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Cartahaven

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Big South Fork National River Maps for Your Phone, Offline

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You can download the National Park Service park map of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area from Cartahaven for free and open it on your phone with no signal. Once it is saved, your phone's GPS shows where you are on the map even deep in the gorge.

What is Big South Fork?

According to the National Park Service, Big South Fork covers 125,000 acres of the Cumberland Plateau and protects the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. The park is listed in Kentucky and Tennessee. The NPS site links to whitewater paddling, rock climbing, horseback riding and hiking, and the park's mailing address is in Oneida, Tennessee.

A park this size has long stretches without cell service, so a saved map matters more than a live one. NPS does not publish a cell coverage description on its basic information page, so plan as if you will have none.

The map we have

Cartahaven lists the free NPS park map: Park Map - Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. The page shows its source, the National Park Service, and the map is in the public domain.

A park map is good for orientation: roads, visitor areas and major features. It is not a detailed trail topo, so for steep gorge hikes add a topo of your route. Read backcountry trip planning with USGS topo maps and how to download USGS topo maps as GeoPDF.

How to use it offline

  1. Make a free account and open the park map page.
  2. Download the map on Wi-Fi at home or at your lodging.
  3. Open it in the app and switch your phone to airplane mode to test it.
  4. Watch the blue dot move as you walk or drive.

New to this? See GeoPDF maps offline on your phone.

Before you go

Check the National Park Service for current trail and river conditions, closures and rules. Pets are allowed in the park if restrained on a leash at all times, per NPS. Hunting rules differ by area and season, so confirm them with the park before you rely on any map for hunting.

The park crosses a state line. Download maps for both Kentucky and Tennessee, and a paper map as a backup, since phones run out of battery.

Common questions

Is the map free?

Yes. The NPS park map on Cartahaven is free.

Does it show every trail?

Not necessarily. Check the map page to see what it covers, and add a topo map for detail.

Similar trips

Heading to the Appalachians instead? See Blue Ridge Parkway maps.

Browse Kentucky maps and Tennessee maps to find more of the area.