Red River Gorge

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.

This was a perfect spot to end a beautiful day in Red River Gorge. Hurricane Helene certainly left a mark - damaging the outhouse and leaving plenty of deadfall across the unmarked trail. However, the route was easy to follow and the scenes at the overlook were simply stunning.

This remains one of my favorite short walks anywhere in Kentucky. The double arch is beautiful, the views are outstanding, and the liesegang rings in the sandstone walls are a thing of wonder. Add some fall colors popping in the forest, and well, it’s about as good as it gets.

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.

This is a very short pop-out overlook just below the developed roadside overlook on the way to Sky Bridge. The clifftop perch has lost some trees and vegetation in recent years - expanding the view and improving its overall vibe.

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.

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.

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.

This is an incredibly scenic route and was especially so with the lively clouds we enjoyed throughout the day. This hike visits seven named overlooks and four arches with a handful of unnamed overlooks to go with it. Mostly ridgeline hiking, be sure to pack plenty of water and electrolytes on hot days and leave a water cache if needed (we did) because there are zero reliable water sources on the route.

This is the standard route for Sheltowee Trace between the backpackers’ lot on the north side of Red River and Corner Ridge Road. The Trace passes Jump Rock, Indian Arch, and Salt Fork before climbing a double track forest road to Corner Ridge.

This is a classic loop in Red River Gorge that visits three arches and the best south facing overlook in the region. Situated above a bend in Red River, Eagle Point Buttress provides a stunning view if you can manage a very steep section of unmarked and unmaintained trail. Be sure to read the cautions and notes below before heading out.

Hike to two arches and two premium views with this lollipop route from the Whittleton Branch day use parking lot. Hike this after heavy rains and enjoy Whittleton Arch Falls and Whittleton Branch Falls too!

This is a top destination after a deep freeze thanks to the accessibility and gorgeous scenes at Copperas Falls on ice. We arrived after a long cold snap that eventually formed a full ice column. We caught it mid-formation, and the ice chandelier and cone were fantastic - especially with blue skies and abundant sunshine coming through the forest. Add snow falling from the trees, and it was a magical day on trail.

We stopped at Bell Falls for a preview of what was to come at Copperas Falls. After a cold snap, conditions were perfect to see the frozen falls on a sunny bluebird day. This is a short walk from the road, but was a little slick thanks to a light coating of snow. During larger snow and ice events, microspikes would be an excellent idea. As it was, plain old hiking shoes were just fine.

This is a fantastic overlook that goes by at least two names - Rainbow Point or Rocky Branch Overlook #2. Both names are appropriate, as the curved cliff wall seen from the overlook certainly resembles a rainbow, and it is the second perch above Rocky Branch. Meh, doesn’t matter much - it’s a great spot with an easy 5K walk.

We were a couple weeks late on the Fall equinox, but the sunset was gorgeous with mostly clear skies and warm temps for early October. This is the easiest to reach of the three overlooks off the Sky Bridge Picnic Area parking lot - we brought a chair and loads of snacks to enjoy the finish to the day.

This is one of LaFonda’s favorite overlooks, and it’s among the best to enjoy midday in Red River Gorge. A short, easy walk leads out to a tremendous view south-southwest over Dunkan Branch. Though unmarked and unmaintained, it is well trod and easily navigated with the waypoints below or .gpx file loaded into your favorite map app.

This short hike is better known to climbers than hikers, but still provides some spectacular geology. It had been years since my last visit, but the textures of the walls and the massive leaning rock is worth the sweat required.

This is one of the better overlooks in Red River Gorge and a nice sunset spot. This short route is open Spring through Fall using the very long gravel road on Hatton Ridge. Forest Service closes the road in Winter. Read the cautions and notes below before heading out.

After getting into the Gorge, we stopped here to stretch the legs and catch some excellent views with friendly clouds overhead. This is a great hike to kickoff your time in Red River Gorge with a top notch overlook and one of the most popular arches in Kentucky.

This overlook has been labeled with several names over the years, but I think I’m settled on Moreland Branch South Overlook. It’s a very fine sunset spot that is ideal from mid-September to mid-October, but on this day was our closest short sunset hiking option as the clock was ticking and clouds were moving in. It’s a relatively easy hike to a large multi-level rock outcropping. Read the notes below for details.

There are a dozen or more overlooks off the main trail along with a number of arches. This hike is the highlight reel version - taking advantage of the more expansive overlooks and dropping down to Sky View and Star Gap Arches on the way back. It is a tremendous walk that packs a ton of sights into a half-day hike with just a bit of spice with a pair of scrambles en route to the arches.

This route is a rite of passage for Kentucky Hikers, and those who travel this path won’t soon forget it. The route described here is the ‘hard way’ moving from west to east and features five steep climbs, four overlooks, four arches, and some truly magnificent forest scenes. Check the notes below for some tips to make this easier.

While many will be familiar with Sky Bridge - the incredibly beautiful double arch - relatively few visiting Red River Gorge are aware of the other unmarked overlooks in the recreation area. On this walk, we took advantage of the summer sun setting to the northwest at Buzzards Roost South while visiting Sky Bridge and Keystone Arches along the way.

If you split the gorge into quadrants with Sheltowee Trace and Red River as bisectors, this would be the northeast loop using mostly marked trails with only three unofficial user trails to Cloudsplitter, Adena Arch, and Indian Staircase. It’s a beautiful route and the road walk is made more interesting with the gorge’s incredible geology ever present. Check below for enjoyable add-ons as well.

Red River is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River, and while you can rent your kayaks downstream, you can also bring your own and launch from here. Of course, you’ll need water and wild river depths can be finicky, but it is fantastic wading after a long hike!

This is the most popular variation of this traverse with unmarked/unmaintained trail stops at Cloudsplitter, Adena Arch, Indian Staircase, Osborne Bend Arch, and Moonshiners Arch traveling mostly official trails from Sheltowee Backpackers’ Lot to Osborne Bend’s East Trailhead. Route info and navigation is for eastbound travel.

Book this tour and hike this hike. The tour is a stunning display of the geological wonders commonplace in Red River Gorge Geological Area with a total of 10 arches and a terrific clifftop view.

This is a beautiful springtime hike to a massive sandstone arch with a rotating variety of wildflowers and a small waterfall along the way. After soaking rains, a waterfall flows over the top of the arch - creating one of the most magical scenes in the Red River Gorge Region.

This is a beautiful arch that certainly calls elephants to mind. Though the walk is relatively easy, the class 3 scramble to reach the arch is on steep soil with extremely poor footing. I wouldn’t try this without rope.