Red River Loop
13.4 miles hiking, 12.5 miles paddling (1.5 – 3 days)
Great Hiking Scenery, Scenic Float, Higher Mileage Option
This loop involves off-trail hiking and possibly some light rope-work if it’s wet and slippery. See “Variations” below to avoid this.
Overview
This is the longest loop listed here, as well as the most flexible with regard to water levels, due to its avoidance of the mercurial Gladie and Upper Swift Camp creeks. It involves a little off-trail hiking (see variations below if this isn’t your cup of tea), a lot of great views, and some scenic beginner-level boating opportunities. If you’re looking for a great multi-day packrafting trip through Red River Gorge, this is probably your route.
Note: this route includes all or parts of some other routes that are listed here.
Parking
There are lots of options for start/stop points on this loop. You could park at Martin Fork Trailhead if you want to end on the high note of the Auxier Ridge Trail (not to mention doing “The Moves” with a lighter pack). You could park at the Swift Camp Creek Trailhead if you want to do the whole packrafting section nearly right out of the gate. My pick, though, is the Chimney Top Creek Trailhead on the north side of the river. This start point splits the rafting up into two sections, which tends to be more fun and memorable, in my experience.
Route
From the Chimney Top Creek Trailhead on the north side of the Red, immediately put in on the Red River. You may be able to see Hanson’s Point to the south and Chimney Top Rock to the east. Paddle down four and a half miles of lazy river. After the bridge, you’ll have great views of Raven Rock and Courthouse Rock, among others. Be sure to take out before the boundary of the park, or you’ll end up on private property with fences. Pack up on the floodplain, then follow the old path for a short distance until you need to veer left to stay in the park. Sidehill above the plain, gently gaining elevation until you can slowly descend into Auxier Branch Creek on your right. Reminiscent of hiking in Oregon, follow the creek until you come to Auxier Branch Trail on the valley floor, following it north.
Ascend the steep rise on Auxier Branch Trail, then on Auxier Ridge Trail, topping out near Courthouse Rock. Optionally, this massif can be somewhat easily climbed without equipment or technical knowledge, yielding amazing views into the valley below. If you choose to climb it, you’ll want to head around its north-eastern side and find the chimney chute that ascends at a 45 degree angle, drop packs, and spend five or ten minutes climbing. Although it’s easier than it looks, those with fears of heights need not attempt this diversion.
Next, continue following the Auxier Ridge Trail south on the ridge. For those that didn’t climb Courthouse Rock, this narrow ridge top offers some of the best views on the loop. Looking west, you can make out Double Arch across the valley, and maybe some folks taking breaks on top of it. Ravens Rock is near to the east. You’ll probably see plenty of other hikers on this unforgettable section of trail. Even the old burn area is quite pretty.
Leaving the beaten path: Continue hiking right through the trailhead parking lot and follow the road for a few left turns. After the right-side turn-around, you’ll make your first right turn on the road. Just after this turn, at the very top of the ridgeline, you’ll need to probe into the woods, heading east/northeast, off trail. You’re looking for (and should easily find) a well marked and well maintained use trail that follows the ridge top. It’s not visible from the road but should materialize a few hundred feet after entering the woods, if you move perpendicular to its direction of travel. This use trail follows the top of the ridge, offering several clearings with great views. There might be a couple times when the trail splits, but taking a few minutes to scout each option will allow you to stay on the main branch.
On the map, there is a place marked “The Moves.” This is worth mentioning, as it’s a 35 degree descent over about 40 feet of bare (but grippy) rock, which will be difficult if the rock is wet. The exposure here is a bit unnerving, so if you’re afraid of heights you may want to bring an 80-foot rope or cord and a short piece of webbing to set up a hand line to assist you on your way down (see hand line note below). I was able to do it on wet rock wearing a 30 pound pack with no hand line, so don’t let this warning scare you too much. When the trail begins its final descent down to the road, it braids out, but you should be able to make your way down the steep dirt paths by peering through the woods for a good route below you. This use trail ends in the Martin’s Fork parking lot.
Cross the road onto the marked trail. Follow the Sheltowee Trace, looking for the namesake turtle blazes to help navigate through the Gray’s Arch area, which has several intersecting trails. You may want to take a side-hike to check out Gray’s Arch if you don’t mind losing some of the elevation you just gained.
Continue following the Sheltowee as you traverse several dramatic ridge tops. When you finally descend to Chimney Top Creek you’ll diverge from the Sheltowee and head generally east, eventually crossing Chimney Top Road. The trail goes through Swift Camp Creek Trailhead and crosses KY715, then descends down to meet Swift Camp Creek, where the second packrafting leg starts.
Lower Swift Camp Creek is running nearly as often as The Red, so if it’s rained in the past few days you should be able to put in here and enjoy some low volume creeking fun. The lower section of Swift Camp Creek Canyon is scenic and memorable. As you descend two and a half miles toward The Red, the creekbed will usually fill out with water and become easier to paddle.
Just after the confluence, you’ll pass the KY 715 bridge, with a trailhead and canoe put-in. The rest of your five and a half mile paddle on the Red River should be nice and relaxing, with plenty of cliff-side views to finish off the trip. Locals like to jump into the river from Jump Rock, marked on the map a short distance before the take-out.
Variations
This route can, and should, be used as the basis for many different packrafting adventures in the gorge. Add and subtract sections to suit your goals, fitness, available time, and water levels. Use your imagination here.
It’s not too difficult to add in upper Swift Camp Creek to this loop, if it isn’t dry. This adds 5.2 miles of hiking and 5.2 miles of floating to the trip totals. You could also add in the entire Cloud Splitter loop as well, if time and water levels permit.
On-trail variation: If you want to avoid off-trail travel and possible hand-line use, you can cut out the Auxier Ridge section by ending your rafting at the KY77 bridge, then hiking south on the road to rejoin the loop near Martin Fork Trailhead. This removes 3.5 miles of hiking and 2 miles of boating.
Water Level Check
According to Paddling Kentucky, the Red’s minimum navigable flow is 180 CFS at the gauge at Clay City. With a packraft, you can probably fudge that a little. Winter and spring are almost guaranteed to have enough water, but summer and fall are more conditional. There are two bridges in the area that make it easy to visually check the level.
It’s more difficult to check the water level in Lower Swift Camp Creek, but it can be done. There are a couple places where the creek is visible from above, on KY715. Water level at the put-in can also be checked, but this requires a three mile round trip hike from one of the trailheads in the Angel Windows area.
Mapping Resources
CalTopo map of all routes
KML file of Red River Loop
How to use the CalTopo Map
In the sidebar on the left, there are folders. Each folder represents a route, and can be toggled on or off depending on which route you want to see. Just check or un-check the folders. If more than one route at a time is checked, it will be hard to separate them visually. There is also a folder labeled “Global Objects” that you should keep checked. It contains points that belong to multiple routes, as well as some other scenic points that might spark your curiosity and may be worthy of a diversion.
Mile markers do not necessarily start at the trailhead, as you’ll choose your own starting point for each loop.
These maps can be printed cheaply online using Skurka’s printing advice.