Breaks Interstate Park

Breaks Interstate Park
Breaks Canyon, May 2003
Location on Kentucky/Virginia border Show map of Kentucky Breaks Interstate Park (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Kentucky and Virginia, United States
Nearest city	Elkhorn City, Kentucky
Coordinates	37°17′47″N 82°17′49″W / 37.29639°N 82.29694°W / 37.29639; -82.29694
Area	4,500 acres (1,800 ha)
Established	1954
Visitors	286,401[1] (in 2014)
Governing body	Breaks Interstate Park Compact
www.breakspark.com

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^[2] and Kentucky.^[3] 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.^{[citation needed]} The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Kentucky Department of Parks are still major partner organizations.^{[clarification needed]}

Breaks Interstate Park has been called the "Grand Canyon of the South".^[4] 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.