Customer Reviews

Kentucky's Land of the Arches

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you've ever asked for directions in a small town, you know how easy it is to get lost even though you've followed the route suggested to the last detail. Inevitably the farmer assumed you would follow the road as it split to the right or forgot to mention that the sign is no longer there. Such it is with Ruchhoft's "Kentucky's Land of the Arches." While the trail guides are generally correct, many times one is left meandering through the woods, looking for that sign that is no longer there. This is a great guide to direct you to trail heads and to familiarize hikers with the beauty of the Red River Gorge, but sometimes leaves the reader lost before even beginning to hike the trail. This book is a "must read" for any avid hiker of the Gorge, but falls short of being the type of trail guide needed so desperately for the RRG. I tried to rate this book as if it weren't the only RRG trail guide on the market.

I have used this guide religiously as a backpacker from the late '80s through the '90s. I found the detailed trail descriptions very accurate if not exactly easy to follow. The hiker will benefit from taking the time to interpret some of the trail markings as some other reviewers have noted - overall I have found that the descritions are quite accurate once they have been hiked, though somewhat confusing during the actual hike. I cannot comment on the accuracy of current signage and other markings that may change over the course of a few years, as I haven't been to the gorge in about 10 years, though I look forward to taking my daughter once she is old enough to be up for the trip.

One "must see" for the area is camping for a night on top of "Turtle-Back Arch". This arch is near the Rock Bridge area and is accessible from the Swift Creek Trail by following the author's detiled instructions. Some fairly challenging scampering up rock faces is needed to get up on top of the arch but the effort is well worth it. There are a few areas to camp up on top of the arch. They offer spectacular views of the surrounding area and offer the only arch-top campsite area I am aware of in the red river gorge area. If you continue up the arch you can get back to solid ground to forage for wood and to explore. This has to be my all-time favorite campsite.

This is book is awesome. I have had my original copy since the '90's and bought this one for a friend. It gives tons of history about the area and a great guide for finding the trails. I am so sorry this book is out of print

As the above review states, although very detailed, the author seems to jump around when describing trail directions etc. Be very cautious and read completely through trail descriptions before making a decision. Watch for massive drop offs (very hard to see sometimes in the thick woods) and copperheads.

Overall, I rate the book 4 stars. It is the only detailed book I can find concering this incredibly fascinating area. The author provides a good summarization of the history of this area as well as a basic explanation for the geologic formations one will see when hiking the Gorge. The sections covering hiking trails are invaluable to anyone who wants to really see what the Gorge has to offer!

The only critique I have is that the author seems to jump around somewhat in providing trail directions. A straight forward reading of some sections leaves one lost as to which trail the author is speaking of. It would appear that the author is so familiar with area, having hiked the trails many times himself, that he assumes much of the reader. Beyond this I would HIGHLY recommend the book to anyone serious about hiking the gorge and obtaining the most satisfaction from his/her efforts. I would only comment that I disagree with the author's assumptions concerning causes for the geologic formations. I believe the entire Gorge area attests to the factuality of the Biblical Flood! The swirling texture of many of the rock formations coupled with the existence of rock caves and land bridges points strongly to the aftermath of flood conditions. Thanks for listening!