Ice Day at Cumberland Falls
Vista, Waterfall, Cumberland Falls Region Michael Harr Vista, Waterfall, Cumberland Falls Region Michael Harr

Ice Day at Cumberland Falls

Wintertime can be a bit of a crapshoot visiting Cumberland Falls in terms of the number of overlooks that are open. On this day, two of the four were open for business and that was good enough to enjoy the cold Winter scenes Mother Nature provided. The lower platform was closed (likely due to icy conditions) and the third platform was closed due to a stone pillar slipping off the clifftop (picture below).

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Ice Day at Vanover Falls
Waterfall, Cumberland Falls Region Michael Harr Waterfall, Cumberland Falls Region Michael Harr

Ice Day at Vanover Falls

This is one of the many hundreds (thousands?) of wet weather waterfalls in Kentucky, and with the cold conditions, we were hoping to see a nice icescape. While there were plenty of ice drapes, it was a little underwhelming. That said, at only a mile of flat hiking (half on pavement), it was worth the small price of admission to enjoy a different kind of waterfall scene for the day.

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DuPont Lodge Overlook of the Cumberland River
Vista, Cumberland Falls Region Michael Harr Vista, Cumberland Falls Region Michael Harr

DuPont Lodge Overlook of the Cumberland River

We had some time to kill and visited the DuPont Lodge at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. It’s a beautiful lodge constructed of local sandstone blocks and features an outstanding view above the Cumberland River from the back deck. The view is directly east, making for an outstanding sunrise spot nearest the Spring and Fall equinoxes. Enjoy breakfast on the deck or enjoy the view from behind the glass at the restaurant one floor below.

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Gunpowder Creek Park (Sperti Park) Winter Walkabout
Creek, Northern Kentucky Region Michael Harr Creek, Northern Kentucky Region Michael Harr

Gunpowder Creek Park (Sperti Park) Winter Walkabout

This local park is an ideal spot to enjoy the winter weather in Northern Kentucky with wide trails, some beautiful creekside views, and easy road access. I walked all the trails within the park boundaries, but additional trails are available further south abutting the Earl and Hazel Jones Center for Conservation. If memory serves, the conservation center is only open to program participants.

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Indian Staircase Loop + Adena Arch and Overlook from Bison Way
Arch, Vista, Red River Gorge Region Michael Harr Arch, Vista, Red River Gorge Region Michael Harr

Indian Staircase Loop + Adena Arch and Overlook from Bison Way

This is an iconic route in Red River Gorge and rightfully so. Sweeping views, adventurous rock scrambling, beautiful arches, and plenty of camping spots combine to make this one of the most popular and beautiful hikes in the region. Navigating this hike can be challenging if you’re not familiar with the area or using a good GPS route, so be sure to load the .GPX file below into your map app and read through the navigation and notes below.

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Fall Colors at Camera Point and Sky Bridge Overlook
Vista, Red River Gorge Region Michael Harr Vista, Red River Gorge Region Michael Harr

Fall Colors at Camera Point and Sky Bridge Overlook

This is a nice pair of overlooks that are less frequently visited than the Sky Bridge loop - even though it’s just a short walk down the road. We stopped here to grab a couple quick views that are much improved than prior years thanks to the clearing of the handicap accessible overlook. On a busy Fall day, it was kinda nice to capture some photos of folks walking across the impressive arch.

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Fall Colors at Eagle Point Buttress + Moonshiners Arch Out and Back
Arch, River, Vista, Red River Gorge Region Michael Harr Arch, River, Vista, Red River Gorge Region Michael Harr

Fall Colors at Eagle Point Buttress + Moonshiners Arch Out and Back

This short hike stops at Moonshiners Arch before following the river to the turn that goes steeply uphill on loose soil and rock - gaining 374 vertical feet across a quarter-mile of trail (roughly 28% average grade). This is the shortest, but most physically demanding route to reach the point. However, spectacular southerly views above a sharp bend in the river await those who make the climb.

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Fall Colors at Bell Falls
Waterfall, Red River Gorge Region Michael Harr Waterfall, Red River Gorge Region Michael Harr

Fall Colors at Bell Falls

Bell Falls is a beautiful waterfall with a classic Red River Gorge cliff line to go with it. We stopped here to enjoy the waterfalls (lower and upper) and the colorful forest scenes to kickoff our day in the Gorge. It had been dry for a good while, so the flow was minimal, but still enjoyable with a little rainbow action at the upper falls which was nice.

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2024 Rugged Red Half Marathon featuring Golden Cathedral Arch, Timothy Branch Overlook, and Adventure Mountain Arch
Michael Harr Michael Harr

2024 Rugged Red Half Marathon featuring Golden Cathedral Arch, Timothy Branch Overlook, and Adventure Mountain Arch

This is such a G-R-E-A-T trail half marathon - private land, camping at the start/finish, loads of good running, a few challenging steeps, four arches, an overlook, finish line beer, and volunteer support beyond anything I’ve ever seen on trail. It was so good that I already signed up for next year and created a team (Kentucky Hikers) - more on that below. Also, I’d put this up there with Land Between the Lakes Trail Races as among the most runnable courses in Kentucky.

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Jailhouse Rock and Star Gap Branch East Overlooks
Vista, Red River Gorge Region Michael Harr Vista, Red River Gorge Region Michael Harr

Jailhouse Rock and Star Gap Branch East Overlooks

There are innumerable clifftop overlooks scattered across Red River Gorge. This hike will take you out to three of them on the ‘Jailhouse Rock Trail’ that is a user created, unmarked, and unmaintained spur off Double Arch Trail’s road section. It is easily one of the better overlooks in the region with wide views east and the other overlooks featured on this hike face west. If camping, hit one of the west facing views over Star Gap Branch for sunset and wake up early to catch sunrise at Jailhouse Rock. Also, recent blowdowns obstruct sections of the trail, so if you’re packing a handsaw, feel free to clear a few limbs to preserve the original trail.

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Crystal Onyx Cave Upper Tour
Cave, Mammoth Cave Region Michael Harr Cave, Mammoth Cave Region Michael Harr

Crystal Onyx Cave Upper Tour

This is a beautiful privately owned cave with plenty of quirkiness to go with it (see pics below). The tour was led by an outstanding guide, Gary Russell, who was extremely knowledgeable and highly entertaining. When visiting Cave Country, be sure to include some privately owned caves in addition to those found in Mammoth Cave National Park.

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Kentucky Stonehenge
Mammoth Cave Region Michael Harr Mammoth Cave Region Michael Harr

Kentucky Stonehenge

This is a welcome break from driving when visiting Cave Country and points south - like Nashvegas, for example. Built over the course of five years by former Mayor Chester Fryer in the early part of this century, Kentucky Stonehenge is as close as you’ll get to the real Stonehenge without leaving the friendly confines of the Commonwealth. Add in an impressive stone cross, some hand chiseled rock canons, and a few other rock arrangements, and it’s a nice half mile stroll around the neighborhood.

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Blue Heron Loop and Spurs from the Top
River, Vista, Big South Fork Region Michael Harr River, Vista, Big South Fork Region Michael Harr

Blue Heron Loop and Spurs from the Top

This is one of the most beautiful loops in Kentucky. We hiked this from the top to see if we could catch changing skies at the overlooks (we didn’t), but the loop has Blue Heron Overlook, Cracks in the Rocks, plenty of mining history, access to the river, Devil’s Jump, a couple beaches, and Devil’s Jump Overlook. If I’d have hiked this with LaFonda, no question we would’ve spent an hour soaking in the river.

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Koger Arch Out and Back
Arch, Big South Fork Region Michael Harr Arch, Big South Fork Region Michael Harr

Koger Arch Out and Back

This is a short hike to an impressive arch in Big South Fork NRRA. The region is littered with arches, but this is one of the finest among them and should always be included in your itinerary when visiting this part of the recreation area. After visiting Dick Gap Overlook, stop here - parking is easier this way too!

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