Interstate State Park straddles rapids of the St. Croix River and is arguably less spectacular than is Breaks.

One of my favorite places in the world.

I'm certain it's a state park in NC. Not sure of it's status in Va. It's also a "National Wildlife Refuge"....

works, we want our business in as many congressional districts as possible.

and posted lots of photos. So I researched it. Breaks Interstate Park. Virginia and Kentucky.

At 1600 feet deep, Breaks has been called the Grand Canyon of the South. It is worth a visit and is not but so far from Blacksburg. Unfortunately, almost everyone approaches Blacksburg from the opposite direction. ** Edited by lilhokie525 at 5/11/2026, 7:36:50 AM

highway. Like a rest stop. ** Edited by Stork at 5/11/2026, 7:34:33 AM

Russell Fork River cuts through.

but for most folks, they’d be left scratching their head.

manages it. When it fact 2 states co-manage it. Another possibility is people would think they are leaving the state park when they cross the state line. When in fact, they are still in the park.

ways you could name it, and be clear it’s in 2 states. Since that’s apparently what the two states want.

pact or agreement, between KY and VA. It is worth noting that the Compact Clause (Article I, Section 10, Clause 3) of the United States Constitution is the legal driving factor that led to KY and VA passing the Breaks Interstate Park Compact into law in 1954 and created the Breaks Interstate Park Commission. The hyperlink will show you the current members from each state.

amending their law. Not sure dropping "interstate" from the name will get the required approval given how the word is defined in the English language. Even the highway system uses the word properly. People just don't think about the true definition unless they are crossing a state line and even then it may not cross their mind. As far as tourism goes, location is probably the bigger issue. In VA, people have very few reasons to travel great distances (i.e. from NOVA or 757) to visit that part of the state. For some people, they have always considered SWVA's biggest problem especially when there is no easy way to get there. For the people who live in that part of the Commonwealth, they say it is a blessing because they don't have to deal with all the troubles that come with living in a highly populated area.

crime on state land carries different punishments than crimes committed on private or even public lands (think local or federal). If KY and VA have different laws, then it is likely they have an agreement in place to allow their law enforcement officials (i.e. park rangers, park police, etc.) to continue pursuing criminals within the boundaries of the state park even if they happen to cross state lines. Once a person crosses a state line, then it opens the door to it potentially being a federal issue. It wouldn't surprise me if both states agreed to play by a certain set of rules within the boundaries of the park even when a person crosses the state line. Also, it is entirely possible the funding for the park is comingled. Both states agree on how much funding they are going to chip in for the upcoming fiscal year (FY). They probably even formed a committee, involving members from both states, to manage how the park spends the money during the FY. It wouldn't surprise me some of KY's funding has been used to pay for projects on the VA side and vice versa over the years. Since the park is a joint project, each state has a vested interested interest in what happens on the other side's part because it could have an impact on their side. If you notice the reasons I have given are practical governmental reasons why the 2 states did it this way. That may have been more of a driving factor than getting the credit. If the joint project is unable to perform simple daily operations to function, then it looks bad for both states and no state wants bad PR.