Things To Do
RedPoint Barbeque
This place was big, with a brand new (this April) patio. Great spot for group meals, especially because you can try more stuff at once. -Nashville Chick: had no right to be as crispy as it was -Broccoli Salad: We were skeptical, and we were wrong. Definitely a must try -The Baked Bean, and The Baked Sweet Potato: both amazing sides. -The Peach Cobbler: A great way to end the meal if you have room left. (dessert goes in a different stomach, right?)
Daniel Boone Coffee Shop
Restaurant, coffee shop, general store, & campground. A bit on the smaller side for a breakfast place, but there was a whole extra seating area we didn't realize until we were leaving. -Drip coffee & latte were both delicious -The Cinnamon roll was very good -Biscuits & Gravy were tasty, but we agreed the biscuits were the wrong texture. Still worth getting. -Egg sandwich was also good -Camping was $3/person/night.
Hop's
Easy to drive past this place by accident, its 4 shipping containers making a building. Food until 9pm, but drinks until everyone leaves. Huge covered deck & patio, all outdoors (not sure if they enclose it for fall) It shares a parking ares with some hikes, and the climbing area known as "The Zoo". -Farm to Table, so a new menu everyday. -Incredible beverage menu, didn't count, but at least 50 beers, mostly local. -Mocha Bread Pudding was incredible. -LGBT+ friendly
Sky Bridge Station
This placed looked so inviting when we kept driving by it, and we were not disappointed when we finally stopped for dinner. -Beers on tap were mostly local, and a good selection -Ice Cream across the street for dessert! -Nachos were stacked with a good amount of toppings -Quesadilla good size, and great filling options. -LGBT+ friendly
The Wicked Wolfe
This Place was a nice little breakfast spot. Family owned & operated, it is also a general store, and a stocked fishing lake. -The biscuits & gravy was a decent choice for some pre-hike fuel -Cinnamon Roll pancakes were yummy, and a big serving.
The Brick
Coffee & Ice Cream, across the street from Sky Bridge Station. not much more to say here, it was good scoops and a good milkshake.
Miguel's Pizza
Miguel's Pizza; Campground? Climbing Pro-shop? Pizza Restaurant? Trick question, its all 3! This place is the hub of climbing in The Red. This isn't NY pizza, but after a long day of climbing it sure does hit the spot. The picnic shelter will likely be full of people sharing stories of the day's efforts.
Chimney Top Rock & Princess Arch Trailhead
This trailhead is the end of a 5 mile long gravel road. It was in decent condition, and we saw all kinds of cars out there. No need for a 4x4, just know its a long gravel drive. Each of these hikes is about 0.5 mile round trip. Princess Arch is a dirt trail with a lot of roots, and a bit of a tricky step down onto the actual arch (the sandstone can get slippery). Chimney Top Rock is mostly paved, though not necessarily maintained. It offers stunning sunset views, and is good for all abilities. One of the few places with railings & benches!
Sky Bridge Trail
Sky Bridge Arch is a very easy walk. Mostly Paved with great views all around. If you take the path of least resistance it will bring you to the top of the arch first. If you just want the view, it is a quick walk back to the car, or you can go down a few stairs and be able to walk under the arch. After that a short stroll through the woods will bring you back to where you started. There is a fork off the parking lot that takes you to a viewing area where you can look back at the arch you just crossed and learn about how they are formed.
Gray's Arch & Rush Ridge Trail
This Hike is at the end of a gravel road, no need for 4x4, just know what you're getting into. This hike had a decent amount of elevation gain & loss for the area (my strava says 694 ft. Not a ton, but this is a less flat trail than most). A meandering hike through the woods leads to Greys Arch, the cave next to it turns into quite a stunning waterfall if any rain has happened in the previous day or two. Continuing down through the woods we found some adorable stairs cases to bring us up to the top of Rush Ridge. The ridge had good tree cover, but would occasionally surprise us with a clearing and amazing views off either side.
Auxier Ridge & Court house rock loop Trailhead
Another Gravel road drive! This trail was stunning, and included a section of unimpeded views from the top of a 30' wide ridge. We did the medium length loop which included taking the lower trail back from Courthouse Rock. There is a longer length that goes to Double Arch, but we unfortunately didn't have time the day we were there. If you're up for a longer (4-8 miles depending on variation) trek with some elevation (this one was around 900ft total) this is absolutely a must do.
Halfmoon Arch
This was a fairly easy, though unpaved hike. A bit tricky to find the trailhead, but once there, not hard to find the trail. It is just before the Princess Arch & Chimney Top trail, so you can easily do several from 1 drive. If you have the shoes for it there is also a scramble at the end that is supposed to lead to an incredible view. 37.8214886, -83.6154075 (///responses.borders.conductor)
Angel Windows Trailhead - Red River Gorge
Another short hike on the road to Princess Arch. Leads to a cool double arch that opens to an amphitheater like cliff.
Natural Bridge State Resort Park
The namesake of the state park! A short out & back to Balanced Rock then a loop to Natural Bridge followed by Rock Garden Trail. Depending on conditions this may be doable as a singular loop, but the connection was closed when we visited. A well maintained dirt trail with some most of the up portion concentrated towards the arch. We did this 3.3 mile route in about 90 minutes. For those less interested in the walk there is a chair lift that takes you to the top of the arch. To go from between top & bottom was a fun squeeze to some nice stairs.