Hike number two of this weekend in the Red River Gorge area of Eastern Kentucky takes me to a much larger sandstone arch hidden in the thick foliage of the area. Gray's Arch is one of the larger natural arches I have ever encountered (and during the time I lived out west, I've encountered a lot of them).
The trail to get to Grays' Arch is pretty straightforward and similar to most trails in this part of the country. After dropping down into a gigantic sandstone bowl, the massive arch becomes visible through the trees above me. It is apparently the opposite side of the bowl, where the center has eroded away over the eons to leave a this huge stone structure. It requires a little rock scrambling to get to the base of the arch, but nothing too crazy. The arch itself spans roughly a hundred feet and rises about this same height from it's base. It's pretty impressive as far as natural arches go.
After climbing around a bit on the rocks below the arch trying to get some good shots, I make my way back down the scramble and head back towards the parking area. This trail added about 3.1 miles to my total for the day, but there is still more to come.
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