Our daughter Caroline, the stand-in photographer for the summer, had stated that she wanted to visit Red River Gorge while on her summer break, and with her break winding down we headed south. I was interested in hiking a trail that I had not been on previously and did a cursory internet search – “Best Trails at Red River Gorge” and found a Top Ten list of Hikes. I honed in on the Gray’s Arch Trail since it was described as “easy”, as Caroline has had ankle surgery and I did not want to aggravate that condition.

I should have done more extensive research.

The trail started off innocent enough as we headed in on a wide ridge trail that wove through a mixed forest. Trees noted included Tulip-poplar, Sugar Maple, White and Red Oaks, as well as White and Virginia Pine.

The trail was dry and sandy, but the forest was full of interesting fungi.

The soil in the Gorge is thin and sits atop thick sections of limestone. That results in many downed trees due to wind. This photo shows a rootball that was lifted off the limestone base in a recent storm. The Forest Service does a great job removing these downed trees from the trails.

When the trees fall, forest openings occur in the canopy that allow for sunlight to reach the ground, which results in pockets of meadow plants interspersed along the route, such as the Woodland Sunflower.

In one of those ridge top meadows I found this specimen of Joe-Pye Weed approaching 12 feett in height, and just getting ready to flower.

Soon the trail began to display its true nature as the rock strewn path started to descend down into the Gorge.

The beauty found along this part of the trail was outstanding. To our right we had thickets of Big Leaf Magnolia, with an understory of ferns.

Frequently to our left would be the limestone bluffs that the Gorge is known for.

It was at the base of one of these bluffs that we saw Roundleaf Catchfly, a rare plant species. It would be hard to miss these crimson flowers. This was a first sighting of the species for Caroline and I. One week later we had a first sighting of its cousin, Royal Catchfly, in a prairie in central Ohio.

In this same area we were catching the Rosebay Rhododendron at the end of its blooming season.

Then the descent got serious, but was assisted by a series of stairs.

Soon we were rewarded with our first glimpse of Gray’s Arch as noted in the title photo. Utilizing a well worn side trail, we climbed amongst the stones, working our way up toward the base of the arch.

But the combination of slope and slick sandstone caused us to rethink our goals, such as getting back to the vehicle uninjured, and we opted to head back to the main trail. The wet trail was more of a challenge on the way down, than on the way up.

The arch is positioned where two limestone bluffs meet and the setting is one of relative darkness and humidity. One feature was a fifty foot waterfall from which a drizzle of water fell, resulting in a dainty pitter-patter on the rocks that had a musical quality.

Other interesting geology was noted amongst the rocks at the base of the arch, including the textures on this boulder which were caused by erosion, with the softer sandstone being washed away and harder substrate remaining in the form of corrugations.

Once back to the base of the arch we faced a decision – return to the parking lot via the route we came in on, treating it as an out and back trail, or continue on the 4 mile loop trail. We opted for the latter – more or less selecting the devil we didn’t know, rather than the devil we were well aware of. In addition, I had a desire to broaden our experience and perhaps get into some other pocket habitats.

From the start we were happy with our choice. The trail from Gray’s Arch sloped gently down the mountainside through a shaded wood. Clearly this was the less traveled path as the trail was more narrow.

Laced amongst the ferns on the forest floor was Naked-flowered Tick-Trefoil. It is one of the few summer wildflowers that thrives in the shade of a mature forest. Note the Pale Green Assassin Bug on the tip of the flower stem. As the name implies it is a predator, feeding on other insects, which it entraps with a sticky substance on its legs. For size reference this insect is usually one half to three quarters an inch long.

To our left we had sandstone bluffs, and to our right a creek valley.

Eventually the trail came to a stream confluence, where everything was moist. Quite a difference from what we had experienced on the ridgetops.

On a streamside rock we found this fascinating Snakeskin Liverwort. While the “leaves” were comparatively large, at two to three inches in size, they are members of the moss family.

From the creek crossing, the trail began a steady climb up along one of the creeks. The valley featured large rhododendrons and slump rocks as noted in the photos below. The narrow trail can be seen just to the left of the rhododendron. With the sound of gently falling water, the setting was astoundingly peaceful and beautiful.

The way that plants grew on the slump rocks added to the rainforest setting.

We knew that eventually there would be significant verticality to deal with and it came in a series of steep stairs.

Once we crested to the ridgetop we found ourselves in another habitat – a dry open woodland with sandy soil that featured Virginia Pines, shaped and stunted by the wind.

The sun, sandy trail, and the pines reminded us of our hikes in the Florida Panhandle, but this ridge trail offered views.

These same characteristics: the sand, sun, and dry conditions, resulted in different plant community than we had seen elsewhere on the trail, including a collection of beautiful wildflowers:

Yellow Star Grass and Purple Milkwort

White Topped Aster and Greater Tickseed

Seen on the dry ridge top was this fruiting shrub – Huckleberry. They are cousins to Blueberries, which also occur in the wilds of Kentucky, and can be eaten in like manner. Huckleberry fruits arise singly at the base of the leaf while Blueberries occur in clusters. The shape and color of the ripe berry is very similar.

Odds and ends:

Early in the hike we noted these on the trail.

I picked one up and it almost had a plastic quality to it, firmer than most things found in nature. It felt like something produced with a 3-D printer.

We noted them on numerous smaller trees in the mid-canopy. I got my tree key book out to confirm. The barely noticeable teeth on the edge of the leaf was the identifying characteristic – Sourwood – a small to medium sized tree that has outstanding fall color. While it is not uncommon in the eastern forest, it does not get a lot of attention.

Later in the hike, while we were standing on a sandstone outcropping, we were able to get a picture of a flowering structure on a Sourwood tree that was growing up from the valley below the bluff.

Red-banded Hairstreak – this smaller butterfly has a unique coloration pattern on its hindwing. It mimics that found near the head, and includes two fake antennae like structures. It is meant to confuse a predator, who would not know which end to strike.

Lastly, a couple of reptiles that we saw on this outing. This Eastern Box Turtle was crossing the path on one of the steep slopes of the gorge. I was somewhat fascinated with how it overcomes the challenging terrain.

We also saw a couple of Eastern Fence Lizards. The Fence Lizards are interesting because there can be a great variation in their pigmentation.

In summary, an outing at Red River Gorge never disappoints. Yes, I did a woeful job in finding a welcoming trail for Caroline’s ongoing ankle rehab. After the fact research showed other websites that listed the Gray’s Arch Loop as moderately difficult to difficult, and noted an altitude change of 700 feet – quite a challenge on a day in the nineties. That said, everything about the hike was outstanding – the botany, the geology, and yes, even the physical challenge. Recently some friends had asked me for recommendations for trails that they can use for training for an upcoming trip to hike the West Highland Way in Scotland – Jeff and Jamie, I think that this would be a good place to start.

Footpathsblog.com posts are released every Sunday morning and some bonus content is added periodically. Please click on a social media icon above to follow for future posts and to make sure that you catch all our reflections on, and adventures with, the great outdoors.

Photo credits to Caroline Burns Grizzle.

Overview

Parking – Gravel lot for about 20 cars at a nice picnic area.

Facilities – Yes, in parking area.

Trail Conditions – Bare dirt and thin sand. There is an abundance of exposed stone on the trail. In the gorge itself the soil is moist but not frankly muddy. There are two Gray’s Arch Loop Trails, one 4 mile, the other 6. Each is reviewed in the links below. We hiked this loop clockwise while the articles in the links route you counter clockwise.

Print Map – https://usfs-public.app.box.com/s/vwf0ejygielg56vfbdrij6simo19oldf

Benches – None noted.

Kids – Kids 8 and over would probably do ok if the hike to Gray’s Arch was treated as an out and back. For the entire loop I would suggest 12 and older as it is a long, challenging trek.

Dogs – Welcomed.

Suggested Paired Hikes – There are numerous hikes within the Gorge of various difficulties. Sky Bridge Trail and Rock Bridge Trail are excellent and great for kids.

Links:

https://toredrivergorge.com/top-10-day-hikes/grays-arch-area/long-greys-arch-loop-4-miles/https://toredrivergorge.com/top-10-day-hikes/grays-arch-area/greys-arch-loop/