With all the outdoor adventure available just off the road, it would be a shame to spend all your time on the Red River Gorge Scenic Byway within the confines of your car. The diverse terrain, sheer cliffs, and rolling river should be experienced first-hand, rather than through the finger-printed and bug-splattered windshield. Red River Gorge is a major stop for outdoor activities like kayaking and canoeing, rock-climbing, and epic hiking treks. Campgrounds provide the opportunity to stay as long as you'd like to enjoy the area fully.
The remoteness of some of Red River Gorge's stretches make a trip down it a true adventure. While the rapids are a fairly mild class II and III, the sheer walls and small margin of error should discourage the first-timer. Intermediate to advanced kayakers with good equipment are in for a long, enjoyable odyssey through high cliffs, whitewater, and wild surroundings.
Rock climbers have made Red River Gorge a major destination. With over 1200 routes for both sport and traditional climbers and boundless bouldering areas, the rock is extensive and of high quality. The Red River Gorge Climbing Coalition has done a superb job making the routes accessible and available to climbers, and there are plenty of routes for any skill level. If you don't have the gear and experience for technical climbing, try the Via Ferrata adventure. People of all ages and abilities can climb sheer cliffs via metal rungs, clipping onto a cable fastened to the rock along the way for safety.
Hiking is abundant along the Byway, ranging from half-hour jaunts to 370-mile epics. The Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail follows Daniel Boone's footsteps and traverses high ridges, plunges into deep gorges, and skirts clear streams and whitewater river sections. Chances are you'll run into plenty of wildlife along the way, too, including a variety of endangered or threatened species. The Sheltowee Trace Trail is just a part of the extensive trail system surrounding Red River Gorge Scenic Byway, so don't feel like you have to commit to several hundred miles in order to experience a stroll through pristine wilderness, deep forests, and natural rock formations.
So resist the temptation to simply look at the Byway through a car window. Get out and revel in it. Get your shoes dirty, your clothes wet, and your hair mussed. Make it an adventure.
