Lover's Leap

Lover's Leap, or (in plural) Lovers' Leap, is a toponym given to a number of locations of varying height, usually isolated, with the risk of a fatal fall and the possibility of a deliberate jump. Legends of romantic tragedy are often associated with a Lovers' Leap.

The Lovers' Leap at Hawk's Nest in Hawk's Nest State Park in the town of Ansted, West Virginia, United States, along the historic Midland Trail has a drop of 178 m (585-foot (178 m)) from a high bluff overlooking the New River Gorge. The promontory was named "Lovers' Leap" by settlers, and has acquired a legend involving two young Native Americans from different tribes.

Blowing Rock Mountain, outside Blowing Rock, North Carolina, has a similar legend of a young lover leaping from the cliff and instead of plunging to his death, is saved. In this version the lover is saved by the blowing wind which sends him back into the arms of his sweetheart.

Wills Mountain has a Lovers' Leap overlooking Cumberland Narrows at Cumberland, Maryland, USA. It is 1,652 feet (504 m) above sea level and made up of oddly squared projections of rock from its top all the way down to the National Road (U.S. Rte. 40) below. The city of Cumberland and the surrounding states of Pennsylvania and West Virginia may be seen from this point.

Mark Twain in Life on the Mississippi writes: "There are fifty Lover's Leaps along the Mississippi from whose summit disappointed Indian girls have jumped."Princess Winona is one such legend, in which the daughter of a Dakota chief leaps to her death rather than marry a suitor she does not love.Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, USA, is one site for the Winona legend, though other locations include Winona Falls in Pennsylvania, Camden County, Missouri and Cameron Park in Waco, Texas.

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