Red River Gorge Packing List: Day Hikes and Camping

For a Red River Gorge day hike, pack more water than you think (the trailheads have none), shoes with real grip, a paper map, a headlamp, layers and snacks. Camping overnight adds a recreation pass for your car, a way to hang or lock up food and a stove. The full checklist is below.

The quick checklist

Screenshot this part. The rest of the post explains the why behind each line.

Every day hike

• Water, at least 2 liters per person for a half day, more in summer
• Salty snacks and a real lunch
• Trail shoes or boots with good tread
• Paper map of the gorge, plus an offline map on your phone
• Headlamp or flashlight, even if you plan to be out by dark
• Rain shell and a warm layer
• Small first aid kit with blister care
• Phone, fully charged, and a small battery pack
• Trash bag to carry out everything you carried in
• Sunscreen and bug spray in summer

Add for camping

• Daniel Boone National Forest recreation pass for your vehicle (backcountry camping)
• Rope and a stuff sack, or a bear-resistant container
• Camp stove and fuel
• Local or certified heat-treated firewood, if you plan a fire where fires are allowed
• Tent, sleeping bag rated for the season, sleeping pad
• Water filter or treatment
• Camp mug and coffee kit (we have opinions, see below)

Water: the thing people get wrong

The most popular trailheads in the gorge do not have drinking water. The Forest Service pages for Grays Arch Picnic Area, Chimney Top Overlook and Rock Bridge all list potable water as not available. Fill up in town before you drive in.

The trails also play a trick on you. Many gorge hikes start on a ridge and drop down to an arch or creek, so the hardest climbing comes at the end, when your bottle is lightest. A sensible baseline is 2 liters per person for a short half-day hike and 3 or more for a full day or a hot one. Leave an extra gallon in the car for the drive home.

If you are camping, pack a filter or treatment tablets for creek water. Do not drink straight from the creeks, however clear they look.

Shoes and clothes

Footwear

Gorge trails are a mix of sandstone, roots, sand, stairs and slick rock near creeks. Running shoes with a smooth sole are the most common mistake. You do not need heavy leather boots, but you do want trail shoes or light boots with a deep, sticky tread. Break them in before the trip, not on the trail.

Layers by season

• Spring: mornings can be cold and afternoons warm, with rain likely. A rain shell is not optional.
• Summer: hot and humid in the hollows. Wear light synthetic or wool, not cotton, and plan for afternoon storms.
• Fall: the busiest season for good reason. Bring a fleece for the overlooks at sunrise and sunset, which get cold fast once the sun drops.
• Winter: fewer people and clearer views through bare trees, but ice can form on stairs and rock. Microspikes earn their space in the pack.

Weather in the gorge can differ from Lexington or Louisville, so check a local forecast the morning you go. Our guide to the best time to visit the Red River Gorge has more on what each season brings.

Navigation: do not trust your bars

Do not count on cell service in the gorge. Coverage can drop out in the deep valleys and even on some ridges. Before you leave home, download an offline map of the area to your phone and carry a paper map as a backup. The Gladie Visitor Center on Sky Bridge Road sells maps and can tell you about current trail conditions.

It also helps to know your trail numbers. Forest Service trails here are numbered, like Grays Arch Trail #205 or Auxier Ridge Trail #204, and the junction signs use those numbers. If you are new to the area, our first-timer’s guide to Red River Gorge hikes lists good starter trails and how to reach them.

Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back. A note on the dash is good. A text to a friend before you lose signal is better.

The headlamp rule

Pack a headlamp even on a short afternoon walk. Sunsets from places like Chimney Top Rock are the reason a lot of people visit, and the walk back to the car after the sun goes down is the reason a lot of people wish they had brought a light. The gorge is full of cliff edges that are very hard to see in fading light. A headlamp with fresh batteries weighs almost nothing.

Speaking of things that earn their space in a pack, here are three we make for gorge people.

Camping additions, and the rules behind them

A recreation pass for your car

If you are backcountry camping, the Forest Service requires vehicles parked on KY 15 or in the Red River Gorge and Indian Creek area north of KY 15 to display a recreation pass between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The Red River Gorge page currently lists $5 for a day, $7 for three days and $50 for a year, sold at Forest offices and local vendors. Check that page before you go, since fees change. Buy it before you lose signal, not after.

Food storage

Black bears live in the Daniel Boone National Forest, and the forest has food storage rules. Food, trash and scented items left unattended must be in a bear-resistant container, a closed hard-top vehicle, or hung at least 10 feet off the ground and at least 4 feet out from the tree or pole. Pack about 50 feet of cord and a stuff sack if you plan to hang, or carry a canister.

Stove and fire

A small camp stove is the easiest way to cook. Forest rules prohibit fires, campfires and stoves within 100 feet of the base of any cliff or the back of any rock shelter unless you are at a designated site. If you plan a campfire, the forest asks you to buy local or certified heat-treated firewood so you do not move tree pests around. Fire restrictions can be added in dry spells, so check the forest alerts before you load the car.

The rest of the overnight picture, from campgrounds to where you can and cannot pitch a tent, is in our Red River Gorge camping guide.

What to leave at home

• Alcohol for the trail. The Forest Service safety page says alcohol and open containers are prohibited in public places, including National Forest land. Check the current rules before you pack any.
• Smooth-soled shoes. Sandals and fashion sneakers are how ankles get rolled on sandstone.
• Your full trust in a phone battery. Cold and constant map use drain it fast.
• Anything you will not carry back out. There is no trash pickup on the trail.

The coffee question

We are a mug shop, so you knew this was coming. A sunrise at the gorge is better with a hot drink, and an enamel camp mug is the right tool: light, tough, and fine sitting on a stove or a rock. Pair it with instant coffee or a pour-over cone for a day trip, or bring a small percolator for camp. We wrote a whole guide to making coffee while camping if you want to go deep.

Questions people ask

How much water should I bring to the Red River Gorge?

Plan on at least 2 liters per person for a half-day hike and 3 or more for a full or hot day. The major trailheads list no drinking water, so bring it all with you and leave extra in the car.

Do I need hiking boots for the Red River Gorge?

You do not need heavy boots, but you do need grip. Trail shoes or light boots with deep tread handle the sand, roots, stairs and slick rock much better than running shoes.

Is there cell service in the Red River Gorge?

Do not count on it. Download offline maps and carry a paper map, and tell someone your plan before you go.

Do I need a permit to camp in the Red River Gorge?

For backcountry camping, your vehicle must display a Daniel Boone National Forest recreation pass between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Developed campgrounds charge their own nightly fees instead.

Do I need bear spray in the Red River Gorge?

Bear spray is a personal choice. What is required is proper food storage when camping, since black bears live in the forest.

More in Red River Gorge and Nature & Trail Life.