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The Red River Gorge was almost lost as a hikers paradise back in the early 1960s. In order to stop periodic flooding of towns downstream, the Army Corp of Engineers proposed to build a dam on the Red River, which would've transformed the Gorge into a large lake. The battle to "Save the Red River Gorge" lasted for decades, and included a Dam Protest Hike on November 18, 1967. Participating in this hike was Supreme Court Justice William Douglas, who helped to draw national attention to the situation.
The battle to save the Gorge was effectively won when the Red River was designated as a National Wild and Scenic River on December 3, 1993. This 9-mile stretch of river, upstream from the confluence of Copperas Creek, was also the first National Wild and Scenic River in Kentucky.
With passage of the Kentucky Wilderness Act of 1985, the U.S. Congress designated roughly half of the 26,000-acre Gorge area as the Clifty Wilderness, which encompasses the area located east of Highway 715, and to the northeast of the Gladie Historic site.
In 2003, the Red River Gorge, Clifty Wilderness, and the Indian Creek area were designated as a National Archaeological District, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places due to the pre-historic peoples that lived in the region.
Red River Gorge
The Red River Gorge is a unique and scenic natural area within the Daniel Boone National Forest in eastern Kentucky. Known for its abundant natural stone arches, unusual rock formations, and spectacular sandstone cliffs, the Red River Gorge was designated as a Geological Area by the Forest Service in 1974. As a result of this abundance of cliffs, rock climbers from all over the world have discovered first class climbing in the Gorge. And with over 100 natural arches within its boundaries, the Red River Gorge Geological Area has the greatest concentration of arches east of the Rocky Mountains.
Hiking in Red River Gorge
Be extremely careful while hiking in Red River Gorge. Each year 1 or 2 people fall to their deaths in the Gorge because they don't exercise proper caution.
A couple of trails that I highly recommend, that will give you a broad flavor of the Gorge area, include the Auxier Ridge, Chimney Top, Sky Bridge, Gray's Arch and Rock Bridge trails.
Below is a full list of trails, which includes trail names, national forest trail number, and one-way mileage. Due to the way the trail system is set-up in Red River Gorge, many of the destinations require a combination of trails. For instance, Trail #5, Gray's Arch, is only 0.3 miles in length. However, this trail doesn't pass by its namesake. You must turn onto the Rough Trail for another 0.6 miles in order to reach Gray's Arch. Many of the trails listed below can be combined to create a variety of loop hikes.
Angel Windows (#218) 0.3 miles
Auxier Branch (#203) 0.8 miles
Auxier Ridge Trail (#204) 2.0 miles
Bison Way (#210) 0.4 miles
Buck (#226) 1.5 miles
Chimney Top Trail (#235) 0.3 miles
Cliff (#206) 0.4 miles
Court House Rock (#202) 2.4 miles
Daniel Boone Hut (#209) 0.7 miles
Double Arch (#201) 2.1 miles
Gray's Arch (#205) 0.3 miles
Hidden Arch (#208) 1 miles
Koomer Ridge (#220) 2.3 miles
Princess Arch (#233) 0.2 miles
Rock Bridge (#207) 1.3 miles
Rough Trail (#221) 6.6 miles
Rush Ridge (#227) 1 mile
Silvermine Arch (#225) 1.3 miles
Silvermine Spur (#225S) 0.1 miles
Sky Bridge (#214) 0.8 miles
Swift Camp Creek (#219) 6.7 miles
Tower Rock (#229) 0.4 miles
Whistling Arch (#234) 0.2 miles
Whittleton Branch (#217) 0.2 miles
Wildcat (#228) 1.7 miles
Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail
The Sheltowee Trace is a 282-mile multi-use trail that passes through Red River Gorge while traversing the length of the Daniel Boone National Forest. The trail is named in honor of Daniel Boone. Sheltowee (meaning Big Turtle) was the name given to Boone when he was adopted into the Shawnee Indian tribe as the son of the great war chief, Blackfish. Boone made several explorations throughout the area that is now the Daniel Boone National Forest in search of a route from Virginia to Kentucky.
Completed in 1976, the Sheltowee Trace was designated as the 100th National Recreation Trail in 1979. Along its route hikers pass waterfalls, arches, panoramic ridge-top views and massive sandstone cliffs.
The entire length of the trail runs from HWY 377 north of Morehead, KY, to Picket State Park in Tennessee. Along the way it passes through Cave Run Lake, Natural Bridge State Park, Laurel River Lake, Cumberland Falls State Resort Park and the Big South Fork National Recration Area.
Key Links:
USDA Forest Service: General Information
Red River Gorge Trail descriptions, lodging, etc.
Guide for trails in Kentucky, many in Red River Gorge.
The complex topography of Red River Gorge provides habitat for a rich diversity of plants and animals. Visitors will find maples, oaks, tulip poplar, pine, ash, walnut and hemlocks among the many species of trees that grow here. There are also many wildflowers to be found here as well, including Bloodroot, Hepatica, Trillium, Purple Phacelia, Crested Dwarf Iris, and Pink and Yellow Lady's Slippers, just to name a few. Some of the trails known for outstanding spring wildlfowers include Swift Camp Creek, Wildcat, Rock Bridge, Whittleton Branch and Whittleton Arch.
With more than 100 species calling the Gorge home for at least part of the year, enthusiasts will find a wide variety of birds. Hawks, owls, woodpeckers, vireos, hummingbirds, indigo bunting and several species of warblers are among the birds that can be found in the Gorge.