Hidden Arch and Silvermine Arch Trail Guide

Hidden Arch and Silvermine Arch Trail are located at Red River Gorge in Eastern Kentucky.

The Hidden Arch Trail is a 2-mile loop with around 250 feet of elevation gain. The Silvermine Arch Trail is about 3 miles out-and-back with around 380 feet of elevation gain. We hiked both trails together, giving us a 5.2-mile hike with about 835 feet of elevation gain.

In this guide, I’ll share my experience of hiking both trails together while we stayed at Koomer Ridge Campground, where the start and finish of the trails are located.

Information and History About Hidden Arch and Silvermine Arch Trail

There is little history on the name given to the Silvermine Arch Trail. The area nearby was being mined for silver, which is why the name was attached to the arch and trail. The rock behind the Silvermine Arch does appear as if it had been mined into at some point.

Today, the Hidden Arch and Silvermine Arch Trail is a combination of two trails within Koomer Ridge Campground. This campground is a part of the Red River Gorge, located in Daniel Boone National Forest in Eastern Kentucky. This trail can be freely accessed by visitors to the area.

Check out the official website for Red River Gorge for more information about this area and other parts of the area.

How to Reach the Hidden Arch and Silvermine Arch Trail

Click on this Google Maps Link to locate the parking lot for the Hidden Arch and Silvermine Arch Trail located within Koomer Ridge Campground.

The roads leading to this trailhead are all paved and in very good condition. There is plenty of parking available at the trailhead for these two trails.

During wintry conditions, the trailhead and the roads leading to it may not get as much attention as other areas of the region. During very heavy rainfall, some of the roads leading to this area may suffer flash flooding. Please use caution when visiting this area during inclement weather and check for closures before venturing out.

What You’ll See at the Hidden Arch and Silvermine Arch Trail

You’ll start the hike by parking and then walking up the road towards the host’s campsite. Their trail starts to the left of their campsite’s driveway, at least where we started. Then we hiked up the trail until we crossed the road to our left and went through a walk-up campground area.

We went in the middle of August. It was fairly warm out, and we wore synthetics to wick moisture as the area was very humid. We saw a lot of mushrooms and a crazy amount of rhododendron along the trail.

Once you reach some stairs, you’ll make your way down to Hidden Arch. The arch is not really hidden away from where you hike or anything like that. You’ll spot it fairly quickly, and you can climb through it too and enjoy the bluffage around it.

The Hidden Arch Trail is a loop that will eventually bring you back to where you started, to the walk-up campsites. Cross the road and get back to the other trail, but go left to see Silvermine Arch.

You’ll pass an old amphitheater that has seen better days. Once you go down that very long set of stairs, you’ll start getting into more bluffage. This bluffage will eventually lead to Silvermine Arch, and you can see on the bluff behind it where they might have attempted to mine into it.

There are other neat features around there in visual distance on the arch. Be sure to walk around it and check it out.

You get to go back up those stairs. They’re a gut-buster. Count them out if you want. I had to stop about halfway up and take a few breaths. Keep in mind, when we went, it was in the 90s and with high humidity, and Eastern Kentucky hills don’t mess around, folks.

The Hidden Arch and Silvermine Arch Trail was a lot of fun, and we’re glad we checked it out since we were staying in the same campground where the trail started and ended.

Special Guidelines and Safety Information

There are some basic rules to follow when visiting Red River Gorge:

1. Camping is prohibited within 300 feet of a road or developed trail, within 100 feet of the base or back of a cliff, or in any picnic area or parking lot.
2. Fires are not allowed within 100 feet of the base of the back of a cliff.
3. Rock climbing is permitted where rock climbing is designated.
4. Vehicles must be parked where designated parking spaces are present.
5. You must purchase a pass for overnight parking and backcountry camping in areas of the gorge.

The cliffs are really high. People fall and die from them every year. There are search and rescue organizations, such as Powell County SAR and Wolfe County SAR, that are always having to rescue lost hikers or those who fall. Try to practice safety so that you don’t put yourself in a situation where you need to be rescued, as that will put SAR officers in danger, as well. Think not only about your own safety but also the safety of others.

Lodging, Dining, Shopping, and Sightseeing Nearby

We camped at Koomer Ridge Campground, which was an amazing campground with awesome hosts. They have ice and firewood at the host campsite. The showers work, and the campsites are secluded and quiet during nighttime hours. There are other camping and lodging options available nearby.

We ate at a few places on our visit to Red River Gorge. We had ice cream at The Brick (which also sells cool homemade crafts), Red River Gorge General Store (which sells a bit of everything), and the Daniel Boone Coffee Shop (which has great coffee, too). We also ate pizza at Miguel’s Pizza (which is a must if you visit) and burgers at Red River Rockhouse, which was very good.

There are many great places to hike nearby. The campground has other trails, and there are many trails within Red River Gorge. We also enjoyed hiking at Natural Bridge State Resort Park in Slade. The Kentucky Reptile Zoo in Slade was also a big highlight of our trip. All the trails we hiked were free, and no permit was needed.

Remember, when visiting Red River Gorge, the local economy depends on you. Please shop locally so that you can help the local economy, community, and give yourself a much better experience than you would get at some boring chain store.

Final Advice About the Hidden Arch and Silvermine Arch Trail

We really enjoyed hiking the Hidden Arch and Silvermine Arch Trail, as it was so close to where we were camping at Koomer Ridge Campground.

It also gave us an easier introduction to the much harder trails we hiked after. I’ll be releasing trail guides for those trails, as well. Going in August wasn’t very ideal, but fall or leaf off would likely be the best time to visit Red River Gorge.

This trail guide is provided to everyone at no cost. However, it does cost me money to do the hikes, run the website, and maintain my equipment. If you want to support my efforts, you can do so by becoming a Patreon Supporter for as little as a few dollars a month. I truly appreciate your willingness to support me, and if you can’t right now, that’s okay, too.

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And until next time, I’ll see you on the trail!

Watch the videos for this trail!

Below is a recent video that we filmed while enjoying this area.

Check out the trail gallery!

Enjoy these photos taken around this area!

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Thanks again for checking out another one of my articles and until next time, I’ll see you on the trail!