Kentucky's Premier Rock Climbing Guide Service, based in the Red River Gorge.
Red River Gorge, KY Guided Rock Climbing
Bluegrass Climbing School is a locally owned and operated climbing guide service, based in the heart of Red River Gorge, Kentucky. We specialize in providing customized guided climbing experiences for climbers of all skill and ability levels; ranging from complete beginners to seasoned pros. We also offer top notch programming, designed to take your climbing to the next level.
We are passionate about climbing, we do it because we love it. We’d love to share our passion with you!
We pride ourselves on providing a high quality, safe, and hassle free experience for our guests.
Our Guides
Bluegrass Climbing School takes pride in offering the highest quality instruction and experiences available by employing AMGA certified instructors with proper Wilderness Medical Training, ensuring your outing is both safe and enjoyable.
Erik Kloeker
NOLS Wilderness First Responder
Erik gives back to his community by volunteering with the American Safe Climbing Association and Red River Gorge's Fixed Gear Initiative, where he has partnered to replace over a 1000 worn and rusty bolts in Red River Gorge area and abroad. Erik is an active member of the Wolfe County Search and Rescue Team and is a certified Technical Rope Rescue Technician.
Erik spends his winters down South, operating Climb Potrero Mountain Guides; offering multi-pitch climbing in Northern Mexico's World Renowned El Potrero Chico climbing area.
Travis Sapp
NOLS Wilderness First Responder
Travis grew up in North Carolina, where he began climbing as a teenager. He first discovered his passion for instructing on a NOLS outdoor educator semester in Wyoming and Utah. Following this course he traveled the world climbing in Spain, Japan, Patagonia, Morocco and the western U.S. before finding his way to the Red River Gorge.
Clients find Travis to be an easy going and knowledgeable instructor who strives to connect with clients and tailors each trip to their needs.
Travis is an active member of the Wolfe County Search and Rescue Team and is a certified Technical Rope Rescue Technician.
Henry Waddill
Henry was born in Colorado and grew up in Virginia, where he started embracing the outdoors from a young age. During his freshman year at Davidson College, he discovered a passion for climbing and guiding. By sophomore year he was certified as a top-rope guide and taking his peers on climbing trips to Linville Gorge and Pilot Mountain through Davidson's outdoor program.
Brian Stevenson
NOLS Wilderness First Responder
Brian is originally from New Jersey and found his way to Morehead State University as a collegiate swimmer. While attending Morehead, he discovered a new passion, climbing in the Red River Gorge. After graduating, Brian moved back to New Jersey to start a family and career. Luckily climbing didn’t end! Over the next 20+ years he spent most weekends climbing in the Shawangunks(Gunks) in New York State. Brian has travelled extensively and climbed all over the United States and Mexico .
In 2021 Brian and his wife moved back to the Red to live full time. Brian loves all aspects of climbing and sharing his outdoor experience with others. When Brian isn’t climbing you may see him running the trails and getting lost in the RRG. Brian is also an active member of Wolfe County Search and Rescue.
Melanie Robertson
NOLS Wilderness First Responder
Melanie is originally from Chicago, IL and quickly fell in love with climbing during high school after starting to progress through the USA Climbing competition series. She now has over 7 years of climbing experience and has climbed in many areas across the United States.
Melanie shares her passion for rock climbing, the outdoors, and movement through guiding. She enjoys working with all experiences levels, but especially enjoys working people who have an interest learning more about technical skills involved in climbing and improving their movement skills on the wall.
Melanie is currently studying at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO, where she continues to explore local outdoor climbing areas and mentors fellow climbers in the community.
Jon Querciagrossa
NOLS Wilderness First Responder
Jon moved to the Red River Gorge from Cleveland, OH, where he began climbing in a local gym. Initially drawn in by the physical and mental challenges—despite a fear of heights—he found confidence through bouldering. As a Programs Director at a climbing gym, he helped others overcome their own fears. Weekend trips to the Red soon became a regular habit, drawn by its lush landscape and sandstone walls. For Jon, climbing is more about connection—with people, nature, and self—than performance. He believes the Red offers something for everyone, no matter your skill or experience.
Louie Allen
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Growing up in southern Ohio, Louie’s climbing life began in the Red River Gorge. Though he travels extensively to guide and climb in alpine terrain throughout the year, he’s a southeastern sport climber in his heart-of-hearts. His career in climbing has included commercial route setting and gym coaching, guiding in remote backcountry settings, university outdoor program administration, and remote strength coaching for backpackers, alpinists and rock climbers. Louie continues to spend time in the Sierra Nevada mountains of CA and the White Mountains of NH each year to guide alpine and ice climbers in addition to the work he does with rock climbers in Kentucky.
As a guide and coach, Louie connects people to challenging and inspiring outdoor environments by facilitating appropriate goal selection, hands-on instruction and field experiences, and ongoing support in virtual spaces. He is delighted to facilitate first-time as well as advanced climbing experiences in the Red, a place where he has learned and grown so much himself.
Krystina Maximer
Krystina fell in love with climbing at age 14 after joining her high school team, and she’s spent the past 15+ years sharing that passion with others. She has guided across the United States with many organizations, including NOLS, where she worked as a Wilderness Rock Tier 2 Instructor. She is now an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, AIARE I certified, and a Leave No Trace Master Educator. Her experience ranges from the rugged Cirque of the Towers to the desert granite of Cochise Stronghold and the high ridgelines of the Sierra Nevada. What she loves most is helping guests build confidence and technical skills in wild places.
Outside the mountains, Krystina is also a visual artist and founder of Chalk Fox Studio, a branding and web design studio serving outdoor-focused and purpose-driven brands.
Her happiest place? The top of a multi-pitch climb, sketchbook in hand.
Red River Gorge Guided Climbing and Course Pricing: 2025
Half Day Guided Climbing
*All Pricing Listed as Per Person- 1 Person – $200
- 2 People – $150
- 3 People – $120
- 4 People – $105
- 5 People – $95
- 6 People – $90
- 7 People – $85
- 8 People – $80
- 9 People – $75
- 10+ People – $70
- Call to book for groups of 6 or more!
Full Day Guided Climbing
*All Pricing Listed As Per Person- 1 Person – $260
- 2 People – $ 190
- 3 People – $160
- 4 People – $135
- 5 People – $125
- 6 People – $110
- 7 People – $105
- 8 People – $95
- 9 People – $90
- 10+ People – $85
- Call to book for groups of 6 or more!
See what people are saying about their recent trips!
Why Choose Bluegrass Climbing School?
- Safety: Our guides have undergone extensive training and testing in technical and safety skills. They are trained to manage risk and make sound decisions to ensure your safety. In addition, all of our guides are trained in Wilderness Medicine and hold certifications as Wilderness First Responders.
- Training: We choose to only staff AMGA (American Mountain Guide Association) certified climbing guides. AMGA certification is a rigorous process that requires extensive experience and technical knowledge. Certified guides and instructors have demonstrated proficiency in technical systems, climbing ability, and professionalism. This expertise allows them to provide our clients with most cutting edge knowledge so you have the very best experience.
- Expertise: We pride ourselves on our vast knowledge of the climbing areas we operate. In addition to our expertise on climbing routes we find the flora, fauna, and history of the areas we guide in fascinating as well. Many of our guides boast first ascents in the areas we climb!
- Professionalism: AMGA certification requires guides to adhere to a code of ethics and professional standards. This means that they are committed to providing a high level of service, respecting the environment, and treating clients with respect and integrity.
- Customized Experience: Our guides can tailor their services to meet your specific needs and goals. We enjoy helping clients meets their goals and ambitions, whether that’s choosing the best routes based on your experience level, or by providing technical instructional and guidance to help you reach the next step in your climbing journey.
- Community: By hiring one of our guides, you are supporting our local community. We pride ourselves on being excellent stewards of the areas we operate in. Over the years, we’ve spent countless hours doing trail work, cleanups, and performing maintenance on hardware to keep the routes we climb on safe for everyone to enjoy.
What makes Red River Gorge Climbing so good!
Climbing Guide Erik Kloeker on ‘A Portait of the Artist as a Young Man’ (5.11b), Bibliothek, Muir Valley, Red River Gorge, KY, USA.
- Abundant and Diverse Climbing Routes: Red River Gorge offers over 3000 routes, ranging from beginner to expert levels. The unique sandstone cliffs offer a variety of rock formations, ranging from steep overhangs and roofs with juggy pockets, to long slabs and crimpy iron rich edges. This diversity of routes and styles allows climbers of all levels to find a challenge that suits their abilities.
- Easy Access: Many of the climbing areas in Red River Gorge are easily accessible from the road or parking areas, which makes it convenient for climbers to quickly get to the routes they want to climb. Walls are commonly reached by a short 15-30 minute hike.
- High Quality Rock: The sandstone rock in Red River Gorge is known for its high quality, offering climbers excellent grip, and densely featured rock faces. The distinct makeup of the rock in Red River Gorge paired thousands of years of water erosion has left perfect holds for climbing on.
- Bolts: Despite great trad climbing in the area, the Red River Gorge is most well know it’s plethora of well bolted sport climbs, allowing for lots of well protected terrain and fun climbing.
- Beautiful Scenery: The natural beauty of Red River Gorge adds to the overall climbing experience. The area is known for its lush forests, scenic hiking trails, rushing waterfalls, and breathtaking views of the surrounding cliffs and valleys.
- Community: Red River Gorge has a strong and welcoming climbing community, with local climbers and businesses providing support and resources for visiting climbers. The community also helps to maintain and preserve the climbing areas in the region, ensuring that the rock remains safe and accessible for future generations of climbers.
Red River Gorge Climbing: Trip Planning Guide
Planning a climbing trip to Red River Gorge, Kentucky can be exciting but also requires some preparation. Here are some steps to help you plan your trip: Choose your dates: Red River Gorge is a popular climbing destination, so...
Where to stay in Red River Gorge: Camping and Cabin Guide
The Red is by far one of the easiest climbing areas to find camping and lodging accommodations, several climber campgrounds and plethora of cabins rentals options exist to fit the needs of most. Here's a list of our favorites! Author: Erik Kloeker Climber...
Best Restaurants in Red River Gorge
We thought we'd take a break from climbing and talk about our favorites places in Red River Gorge to eat, and have a beer, and hang out with friends! Hope you enjoy our picks! Miguel's Pizza Not a lot needs said about this one, Miguel's Pizza is the center of the Red...
The Best Climbing Guidebook for Red River Gorge
When I started climbing in the Red 11 years ago, there was only one choice for a climbing guidebook for the area. Since that time, an explosion of development in the Southern Region of Red River Gorge has prompted new books to be published. With over 3000 climbs now...
The Perfect Trad Climbing Rack For Red River Gorge
As climbing guide in Red River Gorge, I often get asked “What is the best trad rack for climbing the area.” You’ll frequently hear that a particular route requires a “standard rack”, but no one one ever defines what a standard rack is. Guidebooks and climbers are reluctant to define a standard rack is because, well.. it is subjective. It depends greatly on the comfort level of the climber on the terrain, and how much gear will use to safely protect the route. Add to that, the fact that each climb is unique and will take a variety of gear and sizes to protect it.
Disclaimer: Purchasing a Trad Rack is only the first step, one has to then learn how to use it! Seek a qualified mentor or Climbing School to help you along the way.