October swooped out, and November has made its way into the lives of all UK students, bringing with it the excitement of spending time with families and friends in the great outdoors over Thanksgiving break. The 80 degree weather we have been accustomed to lately has brought many opportunities for us outdoorsy people to enjoy the nature now instead of waiting until break. 

Fall, the most beautiful time of the year, is a time to enjoy the new colors of leaves and to experience the beautiful nature around you. The luminous colors of fall are ones that lighten the mood throughout any time of your day. With midterms now behind us, this fall weather is the just what we need to take our minds off of our schoolwork and relax for a bit. 

The perfect getaway from exams and schoolwork would be to make your way over to Red River Gorge. There, you can participate in hiking, camping, lodging, climbing and zip line activities.

Hiking is just one of the many activities that you may be interested in at the Gorge, another beautiful excursion is rock climbing, where you can exert some of that pent up energy you have from midterms. Whenever you are up for a day of rock climbing, the Gorge is a phenomenal site to fulfill your needs. The guides at the Gorge will help you with whatever your climbing needs are, whether you are older, younger, a first timer or a pro.

Lodging and camping are also activities at the Gorge that many Kentuckians take advantage of. There are three campgrounds on this specific site: Koomer Ridge, Natural Bridge and John Swifts Lost Silvermine Campground. The lodges on these grounds are beautiful and give off that outdoorsy vibe. The log cabins are located on Cliffview Resort Lodge and Red River Gorgeous. Camping or staying at the Gorge in a cabin would be the icing on the cake after an amazing hike or climb. 

If you are an adrenaline junkie, zip lining at the Gorge is just the thing for you. The thrill of the wind blowing through your hair as you zip through the trees is a feeling that sticks with you forever, and luckily enough we have one so close to us here in Kentucky. Taken through five different zip lines, guests are directed throughout the Gorge’s attractions by trained tour guides. With the Red River Gorge zip lines being the no. 1 attraction in that area, there is no reason not to try it out if you’re already there for a hike. 

To make any hiking, camping, lodging, climbing or zip lining trip complete, there is no better way to finish off the day than with a nice slice of pizza from Miguel’s Pizza right down the road from the Gorge. 

Although exams and school in general has been coming at students in full force, one of the best ways to get away from all of the stress is to make the drive out to Red River Gorge. You won’t regret taking the time to just relax and be one with nature, even if just for the day. 

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