red river gorge geological area

The impressive sites in the area are just spectacular. Natural Bridge, Rock Arch Bridge, Waterfalls, scenic Sheltowee Trace trail, Balanced Rock, Battleship Rock, Sky Bridge and with rock climbing cliffs abound. Sometimes words do not describe a place. This is one of them. http://youtu.be/HpMbng61DtU

Rock Bridge is one of my very favorite places to go. The waterfall is beautiful all year long and the hike there is not too far. We play in the water, skip rocks and enjoy the view. It is pretty steep in some spots and there are cliffs so keep a close eye on younger children. I think it is about 2 miles round trip so kids can hike it.

We mostly drove throughout the loop and surrounding community. We did hike out on the natural bridge and enjoy the view. It is a neat place to go if you are are a laid back outdoor enthusiast. The amenities in the area are limited. For campers who prefer tents and roughing it in the outback, it is great. Trails abound.

Very scenic and tons of trails to walk for any activity level. Fantastic climbing and camping. If it's an outdoor activity, you can bet you can probably do it here.

After moving to Kentucky two years ago, we started a Kentucky Bucket List~there is a LOT to do and see right here in Kentucky. Red River Gorge was on the list and was about a three hour drive from the Cincinnati area.(we live in Newport, KY)Red River Gorge was not quite what we had expected. The trail heads were similar to those in the Smokies. We found ourselves a bit confused about where we were headed and what we were going to see~so basically, we just made it up as we went along. We were looking for some height in our hiking and maybe if we were more familiar with the park, would have found some. Nonetheless, it was a fun day and we saw some beautiful geological formations. We hope you enjoy our photos~

Such a fun activity! We were not expecting the hike to be so well kept. I highly recommend riding up on the chair lift and walking down mountain. I would definitely say this was a favorite part of the vacation exploring

What a beautiful place! We hiked to Sky Bridge and were not disappointed, amazing ! so many arches and awesome views. A great place to get away and leave all the stress and noise behind.

A neat place to hike to a tremendous view from the top of a natural rock bridge. Beautiful any time of the year. Many also camp in the area. A neat area to enjoy nature.

We visited relatives in the area and they led us through Red River Gorge to Sky Bridge. Such a breathtakingly beautiful area!! The one way tunnel was truly unique. We stopped at several overlooks to observe wild turkeys, hike on some trails, and explore some rocky areas. We were there in March 2013 and are planning another trip back.

After spending a few hours at Natural Bridge (taking the chairlift to the top), we drove over to the Red River Gorge area to drive through the amazing one way tunnel and then drive the loop through the beautiful forest area. We stopped to hike down to the suspension bridge and to climb out on several large rocks overlooking the stream. Even with my parents along with our family (they are in their 70's), it was an easy hike and beautiful ride. We came around the driving loop and stumbled upon an educational center before it closed. They had a nice, short video about the gorge, a stuffed bear cub that our kids liked, lots of pelts of different animals and other educational things for the kids to explore. Beautiful drive and fun fall afternoon. If you are a nature buff, this place is definitely for you -- rent a cabin and stay a bit. It is truly beautiful.

Any time you can spend outdoors appreciating what God created is time well spent, and this area does not disappoint. Hiked here a few times, and the scenery is absolutely lovely, with the overlooks stunning. Plenty of space to lose yourself, and just enjoy what is around you. There are a number of well marked trails that correspond with the map, as well as unmarked trails that lead to other great sights. Would be, and is, a delightful place for backpackers, though I have not done that myself, yet. Highly recommended.

Enjoyed a beautiful drive with friends and taking photos of the Fall foliage in October. The leaves and views were breath taking. Good roads and there is a great ranger station that offers maps and lots of information about this geological area and clean bathrooms. They also offer a variety of movies about the area. You can spend as little as a hour or two or make it an all day event, just depends on how many stops you make and how many areas you may want to hike. This area has the most rock and arch formations this side of the Rocky Mountains and only Arches NP has more rock formations. I'd suggest this area for Fall or Spring but I saw some photos that were taken after a heavy snow and it's tempting to make a trip back to the area for these photo opportunities.

Our journey to the Gorge was primarily to enjoy the scenic byway drive and take in the fall colors during a weekend day in late October. The fall colors were spectacular and worth the drive but we were disappointed in the lack of places to pull off the road and take in the scenery. The area map shows there are nearly 30 trails to be explored but getting to them is not that easy. There are virtually no paved areas adjacent to the trails to pull off and park. Cars were parked wherever they could find a spot big enough to hold a vehicle and many of those presented a safety issue for other cars trying to navigate the scenic byway. In addition, many sections of the byway are so narrow that cars passing in both directions often had to come to a stop to let others pass. There are no guard rails and many areas have steep drop-offs. We saw some beautiful scenery but were frustrated that we were not able to stop, take some photos, and enjoy the beauty of the gorge. Hiking seems to be the only way to truly appreciate the beauty of Red River Gorge . . . unfortunately!

BEAUTIFUL place. We went in the fall and camped at Whittleton State Park. The geological area can either be hiked into from that campsite or you can leave your car at one of the trailheads. The hikes were a great length/difficulty for a family of general fitness. Serious adventure seekers might be a bit disappointed with the difficulty level but the views more than make up for the miles of relatively flat trails.We did the Rough Trail one day and it was definitely more difficult and had a lot of scenery variety--beautiful ridges, cliffs, gorges, creeks, etc. That is more of an all day hike but I definitely recommend it. Bring water and a snack! Plenty of great places to stop and much and take in the views.The rock formations are really one of a kind. I wish I had brought a field guide or a guide to the area to learn more about the formations. I recommend picking one up if you can/reading up on the internet. D. Boone's cabin was a bit disappointing (just a few remenant boards) but in a beautiful area so you should still do the short hike if you have time! Not a lot of food/cell phone service available here so bring supplies/be prepared to be cut off from the world if you're coming for more than a day!

Took a drive through the gorge on a Saturday afternoon. Stopped at the Gladie Environmental and Learning Center. It does not take a lot of time to go through but it is very informative. During the fall there is a lot of traffic, take your time. The colors are beautiful.