RED RIVER GORGE
/When Nathan and I first met, one thing we had in common was our love for the outdoors. Hiking is something we have always enjoyed doing together, with Reggie too, of course! So we were super excited to find out that Kentucky has so many awesome places to hit the trails! Our very first Kentucky-hiking excursion was to Red River Gorge, you can watch the full experience HERE !! The Red River Gorge is part of the Daniel Boone National Forest, and has nearly 70 miles of hiking tails that wind through the forest.
Let me start off by saying, the drive alone is totally worth the trip to the Gorge! Talk about scenic! With picturesque winding roads, and cascading mountaintops, it is a truly beautiful drive! I can only imagine how awesome it will be in the fall, when all the leaves start changing colors! Our first stop was the Gladie Visitor Center. Call us dorks, but whenever Nathan and I visit a new hiking spot, we ALWAYS go to the visitor center. We like to get maps so we can plan out our stops for the day, plus the staff is usually super helpful in pointing you towards the best trails according to the length, ruggedness, or difficulty you are looking for!
So with our maps in hand, and the trails marked out for the afternoon, we set off for our first hike.
TRAIL #1: SKY BRIDGE LOOP
This was a super easy hike (ok lets be honest, it was more of a leisurely stroll) but the view was AMAZING! Just like the name suggests, there is a natural bridge made of stone that overlooks the entire gorge! The overlook from on top of the bridge was gorgeous, but we both thought seeing the natural sandstone bridge from below was even more incredible!
TRAIL #2: ANGEL WINDOWS
This was a fairly moderate hike. Nathan and I kept trying to guess what the “windows” were actually going to look like. Turns out, neither of us were right, they were actually natural cutouts in the rock cliffs that appear to be “windows”..... but it was still fun to try and guess! After the windows, the trail keeps going to a cool little waterfall!
TRAIL #3: CHIMNEY TOP
Another easy walk, but this one was recommended for the incredible overlook view….and man, it did NOT disappoint! The overlook gives you a 360 degree panoramic view of the gorge. You can view the Red River below, and we could even see people rock climbing on Half Moon Rock to the left. Definitely one the must-see stops!
Those were the 3 main trails we hiked for the afternoon. I forgot to mention that we did have Reggie, our cocker spaniel with us, and all 3 of these trails were not a problem for him (in case you like to take your dog everywhere you go, like we do) We stopped at one other trail that was kind of off the beaten path, but Nathan spooked me out about bears (we had no bear spray, plus Reggie was with us) so I made us turn back around! We can’t wait to go back to Red River Gorge for more hiking and mark some of the other trails off our list.
Whats your favorite hiking spot?? We love to travel so share some ideas with us in the comments below! Thanks again for reading, and stay tuned for our next hiking adventure and don’t forget to watch the FULL VLOG on first Red River Gorge hiking experience HERE !!
