Red River Gorge
The Red River Gorge is a stunning area consisting of long beautiful routes that give a whole new meaning to the word “pump”. The area houses an abundant number of classic sport and trad lines, with a handful of boulder problems.
Best Time to Visit
* The best time to visit this is the Spring and Fall with ideal temps being in the 60’s (Fahrenheit) and below. Plan on rain during your visit.
Guidebook
* The guidebook for the area is “The Red River Gorge: A Rock Climbing Guide Book. 2007 2nd edition” by Ray Ellington and can be purchased at Miguel’s. New routes and areas, such as the La Bibliotech Wall, are listed online on the RRC site.
Camping
There are two main places were climbers camp: Miguel’s Pizza and Lago Lindas. Both have great access to crags, located at opposite ends of the Red.
* Miguel’s Pizza – Cost is $2 a night to camp (for tent or car). There are showers, in little wooden shacks that are naturally decorated with cobwebs, and cost $1.50 per 5 minutes. Food is available, at reasonable prices, as well as a climbing shop for any items you might have forgotten at home. As a solo traveler, Miguel’s is the partner solution as crowds of 50+ visit each weekend during high season. The downside to Miguel’s is the noise, especially on weekends. Also, there are only 2 bathrooms, a problem I hear that will be addressed this winter.
* Lago Lindas – Cost is $5 per night for car or tent, but includes a shower. The facilities are a lot nicer with heated restrooms, with three stalls each, and a nice indoor shower. The area is a lot quieter, due to the fact that population of campers are a little older (older in this case meaning 25+) and there are a lot of couples. As a solo traveler it is definitely still possible to find partners, but you might just be a third wheel.
Food / Drink
* Grocery Store: The closest grocery store is Krogers in Stanton, 10 minutes west of Slade on the Mountain Parkway.
* Restaurants: I must admit that I only ate at two restaurants during my month stay in the RRG, and the only one I will really suggest is Miguel’s. Everything I tried was delicious, but my favorite pizza combo (that was thankfully introduced to me by Ginley) included the toppings of chicken (or bacon), avacado, cilantro and tomato. Yum!
* Alcoholic Beverages: I thought Utah liquor laws were strange, but I think Kentucky might rival us. Kentucky counties are either dry or not, dry meaning you cannot buy any type of alcoholic beverages. I kid you not. Miguel’s, the main climber hang out, resides in one of these dry counties. Luckily it borders a non-dry county and so a beer trailer is about 5 minutes up the road on KY-11. Prices are reasonable.
Personal Hygiene
* Showers: Showers are a non-issue when in the Red as they are completely accessible if you camp at Linda’s or Miguel’s. However, if you stay at Miguel’s, which has the outdoor shack showers, you can go for a real shower at the hostel. The hostel is located off the next exit on the Parkway with showers costing $3. Note that the hostel has extremely odd hours.
* Laundromat: The closest laundromat is in Stanton. It is located just down the adjacent street from Kroger’s and is open 24 hours. Note that for some odd reason they don’t sell laundry soap. I don’t understand why they choose to miss out on this revenue generator.
The Red River Gorge Coalition
* The Red River Gorge has a superb coalition, something I truly wish the Salt Lake Climber’s Alliance would emulate. The RRGC is on the pulse of what is going on in their climbing community and is actively raising money that is directly used to buy crags, allowing permanent access. Donations can be made on their website or by attending the annual Rocktoberfest. If climbing in this area, please consider donating to this cause!
Other
* Theft: Theft is a problem in the Red. Do not leave anything of value in your vehicle at the crag; rather keep these items in a vehicle back at camp.
* Torrent Falls Registration: Only a handful of climbers are allowed in Torrent Falls on a daily basis. In order to climb there you must register the day of climbing. Registration opens at 6am, is open Thursday through Sunday and can fill up quickly. After registration the screen prompts you to print the page, but you can write the details on a sheet of paper if a printer is not accessible.
* Dogs: Two climbing crags do not allow dogs: Torrent Falls and Muir Valley. Torrent is lax about the rule, as long as you call Dr. Bob (the owner of Torrent) prior to climbing.
* Snakes: There are two venomous snakes in the area, the most prevalent of the two being the copperhead. The snakes are docile but will bite if you (or your dog) gets too close. They have been seen on trails, underneath crags and in the cracks on route. Also, there were two big (4 foot) snakes (non-copperheads) lingering at The Dark Side this year.
* Transportation: If you stay at Miguel’s, you can completely get away with not having a vehicle and still being able to get to the crag.
Sites of Interest
* The Natural Bridge – a natural arch located in a state park across the street from Miguel’s. Very beautiful and makes for a good run on a rest day. I did the Balance Rock trail, which is quite steep, but there is another trail that is more gradual in vertical gain. The Balance Rock trail from Miguel’s door to door is probably 3.5 – 4 miles (I think).
* Keeneland Horse Races – Definitely fun! They are located in Lexington which is an hour drive from Slade. Races only run in April and October (I believe).
* Bourbon Tours – I did just the Wild Turkey tour (which I thoroughly enjoyed) but there is what is known as the Bourbon Trail that takes you to each of the distilleries. I hear it is pretty cool.
* Snake Zoo – Everyone seemed to mention the snake zoo at the rest stop, but I heard it was closed and forgot to personally check. Might want to check it out if you are in the area.
Thanks Cragbaby for the info
www.cragbaby.com
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New grad student in Michigan. Looking for safe climbing partners to climb with. I mostly climb 10- levels, wouldn't mind going to 10b/c on sport. Flexible schedule until school starts Sept 7, with orientation Sept 1.
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50/50 either RRG or NRG over Labor Day. Don't mind climbing obscurities to avoid a crowd.
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Joshua Stafford 13 days ago
climbing Fri 20 Aug @
Red River Gorge
Comment/Reply - Msg Joshua StaffordWill be climbing in the red this weekend if anyone is intrested in climbing hit me up.
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Would love to get to Rocktoberfest. Anyone from Southern Ontario heading down and have room for me and some gear? I can travel light, drive and chip in for gas/rental.
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going on a backpacking/climbing trip. Anyone have any good recommendations for a long trail/specific climbs? I bought wolverine publishing's newest climbing guide. I'm also doing sport climbs.
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Hoping to hit Rocktoberfest, but it looks like my friends can't make it.
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Alaskan climbing in the Red from September 27th through October. Climbing in the 5.12 range. Goal is to get mile-age in the 12a/b range to build a better base. Can on-sight 12a/b. have a couple 12c, 12d projects. need partners.
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im looking for climbing partners of any skill level, sorta new to it but have my own gear so lets climb.
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I'm an enthusiastic but not incredibly skillful climber. 5.9 is my norm. I'm working on making 5.10 easy. I live in OH so it's a lot of road trips and indoor climbs for me.
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Possibly hitting the Red next Sunday if I can meet someone...
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I work in Music Marketing and am getting back into climbing after an embarrassingly long hiatus. Anyway, I live in Cincinatti and hang out at Climb Time. Also, I grew up calling it "The Gorge" and calling it the "The Red" doesn't sound right to me.
- KC Coninx - I would love some climbing partners at the red, or "gorge". I won't be able to make it that way until september though. Will you guys still be up for new climbing partners then?
- Josiah Kaiser - Of course. We will be climbing hard as often as we can as loong as the weather isn't down right terrible. New partners are always welcome. ~josiah
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Newbie climber, 6 months. Need to work on body composition (i'm chunkalicious), footwork, etc. I'm getting better though.
No idea what level I climb at, my indoor gym doesn't grade anything.
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Headed to the Red with a good buddy early Saturday for some shelter from the rain. If you're not out of the way and want to climb in the car and pitch in some gas money, let me know! We're coming back to Lynchburg, VA late Sunday.
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Patricia Schmittfull 86 days ago
climbing Mon 07 Jun @Red River Gorge
Comment/Reply - Msg Patricia SchmittfullI am a female 21 year old 5.10 climber. I love being on the rock and want to be a solid 5.11 climber by the end of the summer. I love the red river gorge and try to be out there as often as possible!
- tim guffin - hey patricia coming to RRG for the 3 day 4th of july weekend and looking for partners. if you're around gimme a shout and we can meet up at any of the crags. i'm also a 5.10 climber hoping to get to 5.11 this season cheers
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Joshua Stafford 124 days ago
climbing Fri 30 Apr @Red River Gorge
Comment/Reply - Msg Joshua Staffordi have been climbing for a few months, so its safe to ay Im fairly new to the sport but i am a super quick learner, and love to try harder routes. I have my own equipment plus some so Lets Climb.
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Rick Yazwinski 144 days ago
climbing Sat 24 Apr @Red River Gorge
Comment/Reply - Msg Rick YazwinskiDate unimportant.
Looking to climb in the Red River gorge again (soon). If you're going from somewhere near Toronto (or passing through) and have room in your vehicle, I can drive and share fuel.
I climb up to about 10c and will lead or top rope.
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I'm from Kentucky and looking for people to climb with on the weekends. Sometimes I try and go to a gym other times (depending on the weather) I climb outside. Let me know if you want to climb!
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Jonathan Dean Urness 183 days ago
climbing Fri 05 Mar @Red River Gorge
Comment/Reply - Msg Jonathan Dean UrnessWhat's the weather like... anyone want a partner... girl friend and I want to come for 5 days - This coming Friday to Tuesday - we climb everything from 5.8 - 5.13- , trad, sport whatever... just want to have fun...
- Tabitha - We've had a ton of snow here so even if it were to warm and melt I would think it would still be too wet to climb. The skiing is great though. Thanks for the invite. I'm so ready for spring and look forward to climbing! Let me know if you end up trying.
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Jonathan Dean Urness 190 days ago
climbing Wed 24 Feb @Red River Gorge
Comment/Reply - Msg Jonathan Dean UrnessWondeering what the weather is like...
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sean 203 days ago
Looking for climbers @Red River Gorge, Red Rocks, Fosters, Ozarks, the obed, King's Bluff
ReplyWill be in Red Rock Canyon for most of Mar and Apr.I am looking for partners to climb with during this time period. Will mostly be climbing sport(all grades but am mainly interested in in the 12's and 13's)Some trad. Camping at BLM or wherever I can park.
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hi,
i'm a sport climber/boulderer from SF that'll be in kentucky over Thanksgiving and looking for partners for Red River Gorge. Nothing like a good burn to work off that tofurkey!
hope to see you on belay!
t
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Hey! I live in Kentucky and will be home for a few weeks. I NEED TO CLIMB. Bouldering, top-roping, leading, whatever. You name it. Let's do it. I have a car, but no ropes (yet, maybe soon). You provide gear, companionship, and I will drive. As often as you want, wherever you want to go, I want to do it. Please? Three weeks! Anywhere within driving distance of Louisville, KY. Yeah!
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A friend and i are going to Mexico!
The dates are Dec 18th through January 3rd
Want to come? Two people needed.
Potrero Chico is the Multi-pitch sport climbing destination of choice in N. America...Limestone!!!
With moderate routes ranging from 1-7 to 23 pitches (up to 2000') with top end grades from 10-11a it is definitely doable for a wide range of skills (even if you cant pull 11a, to do the rest of the route and yard through one section would certainly be amazing!). If you pull harder than that they go all the up! The routes are all 100% bolted with burly 3 bolt rap stations at every pitch.
Of course there is also an incredible amount of single pitch as well...
It is roughly 4000 miles roundtrip from ohio....lets say 4600 to be safe and conservative...@ 20mpg and $3 a gallon that is $690 in gas or with 4 people $175 a piece!
Camping at the base of the mountain is $5 US / Night and with the exchange rates and local economy food is roughly half what youd expect to pay here.
ALSO: We would have the option of stopping in a range of places on the way there or back such as Foster Falls TN, Rocktown GA, HP40, Hueco, etc and spending a few days there before using a rest day doing the last stretch of driving into or out of mexico...
James and i are looking for 2 people, no more no less. You have your own gear and are comfortable leading sport, setting anchors, and rapelling. One 60m rope, 12-24 draws, helmets and camping gear is all that is really required...James lives in Ithaca NY and i live in cleveland...so if you are NE then youd meet james in ithaca or come straight to cleveland and if you are SW we could pick you up...
Email me for details! bonner1040@gmail.com
Check out these Links!
http://cosleyhouston.com/images/recent-images/05-02-mexico/DSCN3284.JPG
http://www.potrerochicoclimbing.com/routes.htm
http://is.gd/1rzVG
http://www.potrerochicoclimbing.com/camping.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potrero_Chico
http://cosleyhouston.com/recent/05-02-potrero-chico.htm
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I am looking for someone to climb with on tuesday or wednesday this week. I am fairly new to climbing, so I don't have a lot of experience with leading.
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Looking for a partner for the week of June 1
