A Hot New Bombshell Enters The…Gorge
Trails/Points of Interest Specifically mentioned:
*Tarr Ridge East/Extravaganza
*Whites Branch Arch
*Ramp Arch
*Twilight Arch and Overlooks
As always, thanks for listening and if you are interested you can follow us on Instagram and TikTok @tread_the_red or check out our website TreadTheRed.com.
Side Quests! – Lisbon Pt. 2
Anyway, you’ve stumbled upon one of our special “Side Quest” episodes! This episode features our Day 2 itinerary during our honeymoon in Portugal – specifically featuring Lisbon. We talk about the Feira da Ladra (Lisbon’s most iconic market), sight seeing in the area including the Lisbon Cathedral, the LX Factory, and Lisbon Under Stars at the Carmo Convent ruins.
We wanted to point out that we recorded this episode back in the beginning of March of this year, so there are some current event details at the beginning of the episode that are very much out of date. Sorry!! Rachel has been very bad about posting these. Oops.
We know we veer away from The Gorge during these “Side Quest” episodes, but we hope you all still love them nonetheless!
If you do, and you want to see more “Side Quest” content – you can follow @ttr_sidequests on Instagram and TikTok!
If you are like I HATE THIS CONTENT – please skip the episodes starting with “Side Quests!” and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @tread_the_red – SPECIFICALLY Gorge content. ❤
Thank you for listening and supporting and we hope everyone is having a great summer and staying hydrated!
What Happens When Darren Isn’t There
The trail(s) featured in this episode are:
*Koomer Ridge Trail
*Buck Trail
*Pinch-em-Tight Trail
*Rough Trail
More specifically, we hiked a loop that encompasses all of these trails and is close to 8 miles long! We definitely recommend it if you are looking for a longer and more challenging hike. You’ll cross multiple creeks though – so be prepared (especially if water levels are higher).
We also include a short section to discuss how someone tried to impersonate us by making a fake Tread the Red Reddit account – if you saw any posts by a user “tread_the_red” on Reddit, that wasn’t us! We actually have a Reddit account called “TreadTheRed” (no underscores). We don’t really use it, but that is the real one. Anyway, we just wanted to be very clear that we had nothing to do with the fake account or any of the stupid things they were posting! We would never want to spread hate and misinformation about the Gorge like they did. ❤
Anyway, we hope everyone is having a great summer and staying hydrated! The RRG Farmers Market is in full swing and you can catch it every Saturday at the Natural Bridge chairlift lawn from 10AM-2PM. We highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the area!
Stay tuned for another “Side Quest” episode featuring our trip to Portugal – we recorded the episode MONTHS ago, so there is some outdated current event information at the beginning, just FYI.
Thank you to everyone who listens and supports us! You can follow us on Instagram/TikTok @tread_the_red
Living in Bummer Times
Welcome to the first Tread the Red episode of 2025! We took a little break and we’re going to try and stay more up to date with recording this year. 🙂
We get to talk about several new-to-us places and hikes that we’ve done this year so far. These include:
*Devils Market House Arch – located in Menifee County (a short drive from the main RRG area). This one is an out-and-back hike and right around 2 miles round trip (short and sweet)! Most of the trail is on a road used by off-roading vehicles (so be prepared to step to the side if necessary) and up on a ridge top. The actual arch is a free standing structure and unlike anything we’ve ever seen before – soooo cool and definitely worth the side trip from the Gorge to check out!
*We explored a new-to-us section of the Rough Trail! – This section goes from route 715 to Chimney Top Rd and is about a 2 mile stretch. It dips down from the ridge and crosses parched corn creek and then raises back up to the ridge again! We did this one when it was still pretty snowy and icy and it was so cool seeing all the icicles hanging everywhere and we even saw a fully frozen waterfall!
*Dappled Light property exploring – our friends are the new property managers at Dappled Light (a cabin/glamping spot in the Gorge – we’ve done an episode on them before if you look back a bit!). We got to explore around the property and check out a massive waterfall, a cool rock overhang wall, and a sweet overlook that would be perfect for sunrise!
*Joe Ponder Double Falls – a new-to-us double waterfall nestled in Muir Valley! We hiked with some good friends back to see these falls for the first time and it was a fun adventure – we had to cross the creek multiple times and the water was…pretty high?? So we had to get creative with our crossing technique. The falls were beautiful and felt otherworldly and we even got to see the upper falls SUPER flowing.
We wanted to also bring up some important things going on right now:
*SB89 – Kentucky’s water is on the line! This bill would erase protections for Kentucky’s groundwater, headwater ephemeral streams, and many wetlands – leaving them vulnerable to pollution. That means more contaminated drinking water, higher treatment costs, and greater flood risks for our communities. If you haven’t already, please take action and call your legislators! You can check out @kwalliance on Instagram for more information.
*Our hearts go out to all of the National Park Service and Forest Service workers who abruptly lost their jobs recently. This decision will also affect the RRG area – an area that sees over a million visitors per year – and was already struggling with having enough people to manage the area BEFORE the firings…We can do our part to help keep the Gorge gorgeous for years to come by following #LeaveNoTrace. We can also do small things while out recreating this summer and fall such as bringing a trash bag along to collect trash while you’re on the trail or bringing some extra water in case you come across an abandoned campfire that wasn’t fully put out. This will go a long way if everyone who visits just does a few small things. Tread the Red is tentatively planning to host a couple trash collecting outings this summer as well! Keep an eye out on our Instagram – we will post any plans there.
Once again, thank you for listening! We know you all love the Gorge as much as we do, and that is such a good feeling!
The Perfect Crime
It’s another Darren-Rachel-Gorge-Time-Fun-Time-Adventure-Time episode! We’re going back to September in this episode with a backcountry camping trip and a couple of cool hikes!
We camped on a neat trail with a REALLY cool overlook with our friends LeighAnne, David, Brittney, and Joey! If you have a copy of the “Hinterlands” by Jerrell Goodpaster, he refers to this trail as “Chimney Top Road Trail N” – there is a camp spot up to the left right after the trail starts, and if you keep going, there is another camping spot further in and that’s the one we stayed at. We wanted to camp at the third camp spot closest to the overlook, but someone had already taken it by the time we got there (first come/first serve with these backcountry spots!). Even if you are just hiking for the day, we totally recommend giving this trail a go (adding it on to your other hikes in the Chimney Top area) and checking out the overlook – it is situated right between Chimney Top Overlook and Half Moon, so you get cool views of both with Pinch-em-Tight gap/Revenuer’s Rock, etc! Such a good spot for sunset too.
We also hiked Rush Ridge to Veranda Overlook – right around 3.5 miles round trip from the Grays Arch picnic area. This one is nice because it isn’t a super challenging hike and it leads out to another amazing overlook. Veranda Overlook is best for sunrise but it is pretty at all times. 🙂 Usually when we hike this one, it is part of a longer loop (either looping together Grays Arch + Veranda and back Rush Ridge or you can keep going on Rough Trail and connect to Hanson’s Point and then back Pinch-em-Tight for an even longer loop)…it makes more sense if we had a map to show you – haha.
The last hike we cover is taking one of the Adena Arch direct trails (the one we haven’t done before) up to Adena Arch and then hiking clockwise to Indian Staircase and then down the Indian Staircase Bypass Trail. This one was around 3.69 miles for the whole loop, but it is a more challenging trail than Rush Ridge to Veranda. It’s definitely an epic trail though and it was neat getting to hike around more of the top section of the Indian Staircase rim (skipping the rim section that is very narrow with a drop off) and then hiking the Bypass trail down instead of up (we’ve only ever gone up).
Anyway, we hope everyone is doing well and that December is starting off good! The Gorge got a good snow last night/this morning and is looking so pretty! ’Tis the season!
We just restocked Rockhouse with more stickers, so if you’re looking for stocking stuffers and a good meal, you can head there! We also dropped off more framed prints and some original painted wood slice incense holders to the RRG Earth Shop!
You can follow us on Instagram @tread_the_red or at @ttr_sidequests (this page is reserved for things we’re up to that aren’t the RRG, whereas Tread the Red will always stay RRG only)!! Happy hiking!
Sidequests! – Lisbon Pt. 1
Okay, so like…we ARE a Red River Gorge Podcast…BUTTTT, sometimes we cheat on the Gorge (shhh!!) and we thought at least some of you may be interested in hearing about it. We’ve dubbed the name “SIDEQUESTS” because in this episode we will be talking about a place very very far away from the Gorge – Lisbon, Portugal! I know, I know…we ARE still Tread the Red, but we travel some other cool places too and we want to share it with you all! If you’re not a fan, just skip the ones that begin with “Sidequests” and it’ll be all good (and Gorgey).
Anyway, this is the first episode in our first Tread the Red mini-series: Sidequests, featuring our honeymoon trip to Portugal. First up is Lisbon! We stayed here for a few days after flying in to Portugal, and it was so cool! There was intricate tile work EVERYWHERE..the roads, the sidewalks, the buildings!! So amazing. Some of the things we cover in this first episode:
*Livraria Bertrand – the world’s oldest operating bookstore! This thing was founded in 1732 and holds a Guinness Book of World Records.
*We talk about the famous Pastel de Nata – a famous Portuguese egg custard tart pastry…the monks were crafty with their leftover egg yolks back in the day and made something super yummy!
*Time Out Market – a food hall that reminded us of Logan St Market in Louisville (but bigger and more crowded)…there was a super neat tree right outside that was the star of the show (in our opinion).
We know this is kinda a big departure from our usual content, but we promise we get into some super cool hikes once we cover the Madeira section of this first Sidequests mini series!
Thanks for listening (if you choose to) and you can follow us on Instagram at: @tread_the_red OR at our new page @ttr_sidequests ! This new page will document our experiences outside of the RRG. Don’t worry, Tread the Red is not going anywhere and we will be back with another Gorge-centric episode soon!
P.S. The Winter Market for the RRG Farmers Market is happening THIS SATURDAY, November 16th at the Woodland Center in Natural Bridge State Park from 10AM-2PM! Be sure to swing by and check it out if you’re in the area. 🙂
The Terminus Hole
It’s another Darren & Rachel fun-time-adventure-time-Gorge-time episode! Thanks for listening to Tread the Red – a podcast all about the Red River Gorge in Kentucky.
On this episode we discuss our recent loop hike – Auxier Ridge > Auxier Branch > Double Arch AND a new-to-the-podcast arch: Big Hole Arch.
The Auxier Ridge to Double Arch loop takes you along Auxier Ridge complete with panoramic views, dips you down into the valley, and then brings you all the way back up to the opposite ridge for Double Arch! You can even opt to scramble up to the top of Double Arch, which is known as “The Observatory” and offers more panoramic views of the surroundings (and Auxier Ridge across the way)! This loop is about 7 miles (maybe a bit more) and is pretty strenuous because of the elevation gain – so be prepared with lots of water + snacks!
Big Hole Arch is a super cool arch located near Military Wall. While Military Wall is a climbing destination – we totally recommend checking it out if you are in the area (Martins Fork Rough Trail) because there are lots of cool rock formations to check out (including this amazing arch). There’s also a super cool rock that is totally now one of Rachel’s top RRG rocks!! IYKYK. The trail to Big Hole Arch is a little over 0.25 miles out (at most 0.5 miles) – sorry guys – we did not track the mileage when we hiked this one (oops). So, let’s just say it tops out somewhere between 0.5-1 mile round trip! Not bad. Easy to add on to a longer hike in the area! 😉
RRG NEWS: Tread the Red will be set up at the RRG Farmer’s Market Labor Day Weekend (Saturday August 31st) from 10AM-2PM. It’s located at the sky lift parking lot area of Natural Bridge State Park! We’ll also be in the area from Friday-Sunday, so if you wanna hang out/maybe do a hike together, let us know!
Thanks for listening and you can follow us on Instagram at: tread_the_red
Special Guest: Featuring April with Hop’s!
Welcome to Tread the Red Podcast – a podcast all about the Red River Gorge here in Kentucky! Rachel and Darren got to sit down with a very special guest – April Reefer – to talk about her business, Hop’s Beer Garden and Restaurant!
If you’ve listened to any other episodes of the podcast, it’s likely you’ve heard us talk about Hop’s! It is one of our favorite places to grab a drink and some food after a full day of hiking (Pippin also loves Hop’s) 😀
Hop’s is a farm to table restaurant – supporting local farmers in the area and providing a rotating menu based on what food is in season! They also offer a variety of beers and cocktails (and mocktails!) to choose from. They are located here (a convenient location for all the Gorge activities) and are across the street from the Graining Fork Nature Preserve (+ Roadside for you climbers that listen). April also offers two shipping container rentals located right above Hop’s! These are called the “Graining Fork Container Rentals” and are also one of our favorite places to stay when we visit the Gorge – they are dog friendly, always clean, and have the perfect amenities to make our stay comfortable! Oh, and you can’t beat being able to just walk downstairs for drinks and food after a long day of hiking (and there is a creek out back that Pippin is obsessed with, so you know…)
We recorded this episode the day after Hop’s celebrated its 4 year anniversary! Woohoo!!
Here’s where you can find Hop’s and the Graining Fork Container Rentals online:
*Website
*Graining Fork Container Rental 1
*Graining Fork Container Rental 2
*Instagram: @hops_at_rrg & @grainingfork_container_rentals
You can check their website for updates on hours, but as of today:
Taco Tuesday 1-9PM
Hibachi Wednesday 2-9PM
Friday 2-9PM w/ Happy Hour 5@5
Saturday: Breakfast 9:30-11:30AM, Lunch and Dinner 11:30AM-9PM
As always, thank you for listening – we hope this episode inspires you to check out Hop’s on your next visit to the RRG!
If you love the pod, please rate and review wherever you listen – feel free to email us with your Gorge questions or if you have a Gorge story to share: treadtheredpodcast@gmail.com
Gorge Magic Inquiry or Enquiry?
Now, on to the episode STUFF. We have a backlog of trails and Gorge things to discuss since we have been super sporadic about recording. This week’s episode features more “new-to-us” (and to the Pod) trails:
*We went to the top of Grays Arch! While we have visited Grays Arch (in the normal way underneath) plenty of times, this was our first time being on TOP of the arch! No, we did not climb up the side of the arch, but the way we took did require a small rock scramble “slide” section. This is *about* a 2-mile round trip from the Grays Arch parking area and is partially “unmarked trail”.
*Middle and Upper Chimney Top Falls (and Lower Chimney Top Falls from above) – This is an unmarked trail that begins along Hidden Arch Trail. It was definitely a rhododendron adventure, but was so much fun (and Upper Chimney Top Falls is magical)! Pippin also enjoyed the included creek walk. 😉 This one is about a 3-mile round trip.
If you’re a visual person and want to see these trails/spots, check out our Instagram page! We post all of our adventures there and we usually do a “recap” post when we publish the podcast episode!
Gorge Update stuff:
*The RRG Farmers Market is in full swing! Check it out on Saturdays from 10-2 at the Natural Bridge Skylift lawn!
*You can find Tread the Red specific merch at: The Earth Shop – prints and paintings, Red River Rockhouse – lots of stickers, dog bandanas, and postcards, and the Daniel Boone Coffee Shop – dog bandanas!
We also just created a new dog bandana design (green background) and new “Gorge Magic” t-shirts (a muted darker green and a golden color) and holographic stickers!
If buying straight from me, the dog bandanas are $12 for small, $16 for large, the t-shirts are $25 each, and the stickers are $3 each! If interested, you can message me on instagram or email me at TreadTheRedPodcast@gmail.com
Thanks for listening and hopefully everyone is staying well hydrated in the heat we’ve been having! Happy hiking!
Tread the Red 