Retirement Misadventures: Kentucky's Red River Gorge

We have just returned from Red River Gorge in east-central Kentucky located just south of Lexington. I can't recall how this wonderful park first came to my attention but I'm so happy that it did. Last year I had no idea such a beautiful, unique place existed so close to home.

Red River Gorge sits within the Daniel Boone National Forest. The area has been designated as a National Natural landmark mostly due to the over 150 natural sandstone arches scattered throughout the park. This is the only area east of the Rocky Mountains that has as many natural arches.

Rock climbers flock to the Red River Gorge to climb the numerous sandstone cliffs, many over 200 foot high. I have never tried this type of activity but I can certainly understand the appeal. The website boasts that this is a world renowned area for climbers. Not having any practical experience in this area I will share the website for anyone that may have an interest to explore this further. Visit Red River Gorge Kentucky | Red River Gorge

As you may recall, some of my interests are hiking and photography. I was certainly pleased with the opportunities available at Red River Gorge for these activities. I had only enough time to stir up my interest so hopefully a longer visit can be planned sometime soon.

Many of the trails in the park are short and fairly easy hikes leading to a notable feature such as an arch, bluff, waterfall or overlook so there is something for any skill level. There are also some backcountry camping opportunities for backpackers. In fact the Sheltowee Trace winds through the park providing a long distance through-hike of 319 miles. There are longer day hikes with varying levels of danger and ability for those that seek more adventurous paths. On my recent brief trip I managed only a few of the shorter hikes and I'm looking forward to returning for a taste of the more adventurous ones soon.

In addition to hiking, many people enjoy fishing and kayaking the rivers and streams that meander throughout the park. My grandson had to try his hand at fishing in the stream that flowed through the campground. He wasn't the only one enjoying this activity. We were camped at Middle Fork campground in Natural Bridge State Resort Park where the waters are stocked with 3000 trout in March, April, May and October each year. Besides the Red River and it's tributaries there are lakes nearby that offer additional opportunities for fishing.

Kayaking sounded like a fun activity for the grandkids so we booked an underground kayaking excursion through The Gorge Underground (The Gorge Underground - The Coolest Place in the Gorge! Red River Gorge, Natural Bridge Kentucky). This adventure took us to an underground limestone mine that had flooded. We were given basic instructions in paddling along with a helmet, headlight and life jacket then settled into our kayaks for an hour long tour through the mine. The guides were fun and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It stays cool in the mine at 52 degrees so dress appropriately and consider gloves - my hands got very cold! I didn't take my camera or phone with me but I'll share a photo I found online.

I noticed there was also ziplining available in the park but my youngest granddaughter was too small so we didn't follow up on that. We did take the skylift up to the largest natural arch which was fun. The lift dropped us off near the top of the arch and by walking across you could walk down to the base of the arch where I took the picture at the top of the page. There are many trails nearby leading to overlooks looking out over this beautiful country. Other trails descended back to the parking lot, wandering through the forest which was full of spring wildflowers.

We love to camp and there are several great campgrounds in the state park and other public campgrounds nearby. Most camp sites in the park included electricity and water and the campgrounds are located near trails and streams. There are other options available for overnight or longer stays. I noted cabins for rent and there were some small motels and the Red River Lodge. On the website there were also treehouses advertised to rent.

There are not a lot of restaurants within the park and we didn't explore nearby cities having planned to cookout in the campground most of the time. We did visit the Lodge for dinner and it was very good with all-you-can-eat fish or shrimp options the night we were there as well as other taste tempting options. Miguel's Pizza was another popular spot as there was a line out the door whenever we drove by. I learned this was the place for hungry climbers to visit and a primitive campground mostly for climbers is nearby. A Mexican restaurant usually does not disappoint and La Cabana was certainly busy. We were too hungry to wait for a table and missed out this trip.

I can't write about an area without including something historical. We did take a drive through the Nada tunnel, a 900 foot long, 12 foot wide, 13 foot high logging tunnel built between 1910 and 1912. This tunnel is frequently referred to as the "Gateway to Red River Gorge." We traveled through this one lane tunnel and found a one mile trail to a suspension bridge across the Red River and historic Gladie Center. The Gladie Visitor Center was closed and seemed to have been closed for sometime. The website says it is temporarily closed due to Covid. We were able to walk around the grounds and could tell this could be an interesting stop once reopened. It contained an authentic log home and barn full of period farm machinery. Signage told the story of those that had lived there.

(forgot to take a picture so this is borrowed from the internet)

Living in southern Illinois amidst the Shawnee National Forest and having made frequent trips to the Smoky Mountains I thought this area was a great mix of both regions. With higher elevations than found in southern Illinois and many water features it had an amazing resemblance to the Smoky Mountains. As we hiked through the woods the trails were lined with rhododendron which hinted at how beautiful this area would soon be when these beauties were blooming. While this area shared many features of the Smoky Mountains, the rocky bluffs, deciduous forest and spring wildflowers had the familiarity of home and like the Shawnee Forest there thankfully was a lack of crowds and commercialism. But the natural sandstone arches make this region unique in it's own right and well worth a visit. I hope this will encourage you to explore this treasure or visit a local treasure wherever you may live. Sometimes the best places are right in your own backyard.