Rock Bridge Trail (#207): WOW! This trail is one of the most popular loop hikes of the Red River Gorge and for GOOD REASON! Park at the parking lot at the end of the gravel Rock Bridge Road and hike this ~1.5 mile loop to see Creation Falls – a beautiful picturesque waterfall – and Rock Bridge – a natural sandstone arch that spans across Swift Camp Creek. According to the Forest Service, this is the only arch across water in the RRG region. This trail also features a cool rock shelter a short distance near the trail near the end of the loop (if hiking this trail clockwise like I do in this video!). This trail is perfect for kids and dogs and features a really cool sandy “beach” area near the waterfall. Definitely put this one on your list if you are visiting the Gorge area!
If Ya Like to Get Your Feet Wet ;) Waterfalls of the Red Pt.2
* Copperas Falls
* Hopewell Arch waterfall (yes, I know this isn’t really a WATERFALL, but it is also really pretty when water drains through the crescent moon opening in this arch so shhhh)
*Big Trickle Falls (or Rainbow Falls if you’re me)
* Eagle Point Buttress Falls
Also, some “Red” Alerts!:
* The Gladie Visitor Center will be reopening in late March! The weekend of April 1-3 will be filled with fun re-opening activities/events, so you should definitely mark your calendars! There are also a couple of job positions available (apply online at gofindoutdoors.org !) And if you have any further questions about employment, interest in volunteering, or if you are a local that wants to be involved with educational events, email Gladie@gofindoutdoors.org ! Also, go follow the site manager of the Gladie Visitor Center on Instagram at @adventures.with.britt !
*Applications for this year’s Red River Gorge Farmers Market are NOW OPEN! Apply at rrgfm.com
*MOSS MADNESS!! It’s happening!!! Email me your mossy submissions no later than the end of this month (February 28th)!!! Also, know that these submissions can be both serious nice moss shots OR goofy weirdo shots of you posing with a nice bed of moss. I’ve only got a couple goofy submissions so far, so I’m hoping to get a couple more. Get out there this week/weekend and snag some good ones! Email them to treadtheredpodcast@gmail.com.
Hope everyone is doing well and happy hiking!
Who Even Names These Anyway? Waterfalls of the Red Pt.1
Here are the waterfalls you can expect to hear about in this week’s episode:
* Lower & Upper Bell Falls
* Creation Falls (of Rock Bridge Trail)
* Okay…so this one is a waterfall of MANY names…you might know it as: Pooch Turtle Falls/Pooch’s Turtle Falls/Turtleback Falls/Turtle Falls – can be seen from above on the Swift Camp Creek Trail (very close to the intersection with Turtle Back Arch Trail).
* Henson’s Arch waterfall
* Whittleton Arch waterfall
* Upper Whittleton Falls (of Whittleton Branch Trail)
Whew! That’s a lot! If you liked this episode, keep an eye…ear?? out next week for the second installment of this series!
P.s. Waterfall season is NOW (winter/spring), so go chase some!
Rush Ridge Trail (#227)
Rush Ridge Trail: This is an official trail in the RRG and is used as a connector between Pinch-Em-Tight Trail and Rough Trail. To hike this trail, you can park at the Pinch-Em-Tight parking area along Tunnel Ridge Road and hike the Pinch-em-Tight trail to the first fork (about 0.3 miles), where you will take a left onto Rush Ridge Trail. There are plenty of trail signs to guide you at this intersection too!
Rush Ridge Trail itself is only 1 mile, but since it is a connector trail, you can create loops involving this trail to make your hike longer! Either way, I feel like this is an underrated trail of the Red. It is an easy ridge-top trail with some nice views and pretty forest surroundings. There is also a big downed tree that has been there for as long as I’ve been using this trail that has some really cool patterns in the wood! Check it out if you hike this trail.
Sky Bridge Trail #214
Sky Bridge Trail: This is a must-do hike – especially if you’re a new visitor to the Gorge. This is part of the official Red River Gorge trail system and features an iconic sandstone arch. This is a short loop trail – about 0.68 miles total. You can park at the Sky Bridge parking area, where the trailhead is located. I usually hike this one clockwise (like I do in this video), but you can chose to hike it counterclockwise if you want! Either way, you’re gonna be gaining/losing the same amount of elevation, but I think you have to climb more stairs (going up) if you hike it clockwise.
This one is gorgeous on top of the arch – it is definitely not super wide, so just watch the kids and the dogs if you’re hiking with them! Even though hiking across the top of the arch is a great experience, my personal opinion is that the real treat is underneath the arch! I will always recommend this hike as a sunset hike because the way the sun rays cast that nice “golden hour” light underneath the arch is just something truly magical. Some *Gorge magic*, for sure. 😉
There is also an iconic smaller arch under the main arch that provides the perfect “window” for pictures!
Camera Point Trail
Camera Point Trail: This is an official trail, but I honestly didn’t even know it existed until one of my best friends got married there in 2021! To hike this trail, park at the Sky Bridge parking lot and then cut over to the paved road that runs parallel to the parking area (kind of behind the restroom building). If you walk to the end of this section of the paved road, you will find the trailhead for Camera Point Overlook!
The sign says this trail is 0.25 miles, but I have a suspicion that it is even shorter than that! There is a paved accessible overlook within the first 200 feet of the trail, and then to continue down to Camera Point, you’ll need to skip down a couple stairs and continue out a (kind of?) asphalt path to the end! This is a gorgeous overlook! I can’t say for sure because I haven’t been there for it yet, but I would wager that this is a nice place for sunrise. You can see Sky Bridge over to the left and then Castle Arch across the valley to the right. Swift Camp Creek runs below you out to the Red River.
I do want to point out that since this is a beautiful area with a paved accessible path that there are wedding ceremonies that are held here – if you happen to visit when something special is taking place, please turn around and come back to visit later! 😉
The proximity of this trail to Sky Bridge (and a couple other unofficial trails in the area), will make this a sweet little addition to your trails for the day!
What Happens in the Gorge Stays in the Gorge
Hikes that we talk about on this episode:
* Castle Arch Overlook Trail
* Camera Point Overlook Trail
* Sky Bridge Trail
* Whistling Arch Trail
* Henson’s Arch Trail
* Rush Ridge Trail
* Veranda Overlook Trail
* Rough Trail (section from Rush Ridge to Pinch-em-Tight)
* Hanson’s Point
(Trails that do not have a clickable link do not have their trail videos uploaded on my website yet! You can check out my TikTok or Instagram where they might already be – if not, I am constantly working on recording these hikes and getting these videos put together for y’all!)
As always, you can follow me on Instagram and TikTok @tread_the_red and on Twitter @TreadtheRed. You can also check out my website at treadthered.com! Thanks for listening and happy hiking!
Jailhouse Rock Trail
Jailhouse Rock Trail: This is one of the many unofficial trails off of Tunnel Ridge Road! You will want to park at the Auxier Ridge Parking Lot at the end of the drivable part of Tunnel Ridge Road, and walk back the foot-traffic-only section of the road for about 0.71 miles to the trailhead for Jailhouse Rock Trail on the left. If you’ve hiked to Star Gap Arch before, the Jailhouse Rock trailhead is just a little farther down Tunnel Ridge Road. There are actually one or two spots along the Jailhouse Rock Ridge that you can see Star Gap Arch! Super cool. This hike is about 1.35 miles out to the Jailhouse Rock Overlook from the trailhead. In its entirety (back to the parking lot), the whole route is about 4.12 miles. It is super easy to add on other hikes in the area as well if you are looking for more mileage! It is located right by Star Gap Trail, Double Arch Trail, the Rocky Branch Overlook Trails, Auxier Ridge (and more!). This trail has multiple different overlooks, and I’ve highlighted 3 prominent ones in this video.
Random RRG fact: The proposed Red River dam (from the 1960s) would have been located right beneath the Jailhouse Rock Overlook. I’m so happy that we still have the beautiful Gorge surroundings to hike through and marvel at instead of what would have been a big bathtub-like lake.
Anyway, this hike is a good one if you’re interested in some awesome overlooks and a *little* bit of rock scrambling. Also, the path onto the Jailhouse Rock Overlook gets very narrow at one point – with drop offs on either side – so just be careful! Especially when hiking with dogs!
Hanson’s Point Trail
Hanson’s Point Trail: I promise you, you’re gonna wanna hike this one! One of the most outstanding overlooks of the Gorge! This is an unofficial “unmarked” trail, but it has gained a lot of popularity, so the trail is not hard to follow. The only places that could be a little troublesome are the points where you have to traverse through big open campsite areas along the ridge. Hopefully this video will help!
Anyway, put this one on your list. The views from Hanson’s Point are incredible. You gain new perspectives on other well known Gorge landmarks such as Chimney Top Rock, Cloud Splitter, and Half Moon.
The trailhead for this one is located along a section of Rough Trail very close to where the Rough Trail intersects the Pinch-em-Tight trail. The Hanson’s Point Trail itself is only 0.93 miles out, but adding in the hiking to reach the trailhead, it is a little over 2.63 miles one way. You can park at the Pinch-em-Tight parking lot on Tunnel Ridge Road to hike this trail. This trail is not difficult because there aren’t any “big climb” sections. There are severe drop offs on the overlook, so just please be aware of that and be careful while you’re out there! I use a leash with a locking mechanism for my dog when I hike with him in the Gorge. 🙂
Check out the videos below for trail information and views from Hanson’s Point!
Henson’s Arch Trail
Henson’s Arch Trail: This one is actually part of the Natural Bridge State Park trail system. While most trails within this state park are NOT dog friendly, Henson’s Arch Trail is one of the two that are! We love a good dog friendly trail. 🙂
You aren’t going to want to miss out on this one! The point of interest – Henson’s Arch – is really more like an arch/cave/waterfall all-in-one! The trailhead is located in Whittleton Campground on the tent-only side. You will not be able to park in the campground (unless you’re camping at the campground, which I recommend!), but there is a parking lot across the street that you can use.
This trail is about 0.31 miles out to the arch and is an out-and-back (so 0.62 miles round trip). Look for the wooden footbridge at the trailhead, and then after crossing, immediately start gaining elevation. I would call this a relatively easy trail, but you will want to watch your footing if hiking in snowy/icy weather like we are in this video, or even just in wet conditions.
Fun Fact – Henson’s Arch is one of the Gorge’s limestone arches! I can usually tell the limestone arches from the sandstone ones because the limestone ones have more of a “chunky” appearance (in my opinion).
Be sure to follow me on Instagram @Tread_the_Red for more RRG content!
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