Cross Creeks exists because another refuge went underwater. When the Army Corps of Engineers built the Lake Barkley project on the Cumberland River, part of Kentucky Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge was flooded, and on November 9, 1962 the Fish and Wildlife Service established this refuge in compensation. It now covers 8,862 acres of the Cumberland floodplain near Dover, along Lake Barkley, and as of 2006 it was the only national wildlife refuge lying entirely in Middle Tennessee.
The reason for it is the birds. The mixture of open water, wetlands, woodland, cropland and grassland is managed first for migratory waterfowl, and at peak times the refuge averages about 35,000 birds a day, with more than 80,000 in extreme cold. Historically it has held up to 10 percent of the black ducks wintering in the Mississippi flyway. Woodland on the refuge holds turkey, deer, squirrel, beaver and coyote, and the fishing is for sunfish, crappie, catfish and largemouth bass.
Plan around the closure. All refuge roads and areas are shut from November 15 to March 15 to give migrating and wintering waterfowl sanctuary, although an observation deck next to the visitor center stays open. The visitor center is free and opens on weekdays when staff are available, so call before driving out. From March 15 the auto tour, trails, boat access and bike routes open, and the refuge runs a free family fishing derby each spring.
The closest stops worth working into your route
Roadside plaques and monuments within a short detour