Red River Gorge

A MUST if you are in the relative area! So many great hiking trails and the scenery is beautiful! There are strenuous trails, and I think that there are some more simpler ones as well, so something for everything. Great for hiking/​camping/​picincing!

There’s nothing quite like exploring your own state and the nature it has to offer. That’s all I did this past weekend and I’m so glad to have finally made it to the Red River Gorge.
Currently living in Louisville, this beautiful part of Kentucky is only about a 2 hour drive for me. It makes for an excellent day trip (which is what we did) or if you’d rather stay longer it’s perfect for camping.
Only visiting for a day did limit how much of the gorge we were able to explore (plus we were planning on going to the natural bridge as well). This park seems huge to me with many trails to choose from. Some of the trails seem more well-​marked than others, but I like the challenge of the lesser marked trails.
In all honesty I can’t remember the name of the trail we hiked (I knew I should have taken a picture of the sign). It started right along the river and not too far into the trail we found a little beach area packed with other visitors. Here there was a very large rock that people were climbing up by rope and jumping off into the water. We chose to hike longer and on our way back we jumped off the rock to cool down.
Everyone we came across on the trail was super friendly. TONS of people had their dogs with them which was exciting for 3 dog-​deprived college students. We came across several people canoeing and kayaking through the river while we were hiking and swimming. Every one of them was courteous and made sure we knew they were coming instead of just barreling through.
With the size of the park it’s definitely a place I need (and want) to revisit. I had a great day trip with my friends and I know there’s much more of the beautiful park to explore. I’d love to come back and camp here for a weekend!

This is my favorite place in the entire world. I cannot explain how amazing it is there. It is worth a visit. I haven’t been on a trail that I didn’t like. Everything is very well cared for and just plain beautiful. There is something to see in every season.

A group of friends and I came here to do some rock climbing for a few days. It was my first time climbing outdoors but I already know this place will be an instant favorite!
We went to Muir Valley all three days and the area is so well maintained and upkept that it’s just a beautiful natural spot. Almost all of the routes I came upon had tags naming the route and it’s difficulty. It was a little crowded (I was told from other experienced climbers) but it never got in the way of us climbing and if anything just meant you had to chill a bit before the group before you got their climb in. I would suggest getting a guide book, scoping out what routes you want, and getting to Muir Valley asap in the morning (8 – 8:30am) so you get your pick at whatever route you’re heart desires.
Also, we stayed at Miguel’s Pizza. It’s a cheap place for camping and has some great food. But what really made this place awesome was the other climbers there. Everyone is friendly and having a good time so it just makes it an even greater experience.
I highly recommend this place to any rock climber.

A perfect place to enjoy the nature and get your body moving. There are a lot of to do here: rock climbing, ziplining, hiking, biking. There are a lot of trails to pick from. My favorite are Angel Window and Chimney Rock. The view from Chimney Rock just takes my breath away.

Incredible rock formations (i.e. natural bridges/​arches)! Awesome panoramic views! November weather in the 60s! My friends and I couldn’t have picked a better time or place to go backpacking this past weekend. I’ve been coming to Red River Gorge for years, and it never ceases to amaze me. It is popular year-​round because it is beautiful year-​round!

Yeah and I’m lucky to be from Kentucky!!! We are blessed to have this place. Eastern Kentucky is beautiful and hopefully will be taken care of by us.

Wow. Only 5 reviews? Come on, people! Let’s get the word out!
I first came here 10 years ago, and my last visit was in May 2013. I never knew Kentucky offered such awesome beauty, but now I am informed. RRG is the bomb!
First, if you are a nutcase rock climber, come here. Camp behind Miguel’s Pizza, meet some good peeps, and fill up on pizza and great places to climb. I understand this may be one of the best places in the country to rock climb.
For the rest of us normal people, you will greatly enjoy visiting the hundreds of arches, the natural bridges, the rock shelters, caves and massive cliffs of sandstone. If you just want to take the Scenic Loop through the Nada Tunnel and stop at various points, you will have a great time doing that. Most of the arches are a short hike away, and don’t require scrambling or steep descents. Some do, although those are usually in more remote areas away from the road.
I especially enjoyed Grey’s Arch, which has a massive rock shelter underneath and adjacent to it. I found huge boulders to scramble on, a nice trickle of a waterfall, and bear tracks. Yep, black bears are back in the area. These arches are wonderful to walk on and underneath. Bring your camera, not your crappy cellphone camera. Do this place justice!
The Pinch ‘em Tight Trail was incredible! A dude got mauled by a bear here a few years back, but unfortunately for me I did not see any wildlife at all — just tracks and piles of shite. The trail winds through the forest, along the base of massive cliffs, and up them if that’s your thing. It’s mine, for sure. And you can always take a spur trail to the Red River and cool off in the shallow water. Damn, I love this place.
The Clifty Wilderness area features much more rugged and remote hiking and climbing opportunities away from the people and automobiles. Hike on in and set up camp, but make sure you are at least 300 feet away from marked trails and roadways.
You can pay to camp here, or you can find your own spot for free. I paid $ 5 for a car permit to park my car, and you’ll find these at many places in the area. I got mine at a gas station nearby. Just make sure you follow the rules. No camping underneath rock shelters anymore, nor in the caves. Blech. But hey, these are archaeological areas that were inhabited by people many, many moons ago. Have some respect and don’t destroy nature. Leave it ‘as is.‘
I found some great campsites right off of the road, but many times you are required to hike down into the canyons to camp, as the gravel roads are usually along the bluffs and finding a flat campsite may be difficult. Just look for unmarked trails off the road, as these may lead to a beautiful campsite all to yourself!
Try it out. You will NOT be disappointed, unless you are a weirdo who hates the outdoors. And this park is located in a dry county. Yep, this hillbilly crap is stupid, but I rarely drink so I don’t mind.
Expect great hikes, great views and beautiful rocky formations galore. And don’t forget to tell ‘em PT sent you…

Wow. One of my favorite places in the world.
Perfect for a weekend of hiking — most trails are pretty short, but even the longer ones can be done in a few hours. We covered about 20 miles in two days, but more or less could easily be done. There is lots to see and lots of trail options (Starting at .25 miles, there really is a hike for everyone.)
My favorite trails:
Auxier Ridge around Courthouse Rock and Double Arch
Silvermine Arch
Gray’s Arch (the longer loop)
Rock Bridge
Stop in at the Gladie Center and they can walk you through it — difficultly of the trails, time it will take to hike, etc. Very helpful staff.
Take your time, watch your step, and enjoy the perfect views.

Really?
RILLY???
I’ve looked all over Unilocal,and I couldn’t find it. And I can’t friggin’ believe it.
So I’ve got to ask: How in tarnation has nobody prior to now written a Unilocal review for the Red River Gorge?
Seriously, it is astonishing lapse on the part of all of those who avidly use both the Gorge and Unilocal.And I figure that there must be at least three or four such people on the planet who fit that bill.
Anyway, the Red River Gorge is about the easiest five-​star Unilocal review I’ll ever write, and I don’t write many of them. We’ve lived in Cincinnati for five years and it’s the greatest single place within a two-​and-​a-​half-​hour-​or-​so-​hour drive from that city that I can think of.
It offers superb day-​hiking (or back-​packing) on a huge variety of well-​maintained trails, ranging from very short paved nature trails that lead to gorgeous vistas to lung-​busting, rocky, slippery, switch-​backing eight-​plus-​mile treks. It also features natural arches, and countless sandstone cliffs and rock shelters and giant moss-​covered boulders. Waterfalls. Beautiful and almost enchanting and primordial forests, with changing micro-​climates as you descend into and ascend from ravines. Pretty creeks, and a meandering river (the Red itself). It’s hard to believe all of this is less than an hour from downtown Lexington. Dogs seem to love this place almost as much as people.
The Rough Trail (especially the sections between the D. Boone Hut and the Sheltowee Trace on the one hand and between Chimney Top Creek and Highway 715 on the other) and the Swift Camp Creek Trail are really great. Both are pretty tough slogs, though. The Rock Bridge Trail, though, is paved and short and leads to a beautiful waterfall-​and-​natural-​bridge feature.
A former coworker from California expressed disappointment with the Gorge, contrasting it unfavorably with Yosemite. Well, seeing as how Yosemite is one of the offical Wonders of the World, or at least the United States, I think this is a bit like being bummed about your excellent local restaurant because it’s not quite up there with the French Laundry or elBulli.
The Red River Gorge is especially beautiful in the fall, when the colors are changing and the temperatures are cooler.
A Commonwealth of Kentucky treasure.