Location: Begins in Berea, Kentucky and ends at the Kentucky/Tennessee border in the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park Length: 93.8 miles (151 km) Time To Allow: 2 days Description/Highlights/Points of Interest Discover Kentucky's first frontier. The Wilderness Road Heritage Highway is one of the nation's most important historic routes, crucial in the settlement of the West and then during the Civil War. Today, the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park and several other sites preserve that history. In addition, this byway leads to Renfro Valley, one of the nation's oldest and most active country music venues, as well as to Berea, the crafts capital of Kentucky. Suggested Itinerary Your journey begins at the southern end of the Wilderness Road Heritage Highway, in historic Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. Native Americans first crossed the Appalachians on what they called the Warriors Path, and they relied on this naturally occurring route to provide access to the country across the Appalachian Mountains. Later, explorers such as Daniel Boone scouted out the area, and these explorations enabled pioneers to cross through the Gap. More than 300,000 pioneers would cross through this natural corridor in search of more land. Today, the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park and Pine Mountain State Resort Park offer the majority of the opportunities to find hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. There is an extensive system of trails in the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, for anything from easy nature hikes to overnight trails. The Dr. Thomas Walker State Historic Site celebrates the life of the first pioneer to discover the Cumberland Gap and then explore Kentucky. Exploration of the new Kentucky lands opened the area up for settlement and scores of future pioneers. At the Levi Jackson State Historic Park, the lives of these early Kentucky pioneers who settled in the area are depicted through historically accurate buildings and other artifacts. Camp Wildcat, the site of the first Civil War battle in Kentucky, is located along the Wilderness Road Heritage Highway as well. The byway winds through many historic towns such as Middlesboro, Pineville, Barbourville and Berea, all of which provide a variety of entertainment and sites for the visitor. Outside of these towns, small farms, grazing cattle and gently rolling hills greet the visitor at the northern end of the byway. To the south, the dramatic Cumberland Gap and Pine Mountain Range capture the eye. Berea at the byway's northern terminus is known as the "Crafts Capital of Kentucky." This historic and culturally significant town hosts Berea College, where students are encouraged to develop a traditional craft. Because of this, Berea has over 100 artisans and craftsmen providing high quality handmade crafts.