Red River Gorge

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Red River Gorge, Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky
Red River Gorge, Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky

The Red River Gorge, located at 37°49′N, 83°40′W, is a canyon system on the Red River in east-central Kentucky. Geologically, it is 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 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.

Contents

[edit] Geological Formations in the Gorge

  • Angel Windows
  • Chimney Top
  • Court House Rock
  • Double Arch
  • Gray's Arch
  • Half Moon Arch
  • Haystack Rock
  • Hidden Arch
  • Pinch 'em Tight
  • Princess Arch
  • Rock Bridge
  • Sky Bridge
  • Silver Mine Arch
  • Star Gap Arch
  • Whistling Arch
  • Whittleton Arch

[edit] Books

Red River Gorge has been the subject of several books.

Red River Gorge, The Eloquent Landscape by photographer and writer John W. Snell is the first-ever, hard-bound, coffee-table style book of color photographs to feature the dramatic landscape, vibrant scenery and rich foliage of eastern Kentucky’s Red River Gorge area. The book, released in late 2006, contains a foreword written by Congressman Hal Rogers of Kentucky.

The Unforeseen Wilderness, by essayist Wendell Berry and photographer Eugene Meatyard. The book was written at a time when a proposal to flood the gorge was being fought by opponents. The book contributed to the success of the opposition movement, culminating when United States Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas hiked the area on Saturday, November 18th, 1967 (approx 1:00pm). Amid 400 to 600 others present who were evenly split on the issue

Past Titan Rock: Journeys into an Appalachian Valley, University Press of Kentucky, 1984. Written by West Virginia University English professor Ellesa Clay High, Past Titan Rock consists of three sections. The first is a personal account of the author's experience during a season spent living in the Gorge. The middle section of the book details the life of Lily May Ledford, leader of the Coon Creek Girls, the first "all-girl" string band on radio. Ledford was born in the area in 1917 and grew up on Chimney Top Creek. The book's concluding section presents a series of interlocking short stories, each told from the perspective of a fictional character based on the author's experience of residents of the area.

Kentucky's Land of the Arches, by Robert H. Ruchhoft, is a comprehensive hiking guide to the Red River Gorge.

A very accurate guide to trails in the Red River Gorge is "Red River Gorge Trail Guide" by Jerrell Goodpaster. He has detailed descriptions of each trail, along with a very organized listing system in the appendices (lists by difficulty, rating, length, and so on.) He also lists elevation changes for each trail, and the book is quite humorous and fun to read.

[edit] 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. Also the First Major Motion Picture to be filmed in the State of Kentucky. RRS: The Kentuckian for details, images and screensaver.

[edit] Music

Red River Gorge is mentioned in the song "Crazy Hand" by Lexington, Kentucky band, The Yellow Belts.

"Red River Gorge" by Thomas Geraghty is available in both text and mp3.

[edit] 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 is know. The route difficulty ranges from 5.2R (very easy) to 5.14A (very difficult, for only the best climbers) in the Yosemite Decimal System. As you can see there is something to climb for most any skill level.

There are also a number of published guides to rock climbing in the area. Several guides that are used most frequently are: "The Red River Gorge: A Rock Climbing Guide" by Ray Ellington which has excellent color photos, descriptions of the climbs and trails leading to the climbs. The other, is smaller but still quite useful, "Selected Climbs at Red River Gorge Kentucky" by Porter Jarrard and Chris Snyder. There is also "Red River Gorge Climbs" (2nd ed) by the late, great John H. Bronaugh. An online guide to climbing is also available at Red River Climbing. This website is run by Ray Ellington and is updated frequently.

[edit] External links

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