I had never seen Niagara Falls when I first saw Cumberland Falls when I was 12 years old. As far as I’m concerned, I was kind of staring at Niagara Falls–Kentucky‘s version. Admittedly, Niagara can’t be any bigger than what I was seeing.

But if you’ve never seen either waterfall before, that doesn’t make Cumberland Falls any less spectacular. It’s a waterfall and I’m a fan of all waterfalls, big and small.

Incredible, right? And I’m still impressed that it was BROWN when I saw it as a child. Of course, since I was a kid, I’ve imagined this giant chocolate milk fall. And I don’t wish that to be the case now, but I digress.

Because there are people who take big risks when it comes to waterfalls, and one of them is kayaking down the falls. So please understand something…

What you are about to see illegal:

And it didn’t go unnoticed.

Yes, it may look fun (I happen to think it doesn’t), but it is extremely dangerous and the very kind of activity that caused an accident at Cumberland Falls a few days ago. As a result, the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department issued the following warning:

Of course, we are grateful that you are safe, but this could have gone in a completely different and terrible direction.

If you love to kayak on whitewater, Kentucky has no shortage of opportunities, including Cumberland Falls State Resort Park.this is Part of Kentucky Wildlands And park officials want you to enjoy Cumberland’s spectacular waters.

But they want to do it safely and, of course, legally. That’s the best way to have fun.