No need to travel all the way to the southwestern United States for a canyon hike. You can do that right here in Kentucky. The Red River Gorge in eastern Kentucky is an intricate canyon system that boasts more than 100 natural sandstones arches, pristine waterways, lush forests, and gorgeous panoramic ridge top views.

Perhaps one of the best hikes in the entirety of Red River Gorge is Rough Trail, a long and challenging hike that traverses all the way across the heart of the Gorge from west to east. The whole trail is nearly 8.5 miles, but it intersects with several other trails along the way, so you can adjust it to make it shorter or even longer. Many people hike Rough Trail in sections, but for those that are fit enough, hiking the whole thing at once is going to show you the wide variety of natural wonders that the Red River Gorge has to offer.

The trailhead for Rough Trail is located in the Martin’s Fork Parking Lot. To get here, take Exit 33 off the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway. Turn left off the exit, and travel west on KY-15 for about 1.5 miles until you reach KY-77. Take a right onto KY-77. Continue for about 3.3 miles until you reach Martin’s Fork Parking Area.

Along the way, you will see little signs like this one that will keep you going the right directions when other trails intersect, and tell you the distance from important landmarks. Another good thing to keep an eye out for is white diamonds painted on the trees. This is a signal to let you know that you are still on an official trail.

A short detour about 200 feet into the hike will lead you to Military Wall, a popular rock climbing spot. If you want to see some climbers in action, check it out before continuing on your way. It will add about a half mile onto your journey, but it can be a pretty impressive site.

It’s called Rough Trail for a reason….it can get ROUGH. You will lose and gain elevation several times throughout the trip, making for a tough workout. Enjoy the interesting rock formations and large boulders throughout the trail. You’ll do quite a bit of ascending and descending before the trail evens out and lets you catch your breath with some level hiking.

The next big attraction that you’ll definitely want to stop and check out is Gray’s Arch, about a little over two miles into the hike. This is a popular site in the Gorge, so you’ll probably see some other hikers at this point. Be sure to take a brief detour and actually go underneath Gray’s Arch. It’s a true geological wonder, and eating lunch under a huge sandstone arch is a truly unique experience.

After your detour to Gray’s Arch, get ready to start descending 170 feet deep into the forest. You’ll even encounter a stream, King’s Branch, which you will have to cross. Enjoy the forest scenery while you can, because soon you will start a rigorous 400 foot climb up to a ridge line.

They help you out a little bit by providing some stairs at the steepest points of the ascent, but your legs WILL be burning. Once you get the top, enjoy the panoramic views you’ll have out over the surrounding valley.

Descend, ascend, descend again, repeat. Depending on the time of year, you’re probably going to be hot and sweaty after all that hiking. About 5.5 miles in, you’ll reach Chimney Top Creek, and you’ll have to cross it several times. Most of the time, the creek is shallow enough that you can easily use rocks as stepping stones, or even just wade through it if you have waterproof boots. This section of Rough Trail also takes it easy on you with relatively level hiking.

Eventually you’ll reach Chimney Top Road and you’ll have to cross a parking lot. You’ll descend back down into a dense forest setting, with more moss-covered boulders and stream-side hiking waiting for you. About 1.5 miles from Chimney Top Road, you’ll encounter Parched Corn Creek, which you’ll have to cross a few times. But like Chimney Top Creek, you can usually just hop across on some stones or wade across. It can be easy to get confused about where the trail is due to all the stream crossings, so remember to look out for those white diamonds on the trees.

Time to begin the final ascent to the end of Rough Trail. Eventually you will emerge from the woods into a parking lot on KY-715. Pat yourself on the back, because you just completed one of the most challenging, but most amazing, hikes in all of Red River Gorge.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Rough Trail is nearly 8.5 miles ONE WAY, from the Martins Fork Parking lot to the parking area on KY-715 where you’ll finish. Unless you want to do the whole hike over again back to where you started, it’s recommended you and your hiking partner drive two cars, and leave one at the parking area on KY-715. To find this parking area, take Exit 40 from the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway, and turn right on KY-15. Go a little over half a mile until you reach KY-715. Turn right, and travel 4.2 miles until you reach the Rough Trail/Swift Camp Creek parking area. Check out

this interactive map

that shows you how to get to the trailheads of both the beginning and the end of the trail from Mountain Parkway.

As previously mentioned, Rough Trail is quite long. Definitely take with you a map of the area, compass, and guide book. Check out this trail guide by Jerrell Goodpaster, and consider buying it before you attempt Rough Trail. He breaks the whole thing up into sections, and gives very specific instructions on navigating this trail, so it’s a valuable tool to have with you. If you do decide to hike the whole trail at once, consider taking your camping equipment with you, as there are some gorgeous spots for back country camping along the trail.

Has anyone ever done Rough Trail, or parts of it?