Natural Bridge/Balanced Rock Trails-Red River Gorge, Ky

andreaj  Monday, March 28, 2011

Adventure Review

Natural Bridge was the very first hike that we did at the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. The trail begins right behind the Natural Bridge State Resort Park. We combined this hike with Balanced Rock Trail so we could see both trails and not backtrack. The total length of these trails are about 1.5 miles.

Natural Bridge gently climbs and then gets a bit steeper when you get close to the top. There are a couple of trail shelters along the way if you need to stop for some reason. In our case we were hot and needed to shed a few layers even though it was early March. Near the top there are beautiful limestone steps and the trail ends beneath the arch of Natural Bridge. There is a scenic overlook to the forest below.

If you continue under the bridge and veer to the left you will see what looks like a skinny passageway. It is known as “fat man’s misery” due to the narrow path and walls. Once through there is another viewing area and a natural fracture that leads to the top of the bridge. The view from the top of the bridge was SPECTACULAR! Do not miss it.

At the top of the bridge you will find a large wooden shelter. Directly to the right you can access Balanced Rock Trail. I highly recommend hiking Balanced Rock this way because it is so very steep and you might rather be hiking down than up all those stairs. You follow the trail along a ridge top with lots of sandstone and limestone. After awhile of steep descent we were awarded with a view of the massive balanced rock sandstone for which the trail was named. It was quite a site to behold.  We had heard there was a cave we could go through on the way down but were a bit disappointed to find it blocked off. We are learning with every hike to be prepared for information to change and in some cases trails can actually be closed. Flexibility is a good trait to have in order to make your experience enjoyable no matter what comes your way. Both Natural Bridge and Balanced Rock trails are worth the hike.

To learn more about Natural Bridge State Park go to:

http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/resortparks/nb/