Climbing Guide Erik Kloeker on ‘A Portait of the Artist as a Young Man’ (5.11b), Bibliothek, Muir Valley, Red River Gorge, KY, USA.

If you’ve been around the sport of climbing for long you’ve probably heard about the Red River Gorge, a world-renowned rock climbing destination located in eastern Kentucky, USA. There are several factors that make Red River Gorge a great place for rock climbing:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4.  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.
5. 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.
6. 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.

1. Choose your dates: Red River Gorge is a popular climbing destination, so it’s a good idea to plan your trip well in advance to secure accommodations and availability of guides or instructors. The best times to climb are typically in the spring and fall, when temperatures are mild, with the fall being the least amount of rain. Throughout summer and early winter can also offer fair climbing conditions with less crowds to contend with.
2. Decide on your climbing goals: Red River Gorge offers a wide range of climbing routes for different skill levels and styles from steep jug hauls to techy face climbs. Decide on your goals, whether you want to push yourself to climb harder grades or just enjoy the scenery while climbing more moderate routes.
3. Research climbing areas: There are many different climbing areas within Red River Gorge, each with its own unique character and style of climbing. Do some research to find the areas that best match your goals and preferences. You can find information on climbing routes, grades, and difficulty levels on websites such as Mountain Project and the print guidebook for the area..
4. Book accommodations: Red River Gorge has several options for accommodations, including campgrounds, Airbnb’s, cabins, and hotels. If you plan to camp, be sure to check the availability of campsites and facilities, and make sure to make a reservation if necessary. For cabins or hotels, be sure to book well in advance, especially during peak climbing season. Check out Bluegrass Climbing School’s top picks for lodging here.
5. Hire a guide or instructor: If you’re new to climbing or want to improve your skills, hiring a guide or instructor can be a great investment. There are several local guide services that offer guided climbing trips and instruction in Red River Gorge. You can book an AMGA certified guide for your trip from Bluegrass Climbing School here.
6. Pack your gear: Make a list of all the climbing gear you’ll need for your trip, including ropes, harnesses, shoes, and protection equipment. If you don’t have your own gear, consider renting from a local gear shop or from your guide service.
7. Plan for logistics: Red River Gorge is located in a rural area, so plan for logistics such as transportation to and from climbing areas, food and supplies, and emergency services. Be sure to also familiarize yourself with local rules and regulations, such as permit requirements for certain areas or Leave No Trace practices.

With these steps, you can plan a successful climbing trip to Red River Gorge and enjoy the beautiful scenery and challenging climbs that the Red River Gorge has to offer.

Author: Erik Kloeker

Climber Campgrounds:

Miguel’s Pizza

The most popular climber campground, Miguel’s is a good option for those looking for an inexpensive communal camping area, at the center of the climbing community. During the busy season one can expect the campground to be crowded, and peace and quiet scarce. Miguel’s currently charges ~$3 per person a night, register at the Miguel’s gear shop.
Lago Linda’s

Lago Linda’s is a great option for those looking for car camping and a bit of privacy, Lago’s is best suited for those who plan to climb primarily in the Southern Region, since it is located 10 minutes from the PMRP and Bald Rock Fork Crags. Expect a longer drive for crags in the Northern Gorge. Currently $6 a person per night, with free showers.

Backcountry Camping

One can purchase a backcountry camping pass for a few dollars a night which allows overnight camping in the Daniel Boone National Forest and Clifty Wilderness Areas (The Northern Gorge.) Passes are available at the Shell Gas Station in Slade and the Glady Visitor Center, among other places.

Cabins

There are too many cabin options to list, but a short internet search will reveal a plethora of cabin’s at all price points for those who prefer to live luxuriously.

RRGCC Properties

As of June 2018, there is no overnight parking allowed on any Coalition properties (PMRP, BRRP, MFRP). Primitive camping is apparently allowed, just as long as you do not park a car there (i.e. dropped off or hike in).

Other Options

Several non-climber oriented campgrounds exist for those seeking a more family oriented experience, or for those seeking RV hookups. These include Koomer Ridge Campground, run by the National Forest Service, Middle Fork RV Campground and Whittleton Campground which are run by the Natural Bridge State Park, Callie’s RV Campground in Stanton, among others.

Cabins, Hotels, and Hostels:

Airbnbs

We recommend airbnb to find small businesses and individuals renting out their house or private cabin. These rentals tend to be a bit more quaint and secluded with a more personal touch than found with the larger rental companies. They can also come at a better bargain!

Red River Gorgeous/Tree House Cabins

Red River Gorgeous is a great choice if you’re looking for one of the few cabins actually located within the Daniel Boone National Forest. They also offer a number of amazing tree house cabins built by our friends Django Kroner and the Canopy Crew.

Red River Gorge Cabin Company

Scenic Cabin Rentals

Bedrock

Located conveniently on 2016 on your way to Muir Valley, and centrally located to the rest of Red River Gorge, Bedrock offers private rooms and a community bunk house with a large upscale communal living space and friendly hosts.

Chocolat Inn

Choclat Inn is a hip climber owned motel, in an old renovated strip motel. In addition to lodging, they specialize in boutique sweets and treats available in their cafe.

Miguel’s Pizza

Not a lot needs said about this one, Miguel’s Pizza is the center of the Red River Gorge Climbing Universe. Since as early as 1984, long before the Red River Gorge was known as the world class climbing destination, Miguel started serving up food to hungry climbers, it has been an oasis for climbers ever since. As the climbing community grew, so too did Miguel’s which now offers more than just pizza, including delicious sandwiches, bowls, salads and an excellent breakfast menu. As well as a great selection of ice cold beer and Margaritas.

The Rockhouse

Located on KY 11, 4 miles past Miguels, the Red River Rockhouse is an eclectic cafe serving up Burritos, Tacos, Burgers, and Salads made with fresh ingredients and staffed by climbers. The Rockhouse is a popular choice amongst local climbers, we recommend coming early for dinner or good luck getting a table on busy weekends. Nonetheless we find the food always comes out fast no matter how busy they are. Their Barbacoa, Carnitas, and Tempeh burritos are the best around.

Redpoint BBQ

Redpoint is a well hidden gem! Located near Muir Valley in Rogers, KY, you may find yourself wondering where the heck you’re going as you head back a gravel road to nowhere, but not to worry, a short time later you’ll find yourself at one of the RRG’s best kept secrets, in a stunning setting. This climber owned eatery takes a unique approach to classic southern dishes and ranks up there as one of our favorite restaurants in the area, add to that a full bar with the best cocktails around and you’re not going to want to miss this one!

Sky Bridge Station

A bar and restaurant located in Pine Ridge, KY at the Southeastern entrance to the Daniel Boone National Forest, and minutes away from the Muir Valley climbing area. Sky Bridge is best known for their excellent selection of local draft beer and Kentucky Bourbon as well their enormous burgers made with locally sourced beef. Other menu items include quesadillas and gourmet hot dogs. Sky Bridge is known for live music on Friday and Saturday nights and hosting a Team Trivia on Tuesday nights.

Hop’s
Hop’s is an outdoor beer garden, located 4.5 miles south of Miguel’s on KY 11 sharing the parking lot with the Graining Fork Nature Preserve (Roadside Crag) and the Zoo climbing areas. They serve a rotating menu ranging from pub classics to healthier food fare and have the best selection of canned, bottled, and tap beer in the gorge. Beer can be bought to drink on the outdoor patio or to go. The owner of Hop’s also manages the Graining Fork Nature Preserve and graciously allows those climbing at the Roadside Crag and Zoo areas to park there, please show your appreciation by patronizing them with your business when climbing at these areas.

Daniel Boone Coffee Shop

Located on KY 11 just south of the Shell gas station in Slade, the Daniel Boone is the best place to grab a cup of coffee in the Red. They also offer breakfast sandwiches and lunch and have an excellent selection of shakes smoothies in addition to their selection of hot drinks. Customers are welcome to hang out and use the free wifi.

Choclat Inn

Located just south of the PMRP in the town of Beattyville. The Choclat Inn is a hip café with delicious, pastries, desserts, and a rotating menu of house specials.

Other options in Slade, KY include the La Cabana Mexican Restaurant, Thatcher’s Barbecue Company (Formerly Red River Smokehouse), and the Buffet and Restaurant at the Natural Bridge State Resort Park Lodge. Additional options for fast food, coffee shops, and restaurants exist in the nearby towns of Stanton, Campton, and Beattyville, which also happen to be the nearest towns to find groceries and other supplies.

Groceries

Most will find a good selection of groceries at the Kroger in Stanton, while picky eaters can find more variety (Trader Joes, Whole Foods) in Lexington, about an hours drive away. For quick trips the Save-a-lot in Campton and the IGA in Beattyville stock all the basics.

There are now six high quality guidebooks available for the Red River Gorge, 3 of which  cover, comprehensively, separate regions of the Red River Gorge. Namely the Northern Region, the Southern Region, and the Miller Fork. Additionally, there are 2 “best of” guidebooks each of which attempt to condense the most classic and popular walls throughout the area into a single book, as well as a comprehensive Sport climbing guidebook. Let us help you sort through all the choices!

Our Top Pick For Traveling Climbers

The Red – 2nd Edition (2022). Brendan Leader. $35.00 ISBN:0958079099

The second edition of the popular “The Red” guidebook includes all of the Sport Climbing crags in the area along with the trad climbs within those sport climbing areas. This book currently leaves out most trad climbing only areas so if trad is your thing you might want to pick up the Red River Gorge “North” guidebook. “The Red – 2nd Edition” is currently the most up to date guidebook for Red River Gorge with the new edition adding about 250 new climbs since the last edition. Overall it’s a great bang for your buck for most Climbers traveling to the region. We really like the format and layout of the book, and how up to date the info is. 

Our Top Pick For Locals

These guidebooks are the most comprehensive for the area, bar none. They’re a great choice for locals and collectors who want to have it all. They are slightly more out of date when compared with “The Red” but offer more detailed descriptions and pictures than the aforementioned in general. Additionally “The Red River Gorge North” is a great choice for those who plan on doing a lot of trad climbing in the region. *Rumor has it that a new edition of both of these books is coming out soon, so look out for that in Fall 2022 or Spring 2023.*

Red River Gorge North – Volume 1 (2015 5th Edition)  Ray Ellington and Dustin Stephens. $28.00 ISBN:1938393201

Covers the crags north of the Mountain Parkway. Including many of the classic trad lines in the Red.

Red River Gorge South – Volume 2 (2017 5th Edition) Ray Ellington and Blake Bowling. $33.00 ISBN:1938393279

Covers the crags south of the Mountain Parkway excluding Miller Fork, includes many of the classic sport lines in the Red.

Miller Fork Climbing (2015 Edition)  Ray Ellington. $39.95 ISBN:9780692471128

Covers Miller Fork though due to being published when the MFRP first opened, this edition is not particularly up to date.

Our Top Picks for “Best of” Books

The following Guidebooks are a good choice for those who only plan to spend a short time in Red River Gorge and want to hit up all the classics, though we would personally recommend passing on the “Best Of” in favor of “The Red” if you’re looking to buy just one book for the area, since it includes much more comprehensive and around the same price, as well as being more up to date than the current “Best Of” books. Nonetheless, if you only have a short time in the area and want a more concise summary of the best routes, these books would be a good choice… and of course we had to pick up both books for our collection!

Red River Gorge Select – Guide to the best crags in the North, South, and Miller Fork  (2018 Edition)  Dario Ventura, Mike Williams $39 ISBN:1938393325 

Covers a large selection of the most popular sport and trad crags throughout the gorge.

Best of the Red – Sport Climbing Crags of the Red River Gorge (2017 Edition)  Brendan Leader. $30.00 ISBN:9780994278456

Covers a huge selection of the best sport crags in the north, south and Miller Fork Recreational Preserve (MFRP).

Learn about the terminology used in these books and how to navigate using these guidebooks in our Gym to Crag and Beginner Climbing Courses.

Photo courtesy Billy Simek

The “Standard Rack”

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. 

RRG Cracks Are Full of Variety

The Red River Gorge is rarely ever “splitter” a term used to describe parallel sided cracks. Splitters stay a consistent size for the duration of the climb. The cracks here in Red River Gorge are filled with variation both from top to bottom, as well as in depth. While a climb may take a #2 Black Diamond Camalot near the surface, further back in the crack may reveal a #1 Camalot placement. This is great news, because you can get away with a smaller rack than those splitter areas like Moab, Utah.

So here it is, my recommendation for a beginner climbing rack in Red River Gorge. This is a starting point, and one could certainly get away with less or require more depending on the climb. I find the following rack gets me up most of the moderate trad climbs in the Red River Gorge. You’ll quickly find based on your style, and the climbs you frequent, which gear you wish you had more of. A trad rack isn’t a one time purchase but something you’ll add to as needed over time.  

Stoppers

A single set of stoppers or “nuts”, (named after the machine nuts climbers slung with cord used before manufactured stoppers were available), is usually sufficient in RRG. The cracks and fissures in Red River Gorge’s Corbin Sandstone are often parallel sided. Making cams the better choice than stoppers in many instances. Having said that, an experienced eye can still find plenty of constrictions for good stopper placements. Stoppers are a little more nuanced to get a solid placement than cams.  However, with practice, they offer a reliable and cost effective alternative to similarly sized cams. In fact, stoppers test out stronger in good placements than equally sized cams. 

We love the DMM Offset Stopper Set, but a standard set of Black Diamonds Stoppers from #4-13 work great too.

Cams

Cams. The bread and butter of every RRG Trad Climbers Rack. A number of companies make really high quality cams. For Bigger Sizes (BD .5 and higher) we love the CLASSIC Black Diamond C4 Camalots. Close runner ups, include the new Wild Country Friends and the DMM Dragon Cams. For smaller cams there are many more options, are current favorites are the Black Diamond Z4 Camalots and the Metolius Ultralight Mastercams. The brands listed our are favorites, but many companies offer quality cams these days. Look for the UIAA rating to make sure your climbing gear has gone through the proper testing. Be wary of non-certified brands that pop up through Amazon and Ebay.

Hexes

A long lasting debate exist, once popular, hexes have mostly been replaced by cams by today’s generation of climbers. You won’t find hexes being racked on many climber’s harnesses in Red River Gorge. They take a lot more time to place, and don’t work as well in parallel sided cracks as cams do.  Old school climbers like Legendary Red River Gorge First Ascensionist Larry Day still swear by them. He touts them as a cheaper and lighter alternative to cams, these points are still valid, but as cams get lighter and lighter, the appeal of hexes is fading for use on hard technical climbing.

You could spruce up your rack on a budget with a set of hexes, and they are great for certain applications, like building a bail anchor to leave behind in the alpine, or lightweight pro on easy mountain routes. The bottom line is, we think you’ll find as you progress in your climbing, hexes will get left in the closet, and you’ll wish you would have spent the money on a couple extra cams.

Final Thoughts

The climbing rack is an expensive and daunting purchase, fortunately it’s one that will last you a long time. Don’t feel obligated to but your entire rack all at once, I personally pieced together my current rack over several years. I figured out what brands I liked, and the sizes and types of protection I desired more of along the way. A great way to ease the burden is to find a climbing partner with similar interests. Both parties can buy a single rack and share the rack between one another.