Another Natural Arch in Kentucky
An unexpected series of deep cracks in a road shifted a planned trip to a waterfall in Kentucky’s Daniel Boone State Park to a hike up to see a natural arch.
Ok, so I have a few days vacation, and I decide to do a little hiking in areas I’ve never been. Thinking back to a hike I took with my wife in Kentucky, I decided that state might be a good place to go. It’s just an hour or so north, and there’s the Daniel Boone State Park, where that last hike had been.
A quick search on the internet took me to the USDA Forest Service website for Daniel Boone State Park, which is broken down into various regions. The 3+ hours to Red River Gorge seemed a little more than I was intending for this jaunt, so I looked in the Stearns District and the London District. Turns out there are a lot of hikes throughout that area. Thus, I spent some time looking through descriptions and cross-referencing them with reviews.
In the end, I decided upon the Dog Slaughter Falls Trail, regardless of the rather lurid name. Just in case I decided to take a few other hikes while there, I gathered multiple maps and headed off the next morning. GPS gave me a clear route to the trailhead, so I figured everything was set for a wonderful morning hike to a waterfall.
Just after turning off on what according to GPS was Forest Road, although there was no clear sign, I was glad I had taken our truck, rather than our low-to-the-ground Honda. This was not a paved road, and I navigated multiple holes and divots in the road. Still not that bad, however, as I had taken the truck to the Twin Arches Trail in Big South Fork, and that was a bad road.
But the road to Twin Arches does not contain a sizeable crevasse across the road, with no clear way around it. It appeared that someone had successfully gone across it, but based upon the disturbance around the area, it was not easy. It took merely a few seconds to recalibrate and give up my chance at seeing the Dog Slaughter Falls, unless I could find a good place to park and walk the rest of the way to the trailhead.
My search turned up no alternative parking area, so I stopped, pulled up my alternatives, and selected my next option: the Natural Arch Trail. The choice seemed appropriate, considering my last hike in Kentucky, and that I had just been thinking of yet another natural arch hike. Approximately a half-hour later, I pulled into the Natural Arch Scenic Area, which includes the trailhead for the Natural Arch Trail, short 2-mile loop hike down to the arch, with the option of a 5-mile loop trail, the Buffalo Canyon Trail, that breaks off from this loop. If I chose, after viewing the arch, I could take this other trail for a while, if not take the entire loop.
The Natural Arch Trail begins just down from an amphitheater in the area, starting off with a paved walkway. After a few feet, it becomes unpaved trail. There are a couple of overlooks at this point with nice views of the surrounding valley. Then it heads downwards, alternating trail and staircases built to ease the elevation change.
Just past the junction with the Buffalo Canyon Trail, the trail splits into the two arcs of the loop. I luckily chose the one that headed up hill to the right, and ended up quickly walking under the arch. I spent time under this impressive arch, taking pictures and reading. However, at this point in the day, the heat was becoming oppressive, so I didn’t linger overlong.
The other side of the loop is much longer, with fascinating geologic formations. The patterns of erosion resulted in ridges, holes, and webworks of stone across this massive outcropping of rock. And speaking of webs, it was clear that this trail had not been used in some time, as I destroyed a great number of spider works. I have noted before that arachnids seem to all construct their webs at just about six feet off the ground, ensuring that if I don’t see them, they will inevitably plaster themselves across my face. I may still be picking web out of my hair for the next month.
Between the growing heat, stifling humidity generated by an oncoming storm, and the recurring taste of spider silk, I opted not to take the Buffalo Canyon Trail when I exited the loop. Instead, I headed back to the truck and took my leave of the Daniel Boone National Forest for the time being. Overall, the trail was worth it for the arch, which truly is impressive and beautiful, and if you’re looking for a short hike, this might very well work for you.
