Hopewell Arch and Hoosier Hill

Heading Out - Hopewell Arch

One of the last "un-paired" members of our college crew was getting married in Indianapolis, so we decided to make a weekend of it and do a twinge of sightseeing on the way.  We left around 10:30pm, driving across I-68 and down I-79 in West Virginia before having breakfast in Kentucky in Grayson.  From here we hopped off the interstate and took state highways southwest through West Liberty and onto the Mountain Parkway.  We got off at exit 40, planning on taking Route 715 up the Red River Gorge, but a sign shortly off the highway advised us that the road was closed a few miles up.  So we continued up KY-15, paralleling the parkway until we saw a USFS sign for "Tunnel Ridge Scenic Road.  On my map it looked like it provided a shortcut (if rather cirticuous) to KY-77, so we hopped on and started driving down the graded gravel road.  There are some nice views here of the gorge.

We eventually got to the other end of the road to find...nothing.  It just ended at some trailheads.  Closer inspection of the map revealed that KY-77 tunnels under this ridge, hence the name of the road.  So...we just drove all the way back down to Route 15 and continued north to FINALLY drive down the gorge to the trailhead.

The route to Hopewell Arch is explained VERY well at KentuckyHiker, and I printed out the pictures and descriptions to keep myself on track.  These worked out fantastically - despite the trail being more or less there at all times, the directions kept us absolutely confident we were going the right way.  And what an arch!  I've seen Hopewell listed on those "most magical places in each state" sort of lists, and I think it pretty much qualifies.  The best view is from as far back and up as you can get in the enclosure, but even there my 18mm lens was too narrow to fit the whole arch, so I took several pictures and stitched them together later.

The hike up to the arch is a short but solid workout, as you do gain a bit of elevation.  We got back on the road and proceeded up to Indianapolis, getting in around 3pm.  Naps all around!

Returning Home - Hoosier Hill

On Sunday we ate breakfast at Bob Evans right as it opened, then headed east on I-70 towards home.  We have taken I-70 numerous times on vacation, but often on the "overnight" part of the trip, so a stop at Indiana's highpoint wasn't really viable.  This time the weather was beautiful and we had the time to spare, so we took the quick jaunt off the interstate to tag the hill.  My wife even summitted in heels!

For an easy drive-up so close to the interstate, this really is a nicely kept SHP.  We signed the log-book in the well-decorated mailbox and took our obligatory photos.  Really liked that the adjacent dairy has gone along with the hill on their property.