# Moonbows & the Gorge *Red River Gorge to Cumberland Falls* Moonbows & the Gorge is a ~150-mile back-roads route from Slade to Cumberland Falls on KY 11, KY 30 and KY 90, driven in 2 days, that stays off I-75 (mostly) through the Upper South. - **Drive:** Slade → Cumberland Falls - **Distance:** ~150 mi - **Days:** 2 - **Highways:** KY 11, KY 30, KY 90 - **Avoids:** I-75 (mostly) - **Region:** Upper South - **Themes:** Natural Beauty, Oddities & Roadside Wonders, Music & Juke Joints, Eats & Institutions Kentucky's sandstone country brackets this drive: the Red River Gorge's hundred-plus natural arches at the top, and at the bottom Cumberland Falls, the Niagara of the South, which on clear full-moon nights throws a moonbow, one of the only reliably scheduled moonbows on Earth. Between them: a one-lane 1910 logging tunnel, the climbers' pizza basecamp at Miguel's, and Renfro Valley, where a barn dance has been on the air since 1939. Markers: Daniel Boone National Forest waysides; the moonbow schedule is posted by the park like show times. ## The drive, segment by segment ### The Gorge *Slade → Beattyville · ~30 mi* Nada Tunnel, the arch, the Sky Lift, and Miguel's parking lot full of rope bags. Stops: - **Nada Tunnel** (Red River Gorge) · Oddities & Roadside Wonders — A 1910 logging tunnel, one lane, twelve feet wide, unlit; honk, commit, and enter the Gorge the correct way. - **Natural Bridge & Sky Lift** (Slade) · State Parks — A 65-foot sandstone arch you can stand atop, with a 1960s chairlift for the unrepentant; the original gateway to Gorge country. - **Miguel's Pizza** (Slade) · Honky-Tonks & Dives — The climbers' basecamp since the '80s: pizza by the acre, gear shop, camping out back, and the world's forearms comparing notes. - **Gorge overlooks** (Daniel Boone NF) · Natural Beauty — More than a hundred natural arches in one plateau; Chimney Top and Sky Bridge deliver the postcard for a short walk. ### Hill Country 11 *Beattyville → Renfro Valley · ~60 mi* Three Forks country and the two-lane hills to the 1939 barn-dance compound. Stops: - **Renfro Valley** (Mount Vernon) · Music & Juke Joints — Kentucky's Country Music Capital by state decree: the Barn Dance has run since 1939 and the Gatherin' still broadcasts. ### To the Falls *Renfro Valley → Cumberland Falls · ~60 mi* Down past Corbin to the big water and, moon willing, the moonbow. Stops: - **Cumberland Falls moonbow** (Corbin) · State Parks — A 125-foot curtain, the Niagara of the South; on clear full-moon nights the mist throws a white moonbow, posted on the park calendar like a show. ## Tips and best time to go - Moonbow windows run about five nights per full moon and require clear sky; plan the trip around the calendar. - Gorge weekends overrun Miguel's and the trailheads; midweek is a different, better place. ## Worth a detour - **Fitchburg Furnace** — A colossal twin iron furnace of 1869 standing alone in the woods, the largest of its kind ever built; industry as ruin-porn cathedral. - **White Hall** — Cassius Marcellus Clay's mansion near Richmond: emancipationist publisher, duelist, minister to Russia, and a house as outsized as the résumé. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long is Moonbows & the Gorge and how many days does it take? Moonbows & the Gorge is about 150 miles and takes 2 days at a back-roads pace. ### Where does Moonbows & the Gorge start and end? It runs from Slade to Cumberland Falls. ### Which highways does Moonbows & the Gorge follow? It follows KY 11, KY 30 and KY 90. ### Which interstate does Moonbows & the Gorge replace? It avoids I-75 (mostly), using KY 11, KY 30 and KY 90 instead. ### How many stops are on Moonbows & the Gorge, and what are the highlights? 6 stops are mapped, including Nada Tunnel, Natural Bridge & Sky Lift, Miguel's Pizza, Gorge overlooks and Renfro Valley. ## Connects with - [The Wilderness Road](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/wilderness-road) — Bristol → Berea - [US 127: The Plateau & the Sale](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/us127-plateau) — Chattanooga → Albany, KY - [Bourbon, Bluegrass & Shakers](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/bourbon-68) — Lexington → Mammoth Cave --- Canonical URL: https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/moonbows-gorge Publisher: Dixie Media (Dixie Road Trip, https://dixieroadtrip.com/) Last updated: 2026-10-05