab ride and sit right up with the engineer. Great fun.

If you are a railfan, go. If you have kids, go. If you like beautiful scenery, go. If like history, go. If you enjoy being outside any particular season of the year, go at that time. The people of this area truly appreciate you being there and are very proud of its history. Just remember you need to sit on the trains left side. Which means when you sit facing the engine you sit to the left side of the car.

After a couple of my friends went (they had gotten tickets from groupon) I decided to go because all of them enjoyed it so much. Since I did not have a groupon I spent twice what they did for my single ticket. I was expecting to hear about and see more historically significant items as it was there was not as much of that as I thought. There are some beautiful views from the train ride. However, be warned in order to see these views you need to sit on the left side of the train otherwise you are not going to see much. There is about an hour and a half layover at a state park recreation area where you will find a concession stand, book store, and gift shop. I would suggest if you want to buy a souvenir wait until you get back to the depot as that gift shop has more variety. While in the layover they do have a couple of hiking trails you can take or you can sit on the boarding stand while a group play's music reminiscent of the coal mining days. The last warning I will give is not to follow GPS directions. You will be taken the wrong way. My self and a few others all with different units were taken the wrong direction. So print out directions from the site when you go.

All aboard and ride the train down the track and see the attractions. stop qand get offf and walk around, had a good time

We purchased a Groupon ( a buy one get one) so it was an excellent value. It was a 45 min. train ride through the park, then a 90 minute lay over in a coal mining village. You were able to walk around and learn about what being a coal miner was like. They had actually recorded people living there during an interview so you were able to get a good feeling of history from the thoughts they shared. Also you could pre-purchased a box lunch or they had a concession stand that you could get lunch. Then a 45 ride back. Overall it was rather interesting.

My car club from the Knoxville area and one from Dayton met here to do the train ride on Sunday at the end of September. With 33 of us in our group, the group reservations were very professionally handled by their staff. These must be made in advance for a group over 15 but that was no problem for us and they were very accommodating with so last minute changes. The Coal Miners lunches were as advertised and everyone loved the little orange bags that are re-useable and fit well in our little sportscar trunks later. Although the fall color had not yet become apparent, the rock formations, river views and tunnels along the way were more than enough to view. A nice history was presented along the way and the rangers at the Blue Heron station were very friendly and knowledgeable.Only 30 minute drive from the incredible Cumberland Falls, this is a great one-day combo of things not to miss.

We took this trip on the advice of my daughter in law who grew up in Williamsburg KY. My husband loves trains, so we decided it was worth a try. The open air train was wonderful for enjoying the country side views. We passed beautiful views of the Cumberland River on the way, along with an old mining camp. The train ends at the Blue Heron mining camp which is now abandoned, but the history there is rich. The stop there is about an hour and a half, you then reboard the train and return to the station. Everyone was very helpful and friendly, and the entertainment was great. My only disappointment was that I wanted to purchase a tee shirt for my husband, but this late in the season, they only a few size S, and 2 size 3X left. The gift shop in the station was otherwise awesome.

We went with extended family on Labor Day weekend. Beautiful ride and very informative talk about the area and its history. The stop at the Blue Heron Coal Mine Park was good, would have been better if it was not pouring rain. Everything was clean. If we had planned better we would have brought a picnic; the box lunches there were selling did not seem worth the price. Would go back when and if the steam engine goes on line.

Absolutely excellent trip! Enjoyed both the ride and the destination!Very pretty place to see, and a lot of history to learn.Well worth the modest purchase price, we will go again when in the area.

I took this train ride to give me something to do while my boys went rafting. It was nice enough but the description can be a bit misleading. It's a 3 hour trip, but only about an hour is spent on the train. You meet at the depot and they have a group playing an singing bluegrass music which was entertaining. You board the train and ride through a scenic area (the scenic part can really only be seen well on one side of the train) and you will also return the same exactWay. Then you pull into Blue Heron mining camp. It is the actual site of the campAnd you can see the mine entrance, but the rest of it is just "ghost"Buildings. The ranger does give you a pretty decent history lesson and there is a trail where you can walk up and across a wooden bridge, which gives you a beautiful view. You can visit this camp for free on your own without having to pay for the train ride if you wish. You can purchase a coal miners lunch For $10. It consists of a sandwich, applesauce, cookie and slaw in a souvenir lunch bag. Personally I would just bring along a sack lunch and save some money. It was an ok trip, but a littleLess than I expected. The children on the train loved the ride but seemed bored at the mining camp.

This past Saturday, my sweetie and I took the Big South Fork Train ride to the former Blue Heron coal mining camp in the Big South Fork/Daniel Boone National Recreation Area. As a birthday surprise, I booked us tickets to ride in the cab of the engine with the train engineer. The tickets are more expensive than the regular coach tickets, and only two people may ride with the engineer, but is was so much fun, it was worth every penny. We had the pleasure of riding with Engineer Bill Johnson. Engineer Bill is extremely knowledgeable about the railroad's history, the train itself, and overall train history. In addition, Engineer Bill picks a mean banjo in the train station prior to departure.You will travel approximately a beautifully entertaining 14 miles round trip into the forest. You will spend about 1 hour at the former coal mining camp, which was very interesting and informative. The Blue Heron Camp is operated and maintained by the National Park Service as an interpretive outdoor historic site. You can take a cooler and snacks on the train with you. However there is snack bar at the mining camp, offering delicacies such as Frito chili pie, a bbq sandwich, chips, beverages, and your basic snack bar fare at very reasonable prices.Be sure to visit the cute gift shop at the train station and the pottery shop in near the train station, Pottery by Megh. Both offer a variety of unique gifts and an excellent fudge selection.We are looking very forward planning on a return trip in the fall to see beautiful fall foliage.

You get some really nice views along the ride. Its a very pretty area with strong railroad and coal mining history. The backs of the seats lean and may not be comfortable if you have back issues but shouldn't be a problem for most people. The kids really enjoyed it. It stops at a National Park that used to be a coal mining camp. There is a 100 foot high bridge that you can walk out over the river and see some very pretty views. There are various booths that give the history of the mining camps. You can push a button and hear people who lived and worked at the camps talking about their experiences. The park rangers also do a lecture at one of the old mine openings. If you are passing through the area- its only about 30 minutes west of I75. You could always make a stop at Cumberland Falls in the morning and hit the train in the afternoon. Its well worth it for anyone- but especially train enthusiasts. There is a nice gift shop at the station with a large Christmas section.