Hiking Kentucky S Red River Gorge

Hiking Kentucky's Red River Gorge is the definitive guide to trails in the Red River Gorge Geologic Area, Natural Bridge State Park, and Clifty Wilderness. The book showcases 25 of the best hikes in the Gorge, as well as a back-of-book bonus on nearby trails. Distinguished from other Red River Gorge guides, this book provides readers not only with detailed maps, sharp photos, and individual-trail details, THIS guidebook outlines definitive hikes—ways to explore the area and enjoy its flora, fauna, and history. The easy-to-use layout treats each hike distinctly, as its own adventure. Because of this, the routes are detailed with photographs, maps, trail gradient information and, most importantly, ratings for key elements that make a trail appealing to a wide variety of people. This allows the reader to make informed decisions about which trails they will want to hike, which ones will be appropriate for children, and so on. Further, readers will discover how to combine trails and routes for a great hiking day or backpacking trip. This book is ideal for people who’ve never been to the Gorge, or even beginner hikers.

Hike and Backpack in Nature’s Stunning Beauty The rugged wilderness of Kentucky’s Red River Gorge is like no other. Dense forests, wondrous rock formations, and awe-inspiring views make it a paradise that’s waiting to be explored. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced hiker, you’ll find carefully maintained trails that are perfect for your needs. Hiking Kentucky's Red River Gorge is the definitive guide to the Red River Gorge Geologic Area, Natural Bridge State Park, and Clifty Wilderness. This updated, full-color edition by Kentucky author Sean Patrick Hill showcases 25 of the best hikes in the Gorge, as well as a selection of recommended nearby trails. The book’s easy-to-use layout treats each hike as its own adventure, presenting trail details, maps, full-color photographs, and tips for enjoying the flora, fauna, and history along the way. Ratings for key elements that make each trail appealing help you to quickly make an informed decision about which hike to choose for yourself or the whole family. Thrill-seekers will also discover how to combine routes into a longer adventure for a full day of hiking or even a backpacking trip. It’s everything you need to know to experience the famed Red River Gorge on foot.

The Red River Gorge's intricate canyon system features an abundance of high sandstone cliffs, rock shelters, waterfalls, and natural bridges, making it one of the world's top rock-climbing destinations. The Gorge, known for its unspoiled scenic beauty and numerous hiking trails, is one of Kentucky's most popular natural destinations, attracting over 500,000 visitors a year. While books about hiking, climbing, and other recreational activities in the area are readily available, Wildflowers and Ferns of Red River Gorge is the first book specifically devoted to the biodiversity of the Gorge and its watershed. Authors Dan and Judy Dourson introduce the geology and cultural history of the gorge but focus on the incredible diversity of both common and rare flora of this unique ecosystem. With over 1,000 color images and numerous illustrations covering over 1,500 species currently known to exist in the watershed, Wildflowers and Ferns of Red River Gorge is designed to be accessible to the casual hiker and of use to the seasoned naturalist. Rare and endangered species are highlighted as well as a few other important, but often ignored, non-flowering plant groups, including green algae, fungi, slime molds, lichens, and mosses. In addition, a small section on flowering woody vines, shrubs, and trees is included, making the book the most comprehensive natural guide to one of Kentucky's most well-known natural recreational areas.

The Red River Gorge region of Kentucky is unquestionably one of the most beautiful and unique outdoor areas in the eastern United States. Towering vistas, striking arches, rugged waterways,and countless other attractions combine to make the area a hiker's paradise. The Red River Gorge Trail Guide is the ultimate handbook for selecting, locating, and hiking the official trails of the Red River Gorge, Natural Bridge State Resort Park,and Clifty Wilderness Area. Eighty miles of trails are described and sorted according to quality, difficulty, and length. Detailed trailhead directions and descriptions are provided for each trail,while elevation profiles supply additional detail. Since 2005, the Red River Gorge Trail Guide has been an indispensable tool for those seeking to explore this amazing area. Updated 2020 edition.

The Red River Gorge has become Kentucky's most popular hiking and climbing area, and for good reasons. Its miles of rugged cliff lines and countless arches, all set against the backdrop of Daniel Boone National Forest, are difficult for outdoor lovers to ignore. Despite the area's countless attractions and popularity, however, visitors seeking information and accurate directions to many of the area's finest attractions, such as Indian Staircase, are likely to come up empty-handed, with incorrect information, or genuinely perplexed about things. The Forest Service, state park, and others one might expect to promote some of Kentucky's finest attractions are generally ignorant of, elusive about, or intentionally misleading about many of them. Consequently, visitors seeking in-depth information about the area must resort to word of mouth or spend hours surfing the internet for "the scoop" on destinations such as Eagle Point Buttress, Hopewell Arch, Copperas Falls, and countless others. Or they can simply purchase Hinterlands. For fifteen years, Hinterlands has provided hikers information about user-created trails in the Red River Gorge region, and many of these trails lead to jaw-dropping attractions. While primarily designed and intended as a simple hiking supplement, it has become the de facto guide to both well-known and obscure features in the area. Visitors looking for new trails, new attractions, arches, private camping spots, and other "insider" information about the Red River Gorge should begin with Hinterlands. The 2020 edition features new trails, new aerial photos, and more

"Documents fifty years of oral history from the rock-climbing community in Red River Gorge, Kentucky. Includes policy recommendations for building partnerships among climbers, local communities, and public land managers to encourage community development, ecotourism, and preservation"--