Tread the Red is ENGAGED!!

If you didn’t catch it from the title of this episode…Rachel & Darren are engaged! To everyone who also follows Tread the Red on social media, this is slightly old news…but we JUST got around to recording a podcast episode about it (because of course it happened at the Gorge). Anyway, this episode covers the weekend that it happened (12/10/22), the hike it occurred on, and the hike we took the next day with an unexpected trail guide.

In this episode we cover:
*Our stay at The Wilds (in The Willow)
*Sunset Point Trail at The Wilds with *trail guide*, Buddy!
*Rock Bridge Trail (and a proposal on top of Creation Falls!)

It was a great weekend and THANK YOU to everyone who had a part in making it super special. We love our RRG community, and we hope you have fun listening to this episode! More to come. 😉

Meanwhile, you can give Tread the Red a follow on Instagram/TikTok @tread_the_red or checkout the website, TreadTheRed.com to look up trail information/videos and more!

Also, if you have your own RRG story you would like to share, email it to treadtheredpodcast@gmail.com. We would LOVE to be able to start doing some Tread the Red #TrailTalk listener stories!

Hoods Up

Welcome to a very special episode of Tread the Red! Darren and Rachel got to sit down and chat with Josh, who runs “Your Friendly Neighborhood Cult” at The Hive, and Drew, who runs Questionable Activities Trivia!!
Darren and Rachel have talked about their stays at The Hive with Josh before on the podcast, but this is the first time of actually having Josh on to talk on the podcast. It was also super cool to also chat with Drew (after our first ever Skybridge Station Trivia experience!) – he has a lot of history within the RRG region, and has a lot to share (i.e. The Turtle Question). Anyway, y’all will just have to listen to this episode to hear about all the cool things Josh has been up to with The Hive (we swear, there is something cool and new every time we visit!!) and to hear some RRG story time from Drew.

Oh, and Darren and Rachel got engaged!! We’re covering that in the next episode though. 😉

We hope everyone has a great holiday season and stays warm with this cold front moving in! Happy hiking & exploring. 😀

Thank You For Being a Friend

Hi and welcome back to another episode of Tread the Red! Rachel has finally got her storage issues under control (not really) and we were able to record a new episode for y’all! It is a classic Rachel & Darren Gorge-Adventure-Time-Fun-Time.

In this episode we cover:
*Echo Cove – A cool random rock shelter right off the Sheltowee Trace. We don’t know if it has an official name, so this is what we’re calling it because the sounds were pretty neat there (also some good moss).
*Cave Creek overnight stay – we finally stayed overnight at Cave Creek in the RRG! This is a property of glamping cabins – you can rent one or all three! It was conveniently located to the Gorge proper and we had a great stay.
*Auxier Ridge Courthouse Rock Loop Trail – I know we’ve covered Auxier Ridge multiple times on the podcast, but like…it is an amazing trail (and you should totally do it if you haven’t yet! How many times are we going to have to tell you to hike this one…Haha!) BUT – adding a little VaRiETYyy – we hiked the Courthouse Rock Trail to make this entire hike a balloon loop (measuring out at about 5.7 miles). Definitely a good one to check out – especially in the winter, because the surrounding rock formations were really neat and surreal!

Things happening!!!:
*Tread the Red GIVEAWAY that is being hosted on Instagram! If you aren’t following, you can @tread_the_red and enter the giveaway! There will be 3 winners total and some neat stuff for each one 😀
*Skybridge Station/QA Trivia Ugly Christmas Sweater Party and Trivia Night Tuesday Dec.13th at 7 PM! Rachel and Darren are planning to be there, so come say hey and be on a team with us or compete against us….

Anywayyyyy – hope everyone is staying sane during the holidays and making sure to take time for yourself and go take a hike! Winter hiking is some of the best!

Butt Wedge Arch

Hi and welcome to Tread the Red Podcast where we talk about butt wedge rock scrambles on unofficial trails of the Red! 😀
Welcome.

In this episode, Rachel & Darren chat with Rachel’s mom, Denise, about a handful of hikes throughout the RRG.
There are what Rachel calls “rock scrambles”, copperhead run-ins, some trail *magic*, and unmarked trail adventures!

Hikes featured in this episode:
*Indian Staircase Bypass Trail/Indian Staircase loop/Adena Arch Trail
*Eagle Point Buttress Trail
*Daniel Boone Hut > Rough Trail > Grays Arch Trail
*Sky Bridge Trail
*Buzzards Roost South Trail
*Half Moon Arch

Thanks for listening! You can keep up with Tread the Red on Instagram & TikTok @tread_the_red or check out the website at TreadTheRed.com !

Castle Arch Overlook Trail

Castle Arch Overlook Trail is one of the Unofficial/Unmarked Trails of the RRG. This is a short & sweet trail that leads out to a pretty cool overlook! From the overlook, you will see Swift Camp Creek winding below and Castle Arch nestled into the neighboring ridge line.
***I accidentally titled this one “Camera Point Overlook” in my trail video…oops. If you wanna check out the ACTUAL Camera Point trail (also in this area!), look here!
The trail starts next to a large pull-off on the side of Sky Bridge Rd. It is only about 0.14 miles out to the overlook (so just a little over a quarter mile total!) Because of its location, this is a great one to add onto your hiking plans if you are already in the Sky Bridge area. This would be a pretty awesome spot for sunrise (and an easy and short hike to make sure you don’t miss it). If you’re more of a sunset person, check out my other trail video on Buzzards Roost South Trail!
Other things to note: It is a day-use only area. That means it is only open 6AM-10PM and there is no camping allowed.

Sheltowee Trace Trail Suspension Bridge

One of the iconic RRG landmarks is the Sheltowee Trace Suspension Bridge across the Red River! There is a parking lot designated to this “connector trail” right off of Route 715 (it branches off the road downhill and is gravel). I do not drive a 4WD vehicle and have never had issues getting back up this hill after parking (just FYI). There are also marked pull-offs on the side of 715 a little further down the road where the Sheltowee Trace Trail crosses 715 where you can jump directly on the trail and hike the hill down to the bridge, but these would be easy to miss if you aren’t familiar with the area! This is a really cool spot to check out – if you hike to the bridge from the parking lot it is about 0.5 miles (one way) and you will pass by “Jump Rock” (situated on the opposite river bank).

The Sheltowee Trace Trail runs 343 miles from the northern boundary of Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, KY to the southern boundary of Big South Fork NRRA in Scott County, TN. I believe in my video I said 319 miles. If you want to learn more about the Sheltowee Trace Trail, here are a few links:
https://www.sheltoweetrace.com/
https://sheltoweetrace.org/

Princess Arch Trail #233

Princess Arch Trail (#233) is part of the Official trail system of the Red River Gorge. This trailhead is located at the end of Chimney Top Road on the opposite side of the parking lot from Chimney Top Overlook Trail (#235). It is a short & sweet trail (0.25 miles “balloon” loop) featuring Princess Arch. When you arrive at the fork in the trail, you can choose to go either right or left (this is a loop, so you will end at the same fork!) – right will take you over the top of the arch first, while left will take you under. I prefer to go over and then under, because the underside is the coolest part (in my opinion). This is a good trail for kids, but there ARE drop-offs, so you will want to be aware of this. While you are in the vicinity, I would recommend also taking the short trek out to Chimney Top Overlook, because the views there are truly spectacular! You can get some awesome Gorge experiences right there in a short expanse of time/mileage if that’s your jam or if you wanna start/end the day with a bang. This is definitely a good trail for people who have never been to the RRG before.

Pippin Rates Trails

So, anyone who follows Tread the Red on Instagram knows that I love to hike with my dog, Pippin. He is a trooper and does a GREAT job hiking, and when he is tired, we carry him in a backpack – haha! I decided to post a video we made of Pippin rating some RRG trails (spoiler alert – he LOVES creeks). If you are ever trying to plan a trip with your furry hiking buddy, feel free to use the “Contact” page on my website to ask me for trail recommendations! There are definitely some “not safe for dogs” trails throughout the Red, but there are PLENTY of good and *safe* ones to choose from. 😀

*Disclaimer*:
Dogs should be leashed while hiking, but we do occasionally let Pippin get short bursts of “off leash privileges” on wide sections of trail without drop-offs/during less popular hiking seasons.
We know people hike with unleashed dogs regularly, but there are too many variables for things to go wrong when doing this! No matter how “well-trained” your dog is, there is always the possibility of a mistake or accident. Be safe out there – and that includes taking care of your dogs too! 🙂

Liz’s Arch

Liz’s Arch is located within Muir Valley. If you are unfamiliar with Muir Valley, I highly recommend checking out my other video/post that gives you the general information about Muir Valley (what it is/location/rules & regulations) and/or check out their website at https://muirvalley.org/ ! This is a great arch to add onto an outing to Horseshoe Falls! It is just a short detour from the Main Trail South on the way down to the valley. You will want to take a right at the sign for “Land Before Time” and head in that direction. To get from the parking lot to this arch is just half a mile (or slightly less)! This little arch is pretty neat and definitely something you’ll want to check out if you’re in the area.

Things to note during your trip planning to Muir Valley!:
*No dogs allowed in Muir Valley (I know, it sucks to have to plan without your furry friend(s), but don’t be THAT person that thinks they are above the rules) 😛
*There is a $10 parking fee
*Make sure to sign the waiver on their website before visiting!

I’m A Ghoul, I’m Not Cruel

This episode features a special guest – Darren’s brother, Dustin! Darren was hopeful that Dustin would be just as bad at remembering things as he is, but no such luck. Sorry, Darren. 😛

Anyway, if you listen to this episode, you will find out that Dustin went to the Gorge for the FIRST TIME EVER, which also happened to be his first ever hiking experience! What better way to be introduced to it than with the RRG?!

We visited on a *very* busy October weekend (peak Fall leaves season) and this is a rundown on what we explored:
*Tried to start with Auxier Ridge Trail – this is a trail I recommend to anyone visiting the Gorge for the first time! But, Tunnel Ridge Road was at max capacity and the Forest Service had it shut down. So, onto Plan B!
*We took a drive through the Nada Tunnel (pronounced, NAY-da) – this is also known as “The Gateway to the Gorge”, and rightly so!
*We stopped and took a quick hike out to the Sheltowee Trace Suspension Bridge across the Red River and proceeded down to Jump Rock!
*We drove along Route 715 and pulled off next to Bell Falls! We explored both Lower and Upper Bell Falls (and the area around Upper Bell Falls).
*We stopped on Sky Bridge Rd and visited Castle Arch Overlook and Buzzards Roost South (and had a run-in with a Carolina Wolf Spider)!
*Dustin was feelin’ fries, so we had to hit up Red River Rockhouse for dinner! We then stopped by Daniel Boone Coffee Shop to try their new “Dragon Punch” cocktail (super pretty color and tasty!)
*We did the Haunted Gorge Underground Kayak Tour! The Gorge Underground is an abandoned mine where you can rent kayaks to kayak underground! Every year they put on a “haunted” tour where there are “ghouls” and other frightening props and sounds to give you a truly sPOOooOky kayak tour!
*The next day we started with Rock Bridge Trail, where we saw Creation Falls and Rock Bridge!
*We then went back to Sky Bridge Rd and completed Sky Bridge Trail!
*We drove over to Chimney Top Road and hiked Chimney Top Overlook Trail and Princess Arch Trail (+Princess Arch Overlook bonus side trail!)
*We stopped at Sky Bridge Station for lunch (a great spot if you are already in the Chimney Top/Rock Bridge area of the Gorge)
*We then wrapped up our trip by taking the Sky Lift up to Natural Bridge (a great option if you are looking for a new experience, or if you are hiking with someone who may have difficulty making it to the top of the arch from the trails)!

Overall, I think we did a pretty good job of giving Dustin a “first time” Gorge experience.
Until next time!

You can follow Tread the Red on Instagram and TikTok @tread_the_red and check out the website at TreadTheRed.com where you can find more hiking information! I forgot to mention it in the episode, but we (Rachel and Darren) will also be set up at the Flea Off Market at the Germantown Gables (986 Swan Street, Louisville, KY 40204) on Friday 11/25 in Louisville!! Come by and say hi if you are in the area. 😀