| Various Trails - Red River Gorge |
| The Red River Gorge Geological Area is approxamately 26,000 acres and is part of the Daniel Boone National Forest located just southeast of Lexington, KY. This area is very unique, in that it contains more natural rock formations per acre than anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains. When you visit this area, be sure to take some time to visit as many cliffs, arches and rock caves as you can... most are well worth the time to hike or drive to. |  |
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There are numerous trails that criss cross and loop through the Red River Gorge. You will have many different options for hiking, depending on how far you want to hike. If you want to stay in the area, there are a couple nice weekend loops. For a longer hike, you might consider section hiking the Sheltowee Trace
NRT.
When we visited the Gorge, we hiked a 3 day loop including the Koomer Ridge trail, Buck trail, Pinchem Tight trail, Greys Arch Trail, and the Rough trail. We made a few side trips to view some of the arches and overlooks along the way, and all in all spent about 26 miles hiking. |
| In the gorge, you can camp pretty much anywhere that you find, as long as it is (according the ranger station) 300' from a water source, 300' from the trail, and not in an area posted as "No Camping". Also, camping within 100 feet of cliffs or rock caves is not only a crime punishable by a $5000 fine and/or prison, but really not a good idea given how fragile some of the formations are. Also, please remember to carry out whatever you carry in and leave everything like you found it! |  |
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If you do spend more than a day hiking here, you will need to buy a pass for parking. The pass is not expensive.. maybe a couple dollars per day. Be sure to get your pass before starting your hike, and hang the tag from your rear-view mirror. All in all, this is a good place for hiking.. especially for those in the northern KY and OH area where there isn't much else around. To see our pictures, Click Here |