These 13 Natural Arches In Kentucky Are Truly Fascinating And You'll Want To Find Them
By Rachel Shulhafer|Published October 22, 2016
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Rachel Shulhafer
Author
I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. I have lived elsewhere twice, but keep coming back. I'm a video editor and freelance writer who enjoys watching people wearing University of Louisville uniforms excel at sports, scaling the faces of large rocks, and hanging out with my border collie/laborador/cattle dog mutt thingy that I have.
Kentucky has hundreds of natural sandstone arches, carved out by water and wind over the course of millions of years. Now we have the opportunity to explore these ancient geological formations, and view the surrounding landscapes from unique vantage points. This list only scratches the surface of impressive natural arches in Kentucky, but these are some of the most well-known.
Perhaps the most visited arch in all of Kentucky, Natural Bridge is located within the Red River Gorge, which has more than 100 natural sandstone arches. The trail that leads to Natural Bridge is located within Natural Bridge State Resort Park, which also offers sky lifts up to the bridge. Natural Bridge State Resort Park is located at 2135 Natural Bridge Road, Slade, KY 40376.
This is another very popular arch to visit, located farther south from the Red River Gorge in McCreary County. You can view the arch from two overlooks on the Natural Arch Scenic Area trail.
Gray’s Arch has one of the longest spans out of all the arches in Red River Gorge, with a span of 79 feet. To get here, start in the Gray’s Arch Parking Lot off of Tunnel Ridge Road. Follow Gray’s Arch Trail #205 for about a quarter mile. It will then intersect with Rough Trail, which will lead you to the arch.
This is the largest natural bridge in Carter Caves State Resort Park, which has a total of seven arches. Smoky Bridge is located on the Three Bridges Trail, which is 3.5 miles, and earned its name based on the three natural bridges you’ll see on the trail, including Smoky Bridge.
Fern Bridge is the third natural arch located on the Three Bridges Trail. After seeing these three arches on your hike, you’ll also enjoy many scenic overlooks of Smoky Valley Lake.
This impressive arch is accessible via the Auxier Ridge Trailhead or Double Arch Trailhead, both of which are on Tunnel Ridge Road. Once you’re underneath Double Arch, you’ll have an amazing view of Courthouse Rock, Haystack Rock, and Auxier Ridge.
Yahoo Arch is located in McCreary County, not far from the Natural Arch of Kentucky. A trailhead for the arch is located off of KY-700. Yahoo Falls, a 113-foot waterfall, is also along this trail.
You can see Rock Bridge by walking along a paved trail, whose trailhead is at the very end of Rock Bridge Road. The arch itself spans over a creek, and is the only arch in the Red River Gorge that goes over water.
Princess Arch is a 32-foot arch accessible from an easy, quarter-mile trail located at the end of Chimney Top Road. You can explore both underneath and on top of the arch, plus the trail has several other interesting rock formations beside just Princess Arch.
This is another very popular arch in the Gorge, and is located on a one-mile loop trail off of Sky Bridge Road. The trail takes you under the arch, as well as across the top of it. It’s huge, and has a span of 76 feet.
Angel Windows is a collection of two small arches which are clustered together at a cliff. A short and easy hike, which starts off of KY-715, will lead you to the arches. The trail continues a little bit past the Angel Windows, where there is a small trickle of water going over a ledge.
These 13 arches are all worth the hiking it takes to get to them, but there are still a ton more natural arches in the state. To see a list of even more natural arches in Kentucky, click here. For more detailed instructions on how to get to these arches, visit the websites for Daniel Boone National Forest or Carter Caves State Resort Park and search for the trail you want to hike.
Has anyone ever been to these arches? What about ones that aren’t on the list?
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