What does it require to be an official arch?

This is a much-debated topic.  A natural arch is a rock exposure that has a hole completely through it formed by the natural, selective removal of rock, leaving a relatively intact frame.  What that means is that any hole through rock, that was formed in a natural way, that has left solid rock all the way around it, is in theory a natural arch.  If you have hiked in areas of the Red River Gorge, you would know that you could find 1000’s of ‘arches’ that would qualify in just one small cliff line.

So how do we classify it as an arch or just a hole in Kentucky?

We use the measurement of 3 feet in any direction of the opening.  Meaning up, down, or sidewise of the smallest part of the opening of the arch.  So, it could be 3 feet tall and 1 inch wide at the smallest or most constricting part of the hole and it would be an arch. 

If the smallest part of the opening is 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet, it would not be an arch under this classification.

Why 3 feet?  That is close to the 1-meter requirement for a Minor Arch, per NABS.

Here are NABS Arch Levels:

Miniature Arch – all opening dimensions are smaller than 1 meter.

Minor Arch – one or more opening dimensions are at least 1 meter.

Significant Arch – the product of any two orthogonal opening dimensions is at least 10 square meters.

Major Arch – having a span of 50 meters or more.

Using those levels, the only major arch in Kentucky would be Mantle Rock, as it has a span of 156 feet.  There are quite a few significant arches in Kentucky, over 2600 minor arches and most likely closing in on infinite miniature arches in the state.

If you are interested in more information about what is an arch, check out NABS.

Top 5 largest spans in the database in Kentucky.

1. Mantle Rock
2. Rock House Natural Bridge
3. Natural Arch
4. Fishtrap Bridge
5. Sheltowee Trace Arch

With Kentucky having the highest concentration of Natural Arches other than Utah, it would only make sense that Kentucky also has the largest arch East of the Mississippi River.  Located a little less than an hour northeast of Paducah near the Ohio River is the Mantle Rock Nature Preserve.  Inside the preserve is its namesake, a massive 154 foot long alcove arch with a 30 foot tall opening. The nature preserve is a certified site on the Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail.  Approximately 1,800 Cherokee wintered in this area while being forcefully displaced to Oklahoma. That winter of 1838-1839 they were forced to wait along the road near the arch because the Ohio River was frozen and impassable.  It was bitterly cold and it is said many Cherokee died waiting for the river to thaw. There is probably a good chance that some Cherokee made the shelter of Mantle Rock their temporary home during that time.

For more history check out the Nature Preserve's website.

For a map of the Trail of Tears, check out the NPS website that has a really nice one.

A view of Mantle Rock from 1914 (a postcard courtesy of Todd Fife):

A modern view of Mantle Rock:

© Bill Fultz

Mantle rock nature preserve. The Nature Conservancy. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2022, from https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/mantle-rock-preserve/

The Natural Arch & Bridge Society (commonly referred to as NABS) is a national organization that was founded in 1988 whose mission is to gather information on arches, educate the public about arches, and to protect arches.  They hold rallies in the spring and fall where they spend a week visiting arches in different areas around the country.  They also produce a quarterly newsletter called SPAN that highlights the activities of its membership.  

Most of NABS is about arches out West, like the states that compose of the four corners.  NABS has occasionally visited Kentucky for a rally.  They last came in the fall of 2019 that was led by Bill Patrick.  It took place in the Red River Gorge region.  Before that, NABS visited Kentucky in 2005 for a fall rally that was led by Victor Fife & Larry Peterson.  The 2005 rally took place in both the Big South Fork & Red River Gorge regions.  Even earlier than that, there was a rally back in 1996 in Kentucky.  That rally took place in southern Kentucky and the Big South Fork region.

For more information about NABS, just visit their website.  

For a detailed history of NABS, check out the articles on their website here.

Below are the covers for the NABS newsletter SPAN, that included articles about the rallies that occurred in Kentucky.

History of the natural arch and bridge society. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2022, from http://www.naturalarches.org/history.html

Span - natural arch and bridge society. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2022, from http://www.naturalarches.org/span.htm

The Red River Gorge has become quite possibly the most popular place in the state for outdoor recreation and is world famous for its beautiful arches.  At this time there are 1,157 confirmed arches in the region. Though many arches have been officially documented in the last 30 years due to the hard work of folks, such as Larry Peterson and Bill Patrick (both of whom we will feature later this month) as well as those who submitted locations to them, arch hunting has been going on in The Gorge for 80 years.  Dr. Carl Clark and Clarence Henson are mentioned in Robert Ruchhoft’s 1976 book “Kentucky’s Land Of Arches - The Red River Gorge” as having been “exploring the Red River Gorge for over three decades.” He thanked them both in the acknowledgements for their knowledge of the area and their help. His book is the earliest known publication dedicated to Kentucky’s Arches.  Then there were folks like legendary forest ranger Don Figg.  While out there exploring the landscape, he was also setting the groundwork for Wolfe County Search and Rescue.  There are others that we are just learning about.  Dell Sasser, a former naturalist at Natural Bridge State Park; Alan Cornette; Dan Dourson, a former ranger; John and Cynthia Robinson who discovered and rediscovered Sky View Arch; and Raymond Bryant who documented many arches and led group hikes to them.  Jerry Bennett had a cabin as a base camp in Wolfe County.  He would go on to document a wealth of arches in the region.  There is a rich history of great people who laid the groundwork for arching in the Red River Gorge. Many have passed on, but thankfully there are many more who are still alive. There are arches that were found that have been lost again waiting to be rediscovered. For those arches which have stayed found, there are stories about those who discovered them that still need to be told. There is an adventure in the history of Kentucky’s arches that awaits us.  After Arch Awareness month ends we plan to still bring the stories of these folks to light on both the website and here in the group.

Featured above is a photo of an original copy of Robert Ruchhoft’s book “Kentucky’s Land Of Arches - The Red River Gorge” (courtesy Todd Fife).  The revised edition can be easily found online for $10.  There are three editions: the 1976 edition, a 1986 revised edition, and a 2009 ‘millennium’ edition. The 1986 edition is the most readily available edition.  Robert Ruchoft will also have a feature later this month on his contributions to arching in Kentucky..