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markweth 
Group: Members
Posts: 37
Joined: Jan. 2013
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Posted on: Feb. 27 2013, 4:49 pm |
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The Cumberland Plateau possesses a seemingly infinite amount of awe-inspiring qualities. Rare and endangered flora and fauna, thousands of miles of sandstone cliffline, caves, white-water rivers, and a stunning amount of biological diversity are just a few of its attributes. The patchwork of public lands in Kentucky and Tennessee provide hundreds of miles of trail through which a hiker can experience the Cumberland Plateau, which is a landscape beautiful in all seasons. Spring brings mild weather and wildflowers, summer allows one the opportunity to enjoy the refreshment of a swimming hole, fall the chance to admire the multitude of colors in the foliage, and winter is a pleasure all its own. Not much compares to hiking along a stream on a sunny, cold winter day, on top of a thin carpet of snow, beneath hemlocks and through rhododendron, with the beiges, browns and reds of the sandstone clifflines glowing in the sunlight and a blue sky overhead. Something about the mix of white, green, brown and blue is nearly transcendental.
I could ponder the intangible beauty and charm of the Cumberland Plateau and its seasons for the better part of a lifetime, but I decided to focus this post on one of its superlative characteristics. The Cumberland Plateau has the highest concentration of natural arches east of the Rocky Mountains, and two areas in particular -- the Red River Gorge and the Big South Fork -- are especially abundant in natural arches. Aside from waterfalls, arches are probably the type of landform that I visit the most when I go hiking. Fortunately, the Cumberland Plateau has an abundance of both -- both on and off-trail. Similar to my post about off-trail waterfalls, this post will have pictures of off-trail arches that I’ve visited in the past few years.
One of the more popular off-trail arches in the Red River Gorge: Red Byrd Arch. A really striking span and well worth the effort to visit.
Snow Arch, living up to its name. Red River Gorge.
Two different views of Hopewell Arch. Red River Gorge.
Sandy Arch. Red River Gorge.
Morning Arch. Big South Fork.
A 40-foot sandstone spire with a window about 1/3 of the way up. Big South Fork.
Arch. Private property near the Big South Fork.
Cherokee Arch. One of my favorite arches to visit. A winter and summer view. Red River Gorge.
Those are just a few of my favorite off-trail arches. There are a few dozen more on my list to visit  . I also need to visit several on-trail arches that I haven't checked out yet.
Looking through my photos of arches really made me appreciate what a beautiful landscape the Cumberland Plateau is -- and how lucky I've been to get to experience so much of it. Some of my most memorable backpacking trips have included stops at several of the arches pictured. A winter overnight trip near Cherokee Arch and a perfect fall backpacking trip that started with a trip to Morning Arch are especially pleasant to recall.
I'd love to hear any stories about off-trail adventures to arches and see any photos of off-trail arches from you all. I know some of you on here get out and beat back the rhododendron to get a look at these natural wonders . . .
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Mostly Southeastern Outdoor Scenery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mvweth
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ashepabst
Group: Members
Posts: 1024
Joined: Jul. 2008
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Posted on: Feb. 28 2013, 10:42 am |
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cool... ever been to Needle Arch? that's a fun one, and photogenic.
i wish that RRG were a little closer to me... it's like a 6 hour drive from Nashville, so i haven't made it up that aways yet.
is the spire hard to get to? i wanted to go check that out on a recent trip to Maude's Crack, but the little lady isn't too keen on offtrail stuff. i opted not since i wasn't really sure what i'd be getting us in to.
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markweth
Group: Members
Posts: 37
Joined: Jan. 2013
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Posted on: Feb. 28 2013, 2:21 pm |
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Yeah, I went to Needle Arch for the first time a few months ago. Since it's right by the trail I didn't want to post it with off-trail arches.
The spire isn't difficult to get to if you know where you're going -- which I realize isn't a very helpful way to describe an off-trail destination.
Here's the experience a friend and I had getting to it on our first visit. . .
We had the GPS coordinate plotted on a map courtesy of a friend, had directions from him on the best way to get there, and still ended up pushing through briars, thick mountain laurel and downed trees for the better part of an hour to cover 2/10 of a mile to get there -- while checking the map about every five minutes. We nearly turned back but kept pushing on to reach a designated turn-back point at which we would admit defeat if we didn't find it (we still had a few miles to go get to our campsite and only about 2.5 hours of daylight). Luckily, we reached it and were able to admire the formation for awhile before returning to where we had ditched our backpacks and continued on to our campsite. On our way out we "discovered" the simple ridgetop path and covered the same amount of ground in about 5 minutes 
So, if you stick with the ridgetop it really isn't difficult. Feel free to PM me for more details if you want . . . I just don't like discussing details about the approach to features like that on public forums.
The Red River Gorge is a great place for hiking and backpacking but is a bit too crowded on weekends for my taste. Since it's so far away for you I'd try to go during the week when you could spend about 3 full days of hiking there, which would allow you to see all of the main attractions and plenty of great off-trail stuff. I'd be happy to help you craft a trip plan for your visit.
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Mostly Southeastern Outdoor Scenery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mvweth
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magicmomma
Wildest Flower in Tennessee
Group: Members
Posts: 2038
Joined: Sep. 2008
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Posted on: Feb. 28 2013, 2:59 pm |
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Excellent! Thanks for sharing!
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Owen571
Group: Members
Posts: 546
Joined: Apr. 2011
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Posted on: Feb. 28 2013, 5:09 pm |
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Great stuff, thanks for posting them! Red River Gorge, huh?
I loved BSF, and will be back up there in the next month!
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