Pine Mountain State Resort Park, on the Pine Mountain ridge in southeastern Kentucky’s Appalachian Mountains, opened in 1924 as Kentucky’s first state park. Its history closely followed the growth of the state park system: it was established in 1926 as Cumberland State Park and renamed in 1938 to avoid confusion with Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. Beginning in 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps built many of its defining features, including offices, cabins, roads, bridges, shelters, and trails. The park has long been a regional tourism destination, hosting the annual Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival since 1933 and later expanding with new resort facilities while preserving part of its mountain landscape as a protected nature preserve.