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    Red River Gorge

    4.8 (61 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 5:30 pm

    Red River Gorge Photos

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    Toads Bar & Grill
    Casey B.

    Absolutely everything. The attractions, the hikes, the food, etc. It was home away from home!

    My son climbing at Bruise Brothers in Muir Valley (thanks Bluegrass climbing guides!)
    Jennifer K.

    We used Bluegrass Climbing School to go outdoor climbing for the first time. They took us into Muir Valley. We had a fantastic time. The area is gorgeous and well-maintained.

    End destination of Whittleton Arch Trail
    Emma S.

    I think I went to the Red River Gorge on the best day possible. It's the end of October so the trees were looking stellar with all those fall colors. During our time, we rode the sky lift up to the Natural Bridge (definitely a beautiful ride that takes ~10 minutes, seems overpriced to me though.. $17 round trip and seeing the lines you know they're making bank). Go earlier to enjoy the views with lower traffic. Also did the Whittleton Arch trail. There wasn't parking at the trailhead, so the four mile hike was more like six once you tack on our hike from the car to the starting point. The trail wasn't easy, but not hard. Multiple cave like areas, it seemed the temperature would vary ten degrees depending if you were near a cave or not. The end point was a little disappointing for me, not much of an arch and if you climb up on the left side it doesn't really take you anywhere. Fun to climb around the rocks. Definitely plan ahead where you want to go because you don't get service within the park. I know Miguel's is a favorite of many, but I'll have to try another time when I can spend some time waiting in a line. The ice cream shop was really yummy with lots of options. Overall, beautiful park and I was surprised there weren't more people there on such an unexpectedly beautiful October day.

    Beautiful!
    Bailey D.

    I had no idea that such a beautiful national park/hiking area existed so close to Cincy! This was a great way to spend a long Easter weekend, and explore some of the Bluegrass State. We drove down Saturday morning: from the Florence-Union area, this was just under a 2 hour trip. My fiancé did some research beforehand about which trails were the best without being too rocky, since we were bringing our dog with us. We used the All Trails app (highly recommend downloading this!) and selected the "Double Arch, Courthouse Rock, and Auxier Ridge Loop" trail. If that sounds like a mouthful, that's because it's actually three trails that merge into one another, creating a moderately challenging hike with incredible views. Once you actually get to "Red River Gorge," there's a decent drive back into the mountains to get to this particular trail. There were lots of options for parking on our drive for other trails ... but when we arrived to the one we actually wanted to hike, it was packed! I realize that this was a holiday weekend, and one of the first with nice weather in recent months, but we probably spent just figuring out where and how to park. We ended up having to get creative and park on a curve in the road ... maybe that's our fault for arriving at the peak of the day, but it seems like if this trail is popular, there should be more parking available? The All Trails app advised us that the hike is a bit easier if you go counter-clockwise around the loop, so that's what we did. We hiked for around 3.5 hours, and traveled just over 5 miles. We opted out of the "Double Arch" part of the trail, since that would have had us double back a bit. Again, I realize this was a holiday weekend, but these trails were BUSY! If you were looking to reconnect with nature and center yourself spiritually with your surroundings, this is not the trail to do that on. Most of the other hikers were courteous and friendly, but we ran into at least a few that acted like they owned the trail. And just as a personal pet peeve (literally), I don't care how well-trained your dog is - if the park requires dogs to be leashed, then keep them on a leash! Our dog is a rescue and not comfortable being around other dogs in close quarters, so I definitely did not appreciate when we would pull our fur baby over to the side to let someone pass, only to find a dog without a leash wandering up to him and making him nervous. All that said, this was a beautiful hike, and we'd love to explore other parts of Red River Gorge. Be advised that certain parts of this particular trail were a bit rocky, and others were quite muddy. There is a lovely creek crossing portion of the hike, and another section where you'll feel like you're literally on top of the world.

    Steve M.

    We find that we generally get pretty good service in the visitors centers. There are some standouts but this particular visitor center experience was an a&b, largely due to Josiah (sp?). What a treat to have met him. In fact, so much so that the wife and I drove back through the entire park at the end of our day to say thanks and he remembered our names and the things we had shared early in the say. What a great guy! He was helpful, super friendly, knowledgeable, and seemed very sincere. There was another young lady who was helping other folks who was also very friendly to them but we didn't hear much The store was VERY clean, the restrooms were clean (wife approved), and lots of good stuff. The park was well laid out, trails and warnings clearly indicated, and really just a great day.

    Butterfly
    John B.

    It's a great natural space. The visitor experience was not what I'd hoped. One drives in (assuming you come from the parkway) through a rather terrifying rock tunnel that is labeled as historic and which does not inspire much confidence. The roads beyond it were in poor condition when I arrived, with several sections breaking down and with warning signs around them, and with a bridge completely closed, dead-ending my trip before what looked like a pretty appealing overlook. In addition to various (mostly small) parking lots, pull-offs from the road appeared frequently, though it often wasn't obvious where one would go if one parked there. The area is indeed a gorge, and in most areas I found the road way above the river. The banks were of very soft (and reddish) clay, and it was pretty treacherous on the rainy day I was there, resulting in a twisted ankle and a banged up knee. The river was not big at all and looked wadeable in parts. On the riverbank near the closed bridge, a decidedly unofficial looking campsite was laden with trash and creepily abandoned. My conclusion boils down to it being a nice area but a bit wilder and less well maintained than I'd hope for. I think I could enjoy it more with the benefit of experience and some better planning. Renting a kayak might also be worthwhile. And definitely watch out for bears.

    Red river gorge getaways
    Alyona Z.

    1/16/21 Came here with my friend for a snow filled winter hike up to the double arch. It was so beautiful to explore during this weather. The hike is a bit steep but it's pretty short once you get to the trailhead. There are a lot of muddy trails but that's to be expected when hiking in the woods. Would recommend good hiking shoes with traction for safety. But over all this hike is pretty easy and worth the views. Shortest and safest for the snowy hiking trails.

    The view from Sky Bridge
    Desirae T.

    Amazing experience! We took our 4 kids (5, 10, 11, 13) and they were able to do most of the trails without issues. It's not a playground and it's a dangerous place so if your kids aren't very mature, I would not recommend. The hikes and trails mostly don't have any railings of and kind and are next to steep sloping cliffs. But ours did great and the views were incredible. We will be returning! Our first time camping/in the mountains of Kentucky ever.

    Rebekah N.

    Had an Amazing Time!! Beautiful Views, Great Hiking Trails. Would definitely recommend

    Watching it snow
    Scott M.

    I have asked for 3 or 4 winters, To go with my son and group to RRG. Hike is and camp for 2 night. So this January I said yes. It's $5 for 3 day pass stay over night, You can the pass at either of the Slade gas station off the Parkway. So I hike in the dark, Friday night to we're camping a mile in, I'm really I'm pressed with survival skills. In January I dressed in 3 layer & never wore a jacket. As long as hiking you don't need it. The fire was a life saver. We never ran into another person tell Sunday morning hiking back to parking lot. The other guys say come March it starts getting crowded. No snakes, Bugs or bears in January, But there was plenty of bear evidence left behind were we hiked.

    Staci W.

    Beautiful views, things to do and relaxing time away. The trails we saw were all well marked and one of the ones we did have a DNR staff member at the parking lot for any questions and for safety during copperhead season. This is a must see if you are in Kentucky

    Brian K.

    This is an amazing and beautiful 1.25 mile loop hike. This is a moderate hike because there are several rock staircases that need to be navigated. This is one of the more popular shorter hikes in the Red River Gorge. If you prefer to walk down stairs I would suggest starting on the right hand side parking lot About the half way point you come across Creation Falls, a pretty waterfall with a nice beach (yes there is a lot of sand there) area that's nice to sit and relax or have a picnic. Just past the falls you come across Rock Bridge Arch. Again it's very sandy and you can walk under it in the river. Both places are great to take off your shoes and wade. As always in the RRG, enjoy yourself and remember you are in nature. Also please pack any trash you bring. We all want to enjoy nature's beauty. At the trailhead there are restrooms, trash cans, and picnic tables too.

    Tamika J.

    This is my second time I went to Red River gorge and it was great. I'm a avid hiker and Red River Gorge has so much to offer. My friend and I hike the Arch and did the trail backwards. Which was a great idea. The trail cans be difficult in certain areas, but it's a great workout and views are amazing. I learned do not follow Waze directions if you are going to the Arch. You will not get there. I followed directions given by a friend it saves me about 30 minutes. Overall, great place.

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    Ask the Community - Red River Gorge

    Review Highlights - Red River Gorge

    Only visiting for a day did limit how much of the gorge we were able to explore (plus we were planning on going to the natural bridge as well).

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    Southeast Mountain Guides

    Southeast Mountain Guides

    4.9(35 reviews)
    9.7 mi

    Booked slots at the Via Ferrata for our family of 7 ranging in age from 18-51. In my mind, I…read morethought the first few levels would be more like hiking on a ledge while clipped in. This is not the case and I saw immediately upon arrival that even level one is high off the ground and requires climbing. Our guide was great as she took us through the training and explained how to use equipment. We all started out on section 2 because she said it seemed to be easier for people scared of heights (I'm terrified). After that five of us did section one then I did section one again while five others did section 3. Intellectually, I could tell it was an extremely safe operation. The guides are like lifeguards, constantly watching what is happening on the wall through binoculars and calling out corrections or suggestions. Still, for me, when on the wall it was hard to get over my fear of falling. It helped not to look down. My entire party was proud of ourselves for trying it and would like to come back again -- perhaps with more rest beforehand. Some of them got partway through section 4 but were tired from earlier running and weightlifting. Overall a great operation and appreciate the picnic tables on the deck where you can watch others while taking a break.

    My husband and I did two days of climbing with Matt through Southeast. We have experience climbing,…read morebut never outside. Matt was extremely kind and professional, and helped us meet our goals in a supportive environment. I would absolutely recommend this company and would be happy to work with Matt again in the future.

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    Southeast Mountain Guides
    Southeast Mountain Guides
    Southeast Mountain Guides

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    Red River Adventure

    Red River Adventure

    3.1(22 reviews)
    1.9 mi

    The experience was absolutely terrible. There were 4 of us and one kayak had a hole in it We…read morewerent able to finish the trip. The kayak had to be drained of water every 15 minutes. The customer service was terrible when we got back and explained what was wrong. The lady we spoke to said we didnt care if we were not happy. They have 3 people outside. No one inspected the kayaks even though they stated they know they have holes in them. They didnt adjust the paddles and show you how to adjust the seats. I would not recommend it. Poorest kayak trip we have ever been on.

    I booked 3 nights primitive riverfront camping online. Was a great price but now I see why. Check…read morein says 1:00pm online. I showed up at 2:15 pm and there was no one there to check me in. I saw one other person there as well waiting to check in, and this person told me that it was 3 o'clock check in. So we both continued to wait another hour. There were three different phone numbers that I tried to call, one of which nobody answered, another one kept cutting me off, and the third one I kept getting a busy signal. So by this time it was 4 PM and I needed a place to camp so I called the campground down the road that was willing to take me last minute, no problems. I then proceeded to send an email to the email address given on the website explaining my issue, and that email got kicked back to me undeliverable. I am now out $33, and would not recommend this place to anyone. It very much gave me a horror movie vibe.

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    Red River Adventure
    Red River Adventure
    Red River Adventure

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    Red River Gorge - hiking - Updated June 2026

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