We love national parks. We don’t love the crowds. After spending weeks visiting the most popular national parks in the U.S. (think Yellowstone and Glacier National Park), we needed to get away from the crowds. Since we were already in Kentucky visiting Mammoth Cave National Park, Daniel Boone National Forest seemed to fit the bill. It didn’t disappoint. Here are the best things to do if you only have one day to spend in Daniel Boone National Forest.
1. Natural Arches
Since we only had one day in Daniel Boone National Forest, we visited only three of the many natural arches in the area.
Natural Bridge
Natural Bridge is the most famous natural arch in Daniel Boone National Forest. It was my favorite too. If you only see one thing here, this should be it. The natural bridge is located in Natural Bridge State Resort Park.
We parked at the Natural Bridge Trailhead Parking, but if you want to save about half a mile of walking round trip, you can park at the Natural Bridge Parking Lot. You wouldn’t miss much. Do check out the suspension bridge crossing the river near the parking lot.
If you want a shorter hike, take the Original Natural Bridge Trail, which is the most popular. From the trailhead parking lot, taking the Original trail to the natural bridge and back would be about 2 miles total. We wanted a longer hike, so we took the Battleship Rock Trail, which later joined up with the Laurel Ridge Trail. Our hike ended up being about 2.9 miles long and it took about 2 hours, which included taking a lot of pictures. The extra distance was well worth it.
We didn’t come across any other people on this trail and there were amazing views of the cliff-side up close. There were some steep rock stairs that were a little challenging. This trail took us to a beautiful viewpoint of the natural bridge. This is also accessible from the Original trail, but would require backtracking. If you want to check out the natural bridge without hiking, you can take the Natural Bridge Skylift. We found the ticket prices to be on the expensive side.
Rock Bridge
Rock Bridge is the only natural bridge in the Red River Gorge area that crosses over water. The trailhead is about a half hour drive from the Natural Bridge State Resort Park. The last mile to the trailhead is a gravel road that seemed decently maintained. We were able to easily drive it in our Prius.
The loop trail to Rock Bridge was mostly paved and started out going steeply downhill to the creek. Along the way, there is a beautiful waterfall that you shouldn’t miss. Shortly after the waterfall, you’ll come to the Rock Bridge. The last portion of the trail is uphill and quite a workout. The whole loop trail was about 1.5 miles and took us a little less than an hour to complete.
Sky Bridge
Sky Bridge is a natural bridge that is located on a ridge overlooking the Red River Gorge. It is about a half hour drive from Rock Bridge. The road to get there is very windy and surrounded by forest. Before you reach the parking lot, check out the scenic pullouts off the road. The 0.7 mile loop trail crosses over Sky Bridge and then under it. It took us about a half hour to complete it.
2. Gladie Visitors Center
The visitors center had very interesting exhibits about Daniel Boone National Forest and was well worth the stop. There are also clean bathrooms and water fountains to refill your water bottle. The visitors center is a little less than 20 minutes from Sky Bridge.
3. Nada Tunnel
Nada Tunnel was originally a railroad tunnel carved out by a logging company. Now it’s a one lane road for cars that serves as an entrance into the national forest. We took a short detour just to drive through the tunnel and back. Before entering, turn on your headlights and make sure no cars are coming through the tunnel from the other side. The tunnel is about 15 minutes from the visitors center.
4. Cave Run Lake
Cave Run Lake was our last stop in Daniel Boone National Forest. One of the best ways to access Cave Run Lake is to park in the Billy Branch Picnic Area. The Billy Branch Picnic Area is about an hour long drive from Nada Tunnel. If you have an America the Beautiful Interagency pass, it is free. Otherwise, you need to buy a permit. A 1 day permit is $5. The permit can be purchased at Daniel Boone National Forest offices, including the Gladie Visitors Center, or local vendors. A popular thing to do at Cave Run Lake is to jump off the rocks into the water. We didn’t do this as we got there later in the day to catch the sunset. Boating is also popular. We saw many people using the boat launch down the road from the picnic area.
Other Things to Do in Daniel Boone National Forest
Because we only had one day in Daniel Boone National Forest, we only did the things listed above. The following activities are also very popular if you have more time or are looking for something else.
1. Rock Climbing
Rock climbing is a very popular activity in Daniel Boone National Forest due to all the sandstone cliffs in the area. We’re not climbers, so we’ll defer to someone who knows more. Check out this ultimate guide to rock climbing at Red River Gorge for more information.
2. Camping
There are many different campgrounds in Daniel Boone National Forest. If you plan on watching the sun set at Cave Run Lake, check out the Twin Knobs Campground, which is right on the shores of the lake. If you prefer to enjoy the solitude of the forest, try dispersed camping, or backcountry camping. There are many dispersed camping sites in this area. For a complete list of where you can camp or rent a cabin, take a look at the Forest Service’s website.
For help coming up with a list of items to bring camping, see this article about items we brought along for a year-long road trip.
3. Waterfalls
The natural arches in Daniel Boone National Forest took the spotlight on our trip, but the beautiful waterfalls in the area also deserve a special mention. Two of the best waterfalls in the area are listed below.
Flat Lick Falls
Flat Lick Falls is accessible by a 0.6 mile loop trail. It’s a very popular waterfall, so expect to share the trail. The trail starts in a small parking lot labeled on Google Maps as Flat Lick Falls Recreational Area.
Dog Slaughter Falls
The trail to Dog Slaughter Falls is an out-and-back trail about 2.2 miles long round trip from the new Dog Slaughter Falls Trailhead. The new trailhead can be easy to miss. The GPS coordinates you can put into Google Maps are 36.85937, -84.29988. If you go to the old trailhead, which is where Google Maps would take you, that will add on 4 miles to the hike.
4. Water Activities
There are many opportunities to fish, kayak, swim, go boating, and so much more in Daniel Boone National Forest. Swimming is allowed in all waterways in Daniel Boone National Forest, unless otherwise marked or near developed areas (like boat ramps). Cave Run Lake is a great place to go swimming or boating. This guide by the National Forest Service is a great resource for finding places to get in the water.
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