From the parking lot of the Junior Williamson Rest Area in Slade, turn left (north) on KY 11, drive 0.1 miles under the Mountain Parkway overpass to a "T" intersection with KY 15. Turn left (east) and continue for 1.5 miles, then turn right (north) on KY 77. This highway is also known as "Nada Tunnel Road", and you may see a street sign so designated at this intersection. Drive 4.4 miles through the tiny town of Nada, through the tunnel, and over the steel bridge (stay right after you cross the steel bridge) to the intersection with KY 715. KY 77 curves left near an old barn while KY 715 continues straight. Stay on KY 715 (do not take the curve to the left) for about 7.8 miles and around a sharp bend to the left. About .5 miles past the sharp bend you will see a large pulloff on your left. Drive past this pulloff until you see an even larger pulloff on the left with a closed off dirt road. Park here and walk the road 0.6 miles to a crossing over Swift Camp Creek. The crossing may nor may not have some stepping stones. Wade the creek and walk upstream along an old road for 200 feet to locate an approach trail on your left which winds uphill to the wall. An alternate approach from the Rest Area in slade is to jump back on Mountain Parkway and head east to the next exit (Exit 40). Turn right off the exit on KY 15 and drive 0.7 miles through the town of Pineville. Turn right onto 715 and drive 5.5 miles along the road. Be sure to stay on the road when it takes a hairpin turn to the right or you will end up at the Sky Bridge Ridge parking area for the tourist trail. After the sharp turn to the right and then left, the road will head sharply downhill. Look for a large pulloff on your right before the road levels out.

Wall Sun: All day

Click the column heads to sort. Hold shift to sort on multiple columns.

Route	Spray	Name	Type	Grade	User Stars	Length	Picture
0 1	-1	Scary Monsters and Super Freaks	Trad	18 5.10b		80 80ft	0
1 2	-1	Gyana Mudra	Trad	38 5.13a	5.00 (1)	40 40ft	1
2 3	-1	Frugal Chariot	Sport	31 5.12a	3.71 (35)	85 85ft	0
3 4	-1	Smokin' Joe	Sport	25 5.11b	3.82 (66)	80 80ft	1
4 5	-1	Joe Camel	Trad	11 5.8	2.37 (30)	40 40ft	1
5 5a	-1	Emphysema	Trad	24 5.11a	3.00 (2)	0 0ft	0
6 6	-1	The Infidel	Sport	28 5.11d	4.76 (78)	70 70ft	1
7 7	-1	Just Another Trad Route	Trad	14 5.9	3.00 (19)	70 70ft	1
8 8	-1	Go Easy Billy Clyde!	Sport	31 5.12a	3.93 (45)	75 75ft	0
9 9	-1	Goodstone	Trad	21 5.10d	3.79 (38)	80 80ft	1
10 10	-1	Cruising Lane	Trad	17 5.10a	4.07 (61)	80 80ft	1
11 11	-1	Rite of Passage	Trad	15 5.9+	3.71 (69)	75 75ft	1
12 12	-1	Local Color	Toprope	18 5.10b	2.00 (2)	65 65ft	0
13 13	-1	Veldhaus Route	Trad	12 5.8+	2.67 (6)	90 90ft	0
14 14	-1	Eye of the Needle	Sport	25 5.11b	4.32 (94)	85 85ft	1
15 15	-1	Sparky Goes Crack Climbing	Trad	6 5.6	3.25 (24)	90 90ft	1
16 16	-1	Manic Impression	Sport	17 5.10a	4.05 (94)	90 90ft	1
17 17	-1	Trad Wagon	Trad	14 5.9	2.40 (5)	90 90ft	0
18 18	-1	Funkadelic	Sport	18 5.10b	3.89 (93)	90 90ft	1
19 18a	-1	Gingervitis	Trad	39 5.13b	5.00 (2)	80 80ft	1
20 19	-1	Flashlight	Sport	34 5.12c	3.00 (1)	70 70ft	1
21 19a	-1	Cascading Wind	Trad	31 5.12a		85 85ft	0
22 20	-1	Appalachian Spring	Sport	38 5.13a	5.00 (25)	80 80ft	1
23 21	-1	Seppuku	Sport	35 5.12d	3.60 (5)	75 75ft	1
24 22	-1	There Goes the Neighborhood	Sport	27 5.11c	4.52 (71)	95 95ft	1
25 23	-1	Orange Juice	Sport	34 5.12c	4.91 (78)	95 95ft	1
26 24	-1	Red Hot Chili Pepper	Mixed	21 5.10d	3.48 (31)	90 90ft	1
27 25	-1	Headstone Surfer	Trad	17 5.10a	4.38 (74)	90 90ft	1
28 26	-1	Hardcore Jollies	Sport	31 5.12a	3.48 (56)	45 45ft	1
29 27	-1	L'lle au ciel	Sport	25 5.11b	3.76 (25)	50 50ft	0
30 28	-1	Prime Directive	Sport	25 5.11b	4.74 (68)	95 95ft	1
31 29	-1	Up Swift Creek Without a Paddle	Trad	14 5.9	3.89 (46)	60 60ft	1
32 30	-1	Snotrocket	Trad	36 5.12+	5.00 (2)	100 100ft	1
33 31	-1	Glory Be	Sport	31 5.12a	4.48 (42)	80 80ft	1

Comments

14 comments {add your own comments}

Ascentionist said on January 31st, 2006

GPS for Manic Impression area: 37.8033�N, 83.5760�W

Anonymous said on May 23rd, 2011

I've heard of many people getting lost on the approach, usually crossing the river too soon. Take the trail until it rounds a big bend in the river and eventually directly intersects it. It felt a good bit longer than the guidebook's 0.6 miles.

tpowell said on April 2nd, 2014

The best way to find this is to walk the closed road from the parking lot until you see a big tree bridge that crosses Swift Camp Creek. Cross the tree bridge and walk the obvious trail along the river for about .5 miles, and at that point it will start to head uphill to the wall.

calvinivlac said on April 20th, 2014

First time there. Nice job with the glue-ins. Really enjoyed climbing there. Will throw in some $$ to the bolting kitty.

Anonymous said on May 18th, 2014

So, just an addendum to the directions since while trying to follow them on a recent trip we got lost for a little while until we ran into someone. Anyway, here is my take. From the slade exit, head toward the split of 715 and 77 drive straight onto 715 like the directions said. Then drive about 8 miles to the sharp left turn, don't take the road to the right that says "sky bridge Ridge." about a quarter mile after the split is a pull off on the left, that's the trail head. The advice about the blocked off road... I think is erroneous since we found that pull off and that trail didn't seem to go anywhere. Anyway, there is an obvious trail down from the pull off which heads toward the river. Hope that helps.

thermalfissions said on May 18th, 2014

I made the anonymous adendum a second ago, but I was confused when I wrote it. To clear any confusion, the trail head is here N 37.813069, W 83.58286

Ascentionist said on March 17th, 2015

The parking area and approach used to be part of a private campground owned and operated by a local family. The trailhead is where the CG road left 715 and on the approach you cross the creek where an old low concrete ford used to exist. You could once drive across and there were car camping spots on the same side as the crag.

GaryO said on March 28th, 2016

Large tree crossing had washed out as of mid-February.

DrRockso said on January 21st, 2017

The town for the alternate approach is Pine Ridge not Pineville as per the description. What's the best place to cross now that the tree crossing is washe'd out?

Anonymous said on January 21st, 2017

a little ways up from where the tree used to be. just keep following the trail until it dead ends at the river at a shallow section. most of the year you can see several big rocks to help you along. sometimes in spring they're underwater. this fall it was passable without even getting your feet wet!

DrRockso said on January 21st, 2017

Crossed it today in both spots. First one is at the gps coordinates listed, second one keeps you on the road side of the river until the end of trail, you cross and go straight up hill from here. About the same amount of getting wet at both spots, and was about a foot deep at both crossings.

njclimber said on March 9th, 2017

There is a tree for crossing the river now. May or may not be covered in poison ivy. After the big storm last week there are fallen trees all over the trail. Someone with a chainsaw would do a great community service clearing the trail. I'll lend a hand if you would like just contact me.

Anonymous said on March 9th, 2017

Chainsaws are illegal in Clifty Wilderness without a permit

njclimber said on March 10th, 2017

Thanks for the reminder. Very good point. Offer still stands if someone has some handsaws...

Route details are copyright Ray Ellington, John Bronaugh, and other Red River Gorge climbers. Climbing is an inherently dangerous sport. The information in this guidebook is subject to error and should supplement never replace common sense and caution, competent guidance and instruction, and actually being outside. One should be especially cautious on matters of route length, descent type, and number of bolts (especially since such things do change occasionally).

redriverclimbing.com: red river gorge guide

Funk Rock City

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