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Deep in the narrow, sinewy, flat-topped forested ridges of eastern Kentucky, often hidden in the winding gorges and canyons, lies a unique collection of geological features. The Commonwealth is home to an abundance of natural arches that number, conservatively, in the hundreds. While most people immediately think of Utah as the home of this kind of formation, Kentucky ranks as the leading state in the eastern United States, and the second or third state in the nation, for the sheer number of arches.
Most of eastern Kentucky lies atop a wide formation called the Cumberland Plateau, formed when the region was covered by a vast shallow sea. The sandy bottom compressed to form sandstone, capped by a harder layer called Rockcastle Conglomerate. In time, wind and water slowly eroded the soft lower layers, gradually creating rock shelters, then full openings.
Many of these treasures are accessible to explore. Those on public lands—the Daniel Boone National Forest, the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, and Natural Bridge and Carter Caves State Resort Parks—can be visited by amateur arch hunters. They include natural bridges, which are types of arches formed by a river or stream or that resemble a man-made bridge.
“Especially in the Red River Gorge, the most heavily visited part of the Daniel Boone National Forest, people have heard about the geology and want to see the arches,” said Tim Eling, public affairs staff officer for the Daniel Boone National Forest. “Compared to out west, Kentucky arches are hidden, and you don’t see them until you are literally on top of them. The National Forest is so densely vegetated, there is a thrill of hunting and discovering them.”
Split Bow Arch in McCreary County. Photo by Bill Fultz.
Human History
Nomadic hunters, the area’s first inhabitants, found shelter in the arch landscape 10,000 years ago. Small groups of European colonists began moving into the region in the 1800s. As the nation’s industries required more and more resources, densely forested eastern Kentucky became a source of lumber.
In the early 1900s, Congress set up the U.S. Forest Service to counterbalance the clear-cutting practices of timber companies. The service manages the lands in a sustainable way for watershed protection, erosion control and water quality. Proclamation boundaries of national forests in the eastern United States designated places for the federal government to purchase lands held in private hands.
The Daniel Boone National Forest manages more than 700,000 acres spread across 21 counties of eastern Kentucky. In the 1960s, the Army Corps of Engineers proposed a dam that would flood the Forest’s centerpiece, the Red River Gorge. The ensuing controversy brought attention to the geological and archaeological treasures in the Gorge. Sustained, decades-long pressure led to their permanent conservation.
In 1974, the Forest Service designated the Gorge a Geological Area in recognition of its arches, rock shelters, towers and cliffs. Only a handful of other geographical formations carry that classification, and the others are all out west. The Red River became a federal Wild and Scenic River in 1993, a powerful designation that will keep it forever free flowing.
The Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its surrounding canyons were set aside in 1974 as a National River and Recreation Area. Established as a unit of the National Park Service, it was the first time the preservation and recreational goals of these designations were combined. Together, they guard the free-flowing river and its tributaries along with the natural integrity of its gorges and valleys.
Guide to Arches
Ready to explore these Kentucky natural wonders? Daniel Boone National Forest public affairs staff officer Tim Eling encouraged people to visit and enjoy the arches but to keep safety in mind. Most of the significant arches are reached by an official trail, but many others are not. A fair number of search-and-rescue operations result from hikers getting lost. Off-trail exploration should be attempted only by experienced hikers.
Eling also encouraged visitors to practice leave-no-trace principles to preserve the geological beauty. That means no rappelling and no carving in the soft sandstone.
While arches can be experienced in any season, Eling recommended a winter expedition. There are fewer bugs and people, and the visibility is greater with bare trees. Lucky hikers can see giant icicles on the formations in colder weather.
Alltrails/Simona Barca photo
Red River Gorge Geological Area & Natural Bridge State Resort Park
The Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge State Resort Park lie side by side to form the best-known and most-visited spot for geological tourists in Kentucky. More than 13 impressive arches can be reached by relatively short hiking trails within the two parks.
Trailheads in the Gorge lie along the circular route of 77/715/15 and its offshoots. Try finding Hidden Arch, take a photo of your angelic child with Angel Windows, or head to one of the recommended sites below.
- Natural Bridge is the only arch in the Commonwealth reachable by sky lift, which is open April through October. A network of hiking trails is available for the more adventurous. The flat, clear top makes this an ideal arch for walking across and sightseeing from the top.
- Sky Bridge is a large sandstone arch formation that measures 23 feet high and 75 feet long. It is easily accessed by a 1-mile loop trail. Keep ahold of children and pets while crossing the top!
- Double Arch is an unusual twin arch in a more remote section of the Gorge. The bottom arch measures 30 feet long and 12 feet high. The top arch is 25 feet long and 2 feet high.
- Grays Arch is 50 feet high and spans 80 feet across. The arch extends off the end of a cliff and forms a buttress. It is a popular destination; hikers can see a waterfall nearby in wet weather.
- Whittleton Arch is accessed from Natural Bridge via a 2.5-mile out-and-back hike but lies in the Red River Gorge. It is the largest arch by mass in the geological area.
- Rock Bridge is the only arch in the Red River Gorge that spans a stream. The fun family loop hike, 1.25 miles long, passes scenic Creation Falls.
Carter Caves State Resort Park
Geologically, Carter Caves has it all: the highest concentration of caves in Kentucky, a box canyon, sinkholes and several significant natural arches.
Natural Bridge is at the end of an easy half-mile hike from the park welcome center. Alternatively, visitors can drive over it on the way to a picnic area. It is the only arch in the state that supports a paved road.
The aptly named Three Bridges Trail passes by Raven Bridge, Fern Bridge and Smoky Bridge, the park’s largest. Hikers along the trail’s 3½ miles get close-up views of sandstone cliffs and long-range views of Smoky Lake.
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area & Daniel Boone National Forest
In southern McCreary County, preserved lands of the Big South Fork intertwine with those of the Daniel Boone National Forest. A guidebook, Natural Arches of the Big South Fork: A Guide to Selected Landforms, authored by former Big South Fork Park Ranger Arthur McDade, highlights 25 of the area’s accessible formations.
Here are some favorites.
- Split Bow Arch is one of the most accessible arches in the Big South Fork. You can see the 51-foot-wide formation from an overlook just 100 feet from a small parking area or on a 1 1/3-mile round-trip hike that takes you through the arch.
- Koger Arch is impressive at 54 feet wide, 18 feet high and 91 feet across. The arch is one-third of a mile from the off-the-beaten-path trailhead.
- Natural Arch is an impressive 50 feet by 90 feet and can be viewed from a short paved trail in its namesake picnic area. A 1-mile loop trail takes hikers to the base and around the formation.
- Yahoo Arch and Markers Arch can be reached in a 3-mile round-trip hike from the Yahoo Arch trailhead. Yahoo was created by erosion at the back of a rock shelter, and the surrounding interlaced roots and abundant rhododendron give the area a Tolkien-like feel.
A Western Arch Do you live in western Kentucky or are you planning a visit to the area? Explore an arch there! The Mantle Rock Nature Preserve’s namesake arch spans a massive 188 feet. Protected by The Nature Conservancy, the 367-acre landscape is open to hikers during daylight hours.
LEARN MORE
Natural Arches of the Big South Fork: A Guide to Selected Landforms
by Arthur McDade
The Big South Fork region, which straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border, boasts some incredible natural arches. Carved over centuries by water and weather, many of these landforms can be viewed and visited by hikers. Arthur McDade’s The Natural Arches of the Big South Fork is the quintessential guidebook for those seeking to explore this geographically rich area.