Climbing in Red River Gorge Kentucky with Kids

My favorite place in the whole world to climb is definitely the Red River gorge. If you are trying to pick a place to go and enjoy steep, long, gorgeous routes, you can stop now. This is it. The most beautiful climbs in the world, seriously!

Photo taken by Vrai Photography. Mandy Byron (me) climbing on Wild Gift, 5.12C at Roadside.

Mandy Byron climbing Straight Edge, 5.12A

Why: The Red River Gorge has thousands and thousands of perfect, beautiful, long, well bolted sandstone routes. Many are steep and pocketed and require tons of endurance, but just as many are technical, vertical/slabby, and crimpy. The Red seriously has it all.

Where: The Red is located in eastern Kentucky, near the Daniel Boone National Forest. The largest city nearby is Lexington (1hour) for flying into. There are a few small towns in the area like Stanton and Beattyville, but they are nothing to write home about and not worth visiting other than to get your groceries. The climbing crags cover a large area, but all are located in gorgeous deciduous forests.

Mandy Byron climbing at Torrent Falls

Mandy Byron Climbing at Roadside

When: The best time for climbing is usually the fall. Summer gets too hot quite often (think 90 degrees with 100% humidity). Winter and spring can be great as well. Just depends. Best time would be October for getting sun and the right temps.

What Crags: Check out the online guidebook and purchase these awesome guidebooks for the trip. Since I gear this blog for families, my favorite crags to go to (based on the climbs and landing area and ease of access) are :
1) Torrent Falls - Access is private so stay at the cabins if you can. Easy access, flat landing area, easy climbs for kids.
2) Drive By - large flat area for kids to play. You can push a stroller up if you have to.
3) Left Flank

Accommodations: There are plenty of cabins you can rent if you do a quick search. For climbers, I recommend staying at the Climber's Cabin right at Torrent Falls. This place is right at Torrent Falls, one of the best places to climb in the red with kids for sure. You have basically no hike (just some stairs to climb up), no crowds (only for people who stay at the cabin or are friends with the owner), and my favorite 11s and 12s for running laps on to get endurance. Torrent Falls also has a ton of easy climbs for beginners and kids that are great right by the 11s. The cabin is perfect for a family with kids.

What to see in the Area: Lexington is a nice city with plenty to do on a rest day with the kids (see this post here). In the gorge, Natural Bridge is definitely worth checking out.

Where to eat: By far, the best two places to go are the Red River Rockhouse and the infamous Miguels. Drink Ale 8 One (a local ginger Ale) and eat Mingua Brothers Beef Jerky. Yum!

As always, if you have questions, feel free to shoot me a comment. Have fun!