Daniel Boone National Forest: Rock Bridge Trail (Blog Hike #29)

Trail: Rock Bridge Trail (FS #207)

Hike Location: Daniel Boone National Forest, Clifty Wilderness

Geographic Location: north of Campton, KY (37.77015, -83.56690)

Length: 1.4 miles
Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)

Date Hiked: September 1998

Overview: A paved trail with a couple of steep sections featuring an interesting arch, small waterfall, and impressive overlook.

Trail Information: http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/dbnf/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=39482&actid=50
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=717270
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: Take the Mountain Parkway to SR 15 (exit 40).  Exit and go west on SR 15.  Take SR 15 2 miles to SR 715 and turn right on SR 715.  Take SR 715 less than 1 mile to gravel Rock Bridge Road and turn right on Rock Bridge Road.  This intersection is marked by a brown Clifty Wilderness sign.  The parking lot is located three miles east of SR 715 at the end of Rock Bridge Road.

The hike: Weighing in at 12,646 rugged acres, Clifty Wilderness represents the larger of the two federally designated wilderness areas in Daniel Boone National Forest.  The wilderness designation gives the land special protection against human intervention, barring activities such as logging, mining, or even road building.  The designation also means that trails in the Clifty Wilderness are less maintained and less frequently marked than other national forest trails.

For better or worse, some signs of development from the time prior to this wilderness designation can still be seen today.  One of these intrusions is the paved Rock Bridge Trail described here.  While one would think that a paved trail would make for easy hiking, in fact the asphalt under foot on this trail is narrow, old, and crumbling, making the going more difficult than would otherwise be the case.  Due to the current wilderness designation, there will be no further maintenance for the asphalt, so do not expect these conditions to improve any time soon.  Fortunately, the asphalt section is rarely steep, with steps and switchbacks used to ease any ascents and descents.

Cliff just below trailhead

            Since the trail makes a loop to and from the parking area, one could hike the trail in either direction.  I suggest walking the trail counter-clockwise to make the final uphill climb as easy as possible.  To begin such a route, pick up the trail going south behind the information board.  The paved trail immediately descends steeply into a deep ravine using stone steps.  At the bottom of the steps, the trail makes a sharp turn to the left with one of the sheer sandstone cliffs that give the area its name right in front of you.  After the turn, the trail becomes level and is eventually joined by a creek on the right with a steep hill on the left. 

            Several hundred feet later the trail begins climbing moderately over some wooden erosion controls, only to fall back to creek level.  Shortly thereafter, the trail arrives at the top of Creation Falls, a 10-foot waterfall in the aforementioned creek.  Just a few steps ahead there is an excellent viewing area for the falls.  The water falls gently over a sandstone ledge, with steep dirt banks on either side, into a small plunge pool.  For best waterfall viewing, plan a visit during the spring: when I walked this trail during a September drought, the falls were not particularly impressive in terms of volume, but the creek did still flow, making a nice attraction along side the trail.

Creation Falls

            The trail follows the creek as it takes a left turn and then arrives at the rock bridge for which the trail is named.  The bridge stands about 2 feet wide and 6 feet above the water in the creek.  It appears as a series of shelves going up either side.  Though not as massive as others in the area, this bridge is characterized by the fact that its appearance changes significantly with only a small change in your viewing angle.  Spend a few minutes walking around the bridge and admiring the various views. 

Rock Bridge

            Past the bridge, the trail begins climbing out of the ravine, only to be interrupted by another trail coming in from the right.  While the trail leading right descends back to creek level and heads deeper into the wilderness, our trail goes to the left and begins climbing very steeply.  A well-placed bench awaits you about half way up the hill.  

Once atop the hill, the trail curves left, and hikers are well-rewarded for their efforts with an excellent overlook of the ravine to the south (left).  With the large population of broadleaf trees in the forests below you, this would be a fantastic overlook for leaf peeping in mid-October.  From this point, only about 1000 feet of level hiking through a fir forest remains to arrive at the eastern end of the parking lot and complete the hike.

Overlook near end of trail