Red River Gorge Underground Kayak Tour (Powell County, Kentucky)

 

After a good night's sleep at Hemlock Lodge, I awake and head off to my final adventure of this trip to the Red River Gorge area of Eastern Kentucky. For this one, I'll be doing something completely different - kayak underground. Gorge Underground runs a guide service that offers a short paddling trip through a flooded limestone mine just a mile or south from the lodge where I stayed last night. How could I resist something like that?

I arrive early and have to wait a short time for the other participants to show up, but we start pretty much on time. The guides go through a quick safety briefing and then we're off to climb into our boats. While I have my own kayak and have paddled a fair amount over the years, this will be my very first time using a "sit on" kayak instead of the traditional "sit in" type. Additionally, this guide company has a loading shoot, which makes it easier for the inexperienced to get into their boat without capsizing it - neat!

Soon, the twelve or so of us are on the water and admiring the gigantic rainbow trout that have been stocked in these waters (presumably to make it a little more interesting). A few lights have been placed underwater and give the dark cavern a sort of eerie feel. The fish seem to like the light and swarm near their placements. 

As we slowly paddle through the cavern, our guide tells us about the history of the mine, how it flooded when they accidentally hit a natural spring, and some of the interesting fossils discovered within, including the petrified roots of a gigantic tree in the ceiling of the cavern.

It's an interesting paddle though brief. I think we only paddled about a half-mile through the cavern before ending back where we started. The guides were very good and the overall experience was unique, but given the brevity, I wouldn't recommend going out of your way for it.

Original Natural Bridge Trail (Powell County, Kentucky)

 

My final hike for the day will take me to along the Original Natural Bridge Trail to the Natural Bridge for which Natural Bridge State Park is named. Yes, I said it that way on purpose to emphasize the Natural Bridge. Unlike most of my hikes though, the trail for this one starts just outside my the door to my room at the lodge - convenient. Knowing this is a short one, I drop my pack off in my room before heading out.

The humidity is pretty high and as I begin to ascend up the steep trail, I'm sweating pretty profusely. It's not all that challenging, but physical exertion in these conditions results in the need for a shower pretty quickly. The trail continues up a well traveled path and I pass quite a few hikers on my way up. Apparently, this is a pretty popular trail.

After only about a half-mile, I reach my destination. The trail approaches from almost directly below the natural bridge, which gives it a very majestic appearance. This another very large one and quite impressive, spanning roughly a hundred and twenty feet and rising perhaps eighty feet above its base. I walk around to get views from all sides, but soon my hunger gets the better of me and I decide to head back and grab a quick shower before heading to dinner at the lodge's restaurant. Tack on another 1.2 miles for the day - not bad.

Double Arch Trail (Powell County, Kentucky)

My plan for my next hike in the Red River Gorge area of Eastern Kentucky was to visit Star Gap Arch, which seems a really cool name. My plans changed a bit though and I ended up on the trail to Double Arch to the north of Star Gap Arch. After arriving in the parking area, I headed out on the well maintained gravel road. There are quite a few other hikers on this trail, but nothing overwhelming.

As I wander along the path, I take note of the carpet of poison ivy on either side of the road. I've had my battles with this treacherous plant since moving to this part of the country and have no desire to fight today. I do my best to avoid it. The road continues on around a curve and eventually, I begin to question my location. A quick check of the map indicates that I'm off of my planned route. No sooner do I notice this than I see a couple of hikers pop out from behind the tree line on a side trail. I ask where they are coming from and they inform me that they are returning from Double Arch. I thank them. Apparently, I missed a side trail further back that would have led me to my original destination, but since I'm here now, I decide to continue on to see Double Arch.

This will end up being the longest trail on my trip, but it's still pretty tame in terms of total miles. At one point, I'm presented with a sturdy wooden staircase to traverse down through a series of sandstone boulders while descending roughly thirty feet. It's easy enough, but it's always interesting to me to see these constructions so far out in the back country.

Soon, the trail begins to parallel a large sandstone cliff and I hear voices above me. I look up to see an arch through the tops of the trees. I don't really have a good view and the trail continues forward, leading me to believe it may take me to a better location for pictures. The trail quickly curls around to the other side of the cliff, which is actually more of a rock finger now that I have a better sense of it. It also leads up a series of switchbacks to deposit me right under the Double Arch. 

The arch itself is not as impressive as the previous one I visited, Gray's Arch, but it is unique in the fact that it has two crossbeams instead of the standard single, thus giving it the name Double Arch. What is impressive though is the view through the arch. Apparently, this sandstone finger was once a section of the cliff wall of the gorge and from here, I can see the opposing wall. It reminds me of Cloudland Canyon in Northern Georgia.

It's a great view, but late afternoon is settling in now and I still have another hike to get in before I call it a day. This one put another 4.7 miles on my trip odometer for the day, but it was definitely worth it for the view.

Gray's Arch (Powell County, Kentucky)

 

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.

Rock Bridge & Creation Falls (Powell County, Kentucky)

 

A couple of years ago while driving through eastern Kentucky, I came across Red River Gorge Geological Area. I didn't have the time to explore it during that trip, but made a note to come back at some point in the future. This weekend is that point. I drove the six or so hours after work on Friday night and stayed at a lodge at the nearby Natural Bridge State Park. 

Though I ended up sleeping in a little later than I had planned, I still got out pretty early to start exploring some of the nearby trails and natural wonders located within the area. The first couple of trailheads I drove to were either completely full or required some pretty serious off-roading to get to (I do miss my Jeep at times like this). Eventually though, I found my way to the parking area for Rock Bridge and Creation Falls. It was pretty busy here as well, but I managed to find a spot to park my Subi.

The trail is a small loop and as it was my first in the region, I really didn't know what to expect. It was easy going though; a pretty standard single track through the woods in Appalachia. At about the midway point, I reached Swift Camp Creek, which is little more than a shallow stream. Much of the surface here is made up of the same sand that formed the sandstone arches and natural bridges, which give the area it's notoriety. And there out of nowhere, the first one of my visit appeared before me just as I rounded a turn. 

I didn't recognize it at first due to the angle of my approach, but soon it became obvious that the Rock Bridge was right in front of me. This sandstone structure spans the creek about fifteen feet above the surface of the shimmery water. It connects the opposing banks; a distance of maybe fifty feet. Presumably the waters of the creek have eaten away at the soft sandstone over the centuries and eventually bored a hole through it, which has now become known as the Rock Bridge. It's a pretty cool feature.

Just a short distance further, I encountered the other highlight of this trail, Creation Falls. This two-tier water fall allows the creek water to plummet twenty or so feet into a large shallow pool before it continues downstream to the Rock Bridge. It's far from the most magnificent waterfall I've ever seen, but it is charming in its own way. A large family group is here taking in the scene and wading in the cooling waters. They ask me to take a picture of them in front of the falls. 

The return to the parking area is a little steep, but nothing crazy and I find myself back at the parking area a short time later. This trail was only about 1.8 miles, but is hopefully a good preview of what I should expect on other hikes in the area over the next couple of days.