Red River Gorge Totally Explained

Everything about Red River Gorge totally explained

The Red River Gorge, located at, is a canyon system on the Red River in east-central Kentucky. Geologically, it's part of the Pottsville Escarpment. Much of the Gorge has been purchased as part of the Daniel Boone National Forest and has been subsequently reserved as the Red River Gorge Geological Area, an area of around 28,000 acres (over 113 km²). It has been designated a National Natural Landmark. The 13,000 acre (53 km²) Clifty Wilderness Area lies entirely within the gorge.
   This intricate canyon system features an abundance of high sandstone cliffs, rock shelters, waterfalls, and natural bridges. There are more than 100 natural sandstone arches in the Red River Gorge Geological Area.
   Kentucky's Natural Bridge State Park is immediately adjacent to this area, featuring one of the largest natural bridges in the Red River Gorge.
   Because of its unusual and rugged nature, the Red River Gorge features a remarkable variety of ecological zones. It is the farthest southern site where the Canadian yew, Taxus canadensis, is known to grow.

Geological formations in the Gorge

Angel Windows
Cloud Splitter
Eagle Point Buttress/Eagle's Nest
Gray's Arch
Hanson's Point
Hidden Arch
Indian Staircase
Moonshiners Arch
Pinch 'em Tight
Princess Arch
Ravens Rock
Sky Bridge
Silver Mine Arch
Star Gap Arch
Whistling Arch
Whittleton Arch

Nada Tunnel

Nada tunnel is a 900 foot long and 12 foot wide logging tunnel built between 1910 and 1912. Rock and dirt were removed by dynamite, steam drills and hand tools. One man was killed during tunnel construction when he attempted to thaw frozen dynamite which exploded when he set it near a fire.

History of the Proposed Red River Gorge Dam

Decades of flooding by the Red River offered downstream residents much misery. In 1962 the "Great Flood of Clay City", the worst seen in 102 years, moved both government officials and local communities to lobby the Kentucky State Legislature and the Kennedy Administration for immediate construction of a Flood Control Dam. The United States Congress would ultimately approve the measure and provide funding. The U.S. Corps of Engineers set about their business of making the structure a reality. However, many felt that such actions would destroy the unique ecosystem residing there. Spearheaded by the Sierra Club an opposition to the Dam was formed. It was this group that obtained the help of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas by participating in a Dam Protest Hike which drew local and national attention to the situation. The Dam Protest Hike took place on November 18, 1967 around 1:00 pm at the Clifty Wilderness area, junction of Swift Creek and the Red River, Highway 715.
The struggle of wills lasted several decades, involved two proposed Dam sites and finally concluded with Red River's entry into the Wild and Scenic River System on December 3, 1993. United States President Bill Clinton signed the declaration into law which provides federal protection for a 19.4 mile section of the river. This effectively eliminated any further possibility of a Dam being constructed and preserved the Red River and its Gorge as we know it. For more RRS: History of the Red River Valley Dam

Motion Pictures

The Red River Gorge's Sky Bridge appears in the 1955 film "The Kentuckian

". Starring and directed by Golden Globe and Academy Award winner Burt Lancaster. It was also the first major motion picture to be filmed in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Rock Climbing

The Red River Gorge is also known as a popular destination for rock climbers. The vast number of bolted routes in overhanging, pocketed sandstone draws climbers from all over the world to the Red as it's known. The route difficulty ranges from 5.2 (2) (very easy) to 5.14c (8c+) (very difficult, for only the best climbers) in the Yosemite Decimal System.
There are also a number of published guides to rock climbing in the area.

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