Red River Gorge

- 1st (climbing) trip to Red River Gorge: Visiting friends and climbing for a weekend in the Red

Region: Kentucky

Elev: ~1,100 ft

Rock type: Sandstone

Type:

Date(s): May 19-22, 2023 (Fri-Mon)

Partner(s): Braden & Allie Downey

The Red River Gorge is one of the best rock climbing areas in the world, with super steep climbing on wildy featured sandstone. Its 3000+ routes range from perfect cracks to delicate faces to outrageous jug-hauls, 5.4 to 5.14. This place has it all.

The prime seasons for climbing at the Red are spring and fall. High humidity and temperatures make for less than ideal rock conditions in the summertime, but that doesn't stop some climbers. Winter is the slow season, but locals often take advantage of the occasional sunny and warm day during the otherwise cold and wet winter months.

So when my friends moved to Kentucky and invited me to visit in Spring 2023, I snatched the opportunity to fly out for the weekend to see see my friends and to check out the Red River Gorge. I had a blast and hope to repeat the trip again someday.

This page presents my trip report for my May 2023 trips to the Red. At the bottom of the page, I keep a list of the climbs I've done in the Red.

Intro

Towards the end of my years in Bellingham, WA from 2012 to 2019, I befriended Braden and Allie Downey. We were all a bit discontent with the wet Pacific Northwest weather and we had itchy feet for year-round rock climbing. Coincidentally, just few of months after I moved to Boulder, Colorado in June 2019, Braden and Allie moved to Bishop, California and then in 2022 to Beattyville, Kentucky. They had been making trips to the Red for years, loved the area, and had decided to make it home. They invited me to come visit and check out the climbing in the Red. I decided to take the bait. I was working remote so I could come for a week and not have to take off much work. So in May 2023 I booked my flights and visited Braden and Allie for a weekend.

Braden picked me up at the Cincinnati airport (about 2 hours drive from their place) on Thursday night. After day of work on Friday (I set up my office on the bed of their truck in their driveway and hot-spotted internet off of my phone) and an unexpected afternoon visit to the closest walk-in clinic after I was bitten by a mean Rottweiler on a run, we squeezed in a few after-work pitches of climbing at the nearby Old Zoo. On Saturday it rained all day, but we went to the overhanging Shady Grove area, climbing some of the steepest and juggiest rock I have ever climbed and proving that you can still climb in the rain at the Red. That evening we went out to dinner at the famous Miguel's Pizza. On Sunday, Braden and Allie showed me some of the trad the Red has to offer at Long Wall. On Monday, I again set up my remote office in their driveway and after a day of work (Allie and Braden on their new deck and me at my job) we squeezed in a few after-work pitches at The Gallery and capped the day off with dinner at Miguel's. On Tuesday, I flew back to Colorado (thanks Allie and Braden for waking up at 3am to take me to the airport!).

The following page gives photos from my super fun first visit to the Red. I had such a fun time and Braden and Allie were great hosts. They gave me a great tour of what the Red has to offer. I have only just scratched the surface and I am already planning my next visit.