Muir Valley Named Waterfalls Hike - Liz's Arch, Horseshoe Falls, Joe Ponder Double Falls, and Nellie's Falls

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Muir Valley Named Waterfalls Hike - Liz's Arch, Horseshoe Falls, Joe Ponder Double Falls, and Nellie's Falls

This was a fantastic hike featuring an arch and four waterfalls. I was a bit late after recent rains (more than 24 hours earlier), so these could certainly have more flow closer to rain - especially at Nellie’s Falls. Horseshoe Falls is amazing, but Joe Ponder Double Falls steals the show. With the double falls in the foreground, Upper Joe Ponder Falls can be seen in the background on lookers’ right. Simply amazing!

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Unicorn Arch and Osborne Bend Arch Out and Back

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Unicorn Arch and Osborne Bend Arch Out and Back

These arches are so close to the trail, but I’ve passed them by a number of times completely unaware of their existence. The Red is cool like that! Unicorn Arch is a gorgeous little arch that reminds me of a cartoon character that I can’t quite place. Osborne Bend Arch is a playful one not unlike Arch of Triumph. This is a short, sweet hike with a couple small, fun arches.

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Hopewell Arch Out and Back with Detailed Navigation

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Hopewell Arch Out and Back with Detailed Navigation

Hopewell Arch is the most beautiful arch I’ve seen so far in Red River Gorge. While I’ve published trail navigation before, I took some extra time to put together detailed directions for this out and back. The reason is simple - when hikers don’t have marked trails, a zoo of trails invariably forms. These zoos detract from the hiking experience, damage vegetation and habitat, and generally turn what could be a beautiful forest walk into a trashy network of dirt. So, please take care to follow the trail and download an offline copy of this post in Chrome by tapping the download button. Alternatively, print a copy of this page to .pdf and save it to your device before you reach the trailhead.

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Horseshoe Falls at Muir Valley - Out and Back

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Horseshoe Falls at Muir Valley - Out and Back

Short on daylight, I opted to hike Horseshoe Falls as a quick out and back. The trails were in great shape, and the falls were running beautifully. While the pics give you an inkling to the totality of these falls, its far, far better in person when you can see the full view from top to bottom.

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Hopewell Arch, Copperas Falls, and Box Falls

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Hopewell Arch, Copperas Falls, and Box Falls

This is a seemingly short hike at just over four miles, but it takes a good bit of time if you want to keep your feet dry-ish. Plan for a half day or more to explore this hike that is unmarked and has some challenging (sometimes extremely so) sections. The falls are beautiful and Hopewell Arch is among my favorites.

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Bell Falls in Winter

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Bell Falls in Winter

Waterfalls are best in Winter and Spring before Summer’s heat and Fall’s dryness sap their flow. Bell Falls is a beautiful and short roadside hike that can be done as a pair of out and backs to upper and lower falls or as a loop. On this day, we chose a pair of out and backs to reduce erosion impacts on the user trail near the falls.

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Star Gap Trail Overlook Extravaganza

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Star Gap Trail Overlook Extravaganza

Having hiked both Star Gap Arch and a couple of these overlooks earlier in the year, I wanted to do a full exploration that is detailed here. The shear number of overlooks may be unrivaled in Red River Gorge with each presenting a unique view of the area. My favorite of the bunch was also the longest walk - going out to the end of the horseshoe-shaped ridge to the eastern edge of Cruise Liner Rock.

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Tarr Ridge Extravaganza - Four Big Views

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Tarr Ridge Extravaganza - Four Big Views

I believe Jerrell Goodpaster coined the name of this hike, so we’ll go with it:-) Tarr Ridge Extravaganza is a fantastic hike with four spurs leading to massive views at the end of each. The first two are readily accessible, but the third and fourth are a different story. We were able to reach the first three, but the fourth was a sketchy rock climb with an even sketchier ‘rope’. It pays to know if you’re a hiker or a climber - and we’re hikers:-)

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Arch of Triumph and Star Gap Trail for Sunset

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Arch of Triumph and Star Gap Trail for Sunset

This ridgeline hike will take you out to see the small, but fun Arch of Triumph along with a pair of vistas on the southernmost fingers of the unmarked and unofficial Star Gap Trail. We took in a gorgeous Fall sunset and made it back just as last light was fading to darkness.

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Sheltowee Connector Trail, Jump Rock, and Footbridge

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Sheltowee Connector Trail, Jump Rock, and Footbridge

This short out and back is a lot of fun in warm weather when you can enjoy Red River’s most famous jump rock. For kids, this is among the best hikes in Red River Gorge with a long footbridge over the river. On this day, we also found a plethora of fall wildflowers in bloom with plenty of butterflies and bees taking full advantage.

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Swift Camp Creek Overlook

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Swift Camp Creek Overlook

There are a handful of roadside pull-offs with big views in Red River Gorge. This particular one is among the best with a very short unmarked trail leading to a nice perch overlooking Swift Camp Creek below. It’s a small piece of rock - perfect for couples or you and your bestie.

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