I spend quite a bit of time exploring "The Red". Several great trails, which vary from easy strolls to challenging. In spring there will be a profusion if wildflowers. Geological features (cliffs, caves, arches, and rock houses) are fascinating. Only negative is that the US Forest Service often closes roads making access difficult. But the Forest Service does operate a nice visitor center and the staff is helpful. read more

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The perfect get out of the city spot has been found and it's red river gorge. Only two hours from Cincinnati, red river gorge is a slice of heaven for worn-out city dwellers looking for some country restfulness. The trails range in difficulty but anyone can find something that suits them. The natural bridge is spectacular, both from above and below. Make sure you visit creation falls. It a tiny waterfall that doubles as a natural water slide. Can't do much better than that. read more

Red River Gorge - Even in the middle of nowhere, there is coffee. Gotta love America :) - Hiking Near Me - Stanton, Kentucky

I was in hiking heaven in Red River Gorge. There are so many trails to choose from that my husband and I had difficulty deciding what we wanted to do. Since this was our first time here, we decided to hit all the small ones to see the different rock structures. Most of the ones we hiked were about a mile to a mile and a half round trip. There are longer hikes if you enjoy those as well. We saw the Sky Bridge, Whistling Arch, Angel Windows, Chimney Rock and Rock Bridge Arch. The views were spectacular and the hikes were relatively easy. This is a beautiful place and I highly recommend visiting. read more

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A group of friends and I came here to do some rock climbing for a few days. It was my first time climbing outdoors but I already know this place will be an instant favorite! We went to Muir Valley all three days and the area is so well maintained and upkept that it's just a beautiful natural spot. Almost all of the routes I came upon had tags naming the route and it's difficulty. It was a little crowded (I was told from other experienced climbers) but it never got in the way of us climbing and if anything just meant you had to chill a bit before the group before you got their climb in. I would suggest getting a guide book, scoping out what routes you want, and getting to Muir Valley asap in the morning (8-8:30am) so you get your pick at whatever route you're heart desires. Also, we stayed at Miguel's Pizza. It's a cheap place for camping and has some great food. But what really made this place awesome was the other climbers there. Everyone is friendly and having a good time so it just makes it an even greater experience. I highly recommend this place to any rock climber. read more

One of the best state parks I have been to. Trails well taken care of and just super impressed by the views. read more

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Weather you go in the spring or the fall you will see some of the most beautiful and fantastic views and scenery you will ever see. there are many activities that you can enjoy there from hiking, swimming, camping, canoeing, kayaking, backpacking or just driving through and enjoying the scenery. Even if you are just driving up or down I-75 on your way somewhere, it's a great place to stop and take a break and enjoy the views. read more

We stayed at the Cliffview resort (Big Sky Cabin). Spent 3 days, 4 nights right after the memorial weekend. Took in the sky lift, hiked back down from the natural sky bridge. We went hiking on a couple trails and ziplined(highly recommend)! The view from the cabin is wonderful! read more

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Beautiful scenery abounds! Plenty of trails to walk, hills to climb, and things to discover. And right next door is Natural Bridge resort park. Plenty of places for camping as well. Very family oriented! read more

Dog friendly, great outdoor experience. Beautiful scenery, lots of hiking. No bike trails

Indeed....how in tarnation has no one reviewed this place before a few months ago???? This place ROCKS! I am not kidding, there are tons of rocks everywhere. I'm from MD so these were real mountains and real hikes....ahhhhh how I wish I were back! read more

My home place. An absolutely breath taking place for its veiws, fresh air, hospitality, zip lines, rock climbing & much more. Highly recommend ya to come out and visit. read more

This is my favorite place in the entire world. I cannot explain how amazing it is there. It is worth a visit. I haven't been on a trail that I didn't like. Everything is very well cared for and just plain beautiful. There is something to see in every season. read more

Yeah and I'm lucky to be from Kentucky!!! We are blessed to have this place. Eastern Kentucky is beautiful and hopefully will be taken care of by us. read more

A MUST if you are in the relative area! So many great hiking trails and the scenery is beautiful! There are strenuous trails, and I think that there are some more simpler ones as well, so something for everything. Great for hiking/camping/picincing! read more

I can echo the first reviewer's comment. Where are the yelpers on cool stuff like this???? What a great park. Perfect for all outdoor skill levels. We spent about 5 hours here and felt like we saw everything. I did have a 6 year old, so I did scale back the activities slightly. Start at www.byways.org and find the listing for the Red River Gorge scenic tour. It has a pretty good listing of stops along the way. I will go through the ones we did, but not a lot of detail the you can get from the site. Keep in mind that the cell service is spotty in the park so pull what you need before you go in. We did start through Stanton. The route is NOT clearly marked, and I did snap at the navigator once (maybe twice), but we did make it to the first stop using the gps maps on the I-pad. after that it is easy sailing. The first stop was the coolest. Nada tunnel. Make sure you park and read the sign, plus pictures. Driving through is REALLY cool. We stopped at the Gladie center. Must stop as this is a really great center. Good bathrooms too. Very informative rangers. Get a map here. Take the little hike to the original Gladie home. Next we did the sky bridge. Really cool. Well worth the hike. Do the loop trail. We also stopped and hiked the Angel Windows. Very nice little hike. We were under a little time pressure, so headed back to Lexington after that. The whole road is super cool to drive. I wish we had the time to do the Chimney top Road, but I think my wife would have stopped that pretty quick. The black top road freaked her a little bit. I can still hear her telling me to slow down. Ha ha ha. Great place to go. 5 hours was good. If you only had 1 hour, then drive through Nada tunnel, turn around and drive back. PS: we went on a Thursday and we had the park to ourselves....if it was crowded, might be a different review. read more

I went on a trip with my youth group to this place and I had a phenomenal time! On the first day we hiked out and climbed the Indian staircase and set up camp on top. This place is beautiful and the climb is very challenging especially with a hiking pack and bags. There are little indents for your feet and once you scale the mountain you are rewarded with an amazing view. I would recommend this part for adults or teens. On the second day we hiked down the mountain and to the river. We got to spend all day jumping off the rock into the 40ft deep area in the river. This part was definitely one of my favorites and it is good for all ages. The feeling you get when you jump off the rock is amazing. We set up camp up the hill from the jumping area. This place is very busy and everyone watches you jump from the beach area, it's kinda like a little show. On the 3rd day we hiking out of the area and went to the natural bridge. This place was so cool and the bridge was awesome. We then went to Miguel's pizza because everyone in the area recommended it. This area is fantastic with so much to do. The best parts include the Indian staircase and the rock you can jump off of into the river. I really want to go back someday! read more

Red River Gorge - Climbing the Indian staircase! - Hiking Near Me - Stanton, Kentucky

They fucking charged me 80 dollars cause I was to close to the fucking trail to camp it was midnight I was asleep the fucking officers walked all the way to my tent what a joke im never camping there again read more

Climbers travel here from all over the world, for obvious reasons. The Red has amazing crags, and spectacular climbs, for climbers of all levels. With steep solid sandstone climbs, the Red will provide climbers with many of new projects. There are leg strengthening hikes and great scenery, and lots of good pump out climbs. If you happen to make your way to the Red, be sure to check out Miguel's pizza, a climber's heaven. read more

Wonderful. Just like the Natural Bridge area, this section of the Red River Gorge is easily accessible . . . just off of the highway (though a little farther and on a well maintained gravel road for the last part). Also, just like the Natural Bridge hike, you get wonderful vistas for minimal effort/distance. Spring 2011: We hiked to Courthouse Rock to Double Arch and then (because we were tired) took the Auxier Branch Trail back to the gravel road and our parking area. You could just hike to Courthouse Rock, or part way to Courthouse Rock to enjoy the beautiful vistas. Pack a lunch and just sit and enjoy! Not very strenuous if you just stay on the ridge. The hike from Courthouse Rock to Double Arch is a bit harder and follows a stream for part of the way. We decided that although it made for a harder hike (husband was carrying baby on his back), we would still go bacxk to double arch. While, Natural Bridge is pretty specatcular (for it's size and impact), double arch is much more solitary, yet also very pretty--it reminded us more of some of the arches we visited in Utah. If you don't want to backtrack, then take the Auxier Branch Trail back--after you hike up the hill/steps (something between .5 and 1 mile I think?), it's pretty much a gentle downhill on a gravel road--not very scenic, but it will get you back to food and water and a bathroom quicker! (There are pit toilets at the beginning of the trailhead to Courthouse Rock. read more

2nd favorite place in Kentucky! stunning views, beautiful landscape and peaceful trails