Red River Gorge Road Trip

I took a road trip down to meet my wife and friends for a climbing trip in Red River Gorge, Kentucky. I hadn't been but was happy to check out the Daniel Boone National Forest and surrounding mountains.

Austin and I left Wednesday afternoon with our sights set on Indian Dunes National Park. We hit some bad traffic in both Chicago and Indiana but made it in about two and half hours. We arrived right before sunset and spent some time walking on the beach. We parked near Porter Beach, walked up Devil's Slide and then down the beach.

You can clearly see Chicago. It was pretty neat. It was really windy and not too busy.

We stayed at the Dunewood Campground. It was nice but a little noisy all night since it's right near the train tracks. I just slept in the back of the Jeep with Austin. With a camping pad and the seats all the way forward, it's pretty comfortable. Austin was ready to go in the morning.

We stopped at Lake View Beach and walked for a half hour or so before our next leg. We were the only ones out there. It was nice weather and super peaceful. After the beach, we drove through the Beverly Shores neighborhood and checked out the 1933 Chicago World's Fair Century of Progress homes.

Our next stop was Louisville, KY. It was mostly smooth sailing, aside from some traffic in construction near Indianapolis. I didn't really stop for anything and just rolled through the flat country and wind turbines. I needed to get to the Louisville Slugger factory by 3:30 PM for a tour.

After a quick walk along the river with Austin, I tucked him away in the Jeep and headed over to the factory. I had made reservations beforehand, and it was only about 30 dollars.

The tour was pretty neat, overall. It wasn't super long (less than an hour) but you learn a lot of the history, origin of the wood, bat making process and cool facts about baseball. They were currently producing bats for the 2024 World Series. I would definitely recommend this tour if you are in town.

After the tour, I set out to find some food and some whiskey. Near the factory, you'll find Whiskey Row with a lot of distilleries and bars. I walked Austin a couple miles up and down before settling on Merle's Whiskey Kitchen based on the fact that dogs were allowed inside and out. I got chicken and waffles. It was fine but not my favorite. I also had one of their flights, which was also only ok. Folks were super friendly, but I'd probably find somewhere else next time.

After dinner, I had to catch up on some work and check into the hotel. Austin made sure to stand watch. I stayed at the Homewood Suites. Great location and nice hotel. Not too pricey and breakfast is included.

The next morning, I had more work to take care of and took Austin for a walk before making our way to the mountains. I probably would have liked to stay another day in Louisville but would have been easier without a dog. That said, I was really excited to get out of the city and into the woods.

I was a bit early to check into the AirBNB cabin we had rented so I headed into the Red River Gorge Geological Area. I drove down Nada Tunnel Road. It was surprisingly narrow with pretty steep drops. I'm no newcomer to steep mountain roads but I have to admit, this had me on edge a bit. Some folks were super nervous while others were flying around curves.

I eventually stopped at Tower Rock trailhead. Austin and I were the only ones out there. It's a short trail but had some pretty beautiful rocks near the top.

After Tower Rock, we made our way to the Copperas Creek Canoe Launch so I could let Austin romp in the water. There were more cars but no one down by the river. The river was not passable by canoe. The fall colors were really popping down here. There is a tall concrete bridge over the river.

I finished our Sky Bridge Road thinking of how awesome of a road bike ride it would be if there were no cars. I made my way to Stanton to by some provisions requested by the group flying in late that night. After this, I headed to our cabin off Glencairn Road. The had was nestled in a hollow, down a steep road with a couple of other places. It was really awesome. It had a big deck overlooking the hollow and nestled right up against the rocks.

I spent some time getting settled in and playing some banjo on the porch. It was nearly 80 degrees in October, so I took advantage of the weather. Austin was happy to be out of the car.

Just before 8 PM, I headed to the Gorge Underground to do an underground, kayak tour of the limestone mine. The mine runs about 5 miles underground and is flooded. They've filled the mine with lights and stocked trout. The tour was pretty neat, and I think it's totally worth the price. While I wouldn't say it's the most interesting mine I've visited, I did enjoy it. Alex and Zack gave a great tour and knew their facts about the place.

The next day, the group had arrived and set on climbing. Red River Gorge is a climber's paradise. I was pretty shocked at how many people were there doing so. I decided to take the Jeep off road. I used OnX Offroad to find some low-key roads to run without getting into too much trouble. My Jeep is sorely in need of tires, and I didn't want to get stuck. I ran Bald Rock Fork to Cave Fork in Pendergrass Murray Recreational Preserve. It wasn't super gnarly but I got the Jeep muddy. It was mostly just stream crossings, lots of ruts and rocks and a bit of mud.

After wheeling for a while, I decided to get some lunch at RedPoint. This had to the best brisket I've ever had. The place was propped up on a hill overlooking the fall colors. You also get way more food than you could ever eat for a reasonable price ($21). I liked it so much; I convinced the crew the head out the night before we left.

I headed back to the cabin, prepped some food for dinner and watched some football before calling it a night.

The next day, I decided to make a trip up to Cave Run Lake to avoid the increasing crowds in Red River Gorge. It was the weekend and climbers were out in force. I brought my fishing gear, bought a license and drove the hour up to the shore. The lake was beautiful and very quiet. I fished for a couple hours with no luck. That said, the shore is surrounded with fishing locations. The Windy Bay fishing point was great, but I was a bit bummed by how much trash people leave behind.

After fishing for a while, I headed to Caney Trail, which runs from the dam at the end of the lake around the shore. It was a great place to let Austin run around and plop around in the water. It's part of the Sheltowee Trail that runs through a lot of the area.

Once Austin was good and wet, I headed into Moorehead to Sawstone Brewing. It was really quiet on a Sunday afternoon but had solid beer and the Packers on TV. I headed back to our cabin, and we went to RedPoint with the group for some more BBQ later that night.

The next day, we packed up and I had some time to kill before our 3 PM meet up where I would pick up the climbing gear and head back up north. I tried to Jeep down a hollow near Muir Valley. I ended up turning around after the road got a little too gnarly for me to deal with but let Austin run around a bit. We found another low creek.

Once I made my way back into town, we headed up to the gorge and parked at Pitch-Em-Tight and hiked the ridge. Austin had to be on leash as it was way more popular than the places we had been hiking earlier. That said, it was very beautiful

After meeting up with the climbers and grabbing the gear, I started making my way north again. My destination was Turkey Run State Park in Indiana. It was about 4.5 hours from our place in KY. I arrived at my campsite around 8 PM and setup the Jeep for camping, watched a movie on my phone and slept until about 7 AM with the plan to hike in the park.

After making my way down to the river and over the suspension bridge, I was actually a bit shocked at how beautiful this area was. I haven't held Indiana wilderness in the highest regard but his certainly challenged that. The Rocky Hollow Canyon was probably one of the more beautiful areas I had been on this trip.

After a good long hike around the park, Austin and I made it back to the car and drove our way back home. We're both pretty spooked out to be back in the city.