Red River Gorge is in eastern Kentucky in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The gorge is a canyon that has numerous natural bridges and arches. Hikers, rock climbers, kayakers and mountain bikers are attracted to the area throughout the year.
Red River Gorge
The gorge has the second most number of natural bridges and arches in the United States because of the sandstone geology.
At the nearby Whittleton Campground, we took the short trail to Henson’s arch. It is a small limestone arch in a cave with a seasonal waterfall next to it.
The entrance to the gorge is the Nada Tunnel, a single lane road that’s 900 feet long.
We loved seeing all the different types of fungus on the trees, moss, and ferns.
There were picturesque small churches and old homes along the way.
We found a spring waterfall.
Slade, Kentucky
Slade is the closest town with amenities, like this outhouse. Haha.
There were a few restaurants in Slade. The main ones were Thatcher BBQ, Miguel’s Pizza, or La Cabana Mexican Restaurant. All were usually packed. Thatcher’s and Miguel’s were very good, we never made it to La Cabana.
A zebra swallowtail butterfly in very early spring. Temperatures were down to freezing at night and rarely up to 50 during the day. There were very few flowers let alone their favorite, pawpaw in bloom. Hardly survival conditions for a butterfly, but life is truly amazing. This butterfly was on the blue painted strip of an asphalt parking lot but makes for an unusual photo.
Natural Bridge, Red River Gorge
The park was founded in the late 1800s by the Louisville and Nashville railroad. Eventually it became a Kentucky State Park in 1926. The park consists of 2,250 acres. Other than Natural Bridge, there are numerous hiking trails and other sandstone formations.
The Natural Bridge Trail was wide and well marked.
Sky Bridge
A short walk with stunning views of the gorge leads to the bridge.
A short walk further to get below the bridge to see its full span. There are over 100 arches in Red River Gorge.
Princess Arch
The arch trail is at the end of a long gravel road. We were hoping not many people would make the drive. The day we went there were a lot of other hikers, but it was still worth it.
There was either a heart… or butt cheeks in the rock, depending on how you choose to see it.
Whistling Arch
A short hike to a small arch on a ridge.
Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Red River Gorge
From Lexington, Kentucky to Natural Bridge it was about a 2-hour drive. We had 50-amp service and good water pressure but no sewer. We went five nights without sewer, although we could have gone a few more nights if needed. This means we shower in the public restrooms, use paper plates to save on water and don’t cook pasta, which also requires a lot of water down the drain. It’s actually nice once in a while to shower in a large space where your elbows don’t hit the walls. The only drawback is that you have to wear flip flops in the shower. They didn’t have WIFI and there was no Verizon signal.
Our weather wasn’t the best, but we had a very nice creek that flowed through the campground.
It was still very early spring. A few wildflowers, including bloodroot, flax and apple trees were starting to bloom. Over half the days we were there it rained, and a couple of nights the temperatures dropped to freezing. The Red River Gorge is stunning. In a few weeks the hiking should be wonderful because the weather should be warmer, the trees leafed out, and there will be more wildflowers along the trails.
