The Red River Gorge is now closed. Camping, hiking will be limited this spring in KY.

A trip to the great outdoors would likely come as a welcome break this spring for many Kentuckians who are staying home to slow the spread of COVID-19, but the Red River Gorge and several other campgrounds and hiking areas will be closed to the public.

On Friday, Daniel Boone National Forest, which includes the Red River Gorge Geological Area, announced it is closing the Gorge to all public access, including trails and roads through national forest land. On Thursday, it announced it would temporarily shut down most campgrounds, picnic areas and shooting ranges within the entire 700,000 acre national forest.

During a news conference Thursday evening, Gov. Andy Beshear said he had heard reports of large groups at state park campgrounds, and gave park officials the authority to enforce social distancing guidelines.

Other areas, including the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, have also shut down several campgrounds.

Tim Eling, public affairs staff officer for the Daniel Boone National Forest, said the Red River Gorge had, in particular, created concerns about large crowds gathering in parking lots and along popular trails.

“A lot of people said, ‘Hey, I want to go take a hike,’ which in and of itself is probably a good thing, but what happened was 1,000 or 2,000 fellow neighbors and friends had that same idea and they all went to the Red River Gorge,” Eling said. “Parking lots were overflowing, people were parking in the ditches on the side of the roads, and therefore there were large groups gathering at overlooks and waterfalls, so they really weren’t following the CDC guidelines.”

As of Friday afternoon, other areas of the national forest remained open, but Eling encouraged hikers and campers to visit the Forest’s Facebook page for updates before planning a trip to any area within the Daniel Boone.

The Red River Gorge Climbing Coalition — the Gorge is one of the premier rock climbing destinations in the country — announced Thursday it would close all of its parking lots to climbing areas on direction of Lee County Judge-Executive Charles Caudill Jr.

“I am a huge supporter of the rock climbing community and know how very important you are to our future and economy, but these truly are challenging times and every regulation is focused on getting us all to stay healthy at home,” Caudill wrote in a letter to the coalition.

Cliff Kersker, one of the owners of Red River Gorge Cabin Rentals, said his properties will remain open, and that staff are taking extra precautions to clean the rentals between each use.

“Vacation homes in the wooded area around the (Red River Gorge) are a great place to shelter in place,” Kersker said in an email to the Herald-Leader. “Many, in resort areas like Cliffview Resort, are on 1+ acre wooded lots, with private trails, and roads to walk without coming in close contact with anyone.”

Kentucky State Park campgrounds and hiking trails — there are 30 campgrounds and more than 300 miles of trails within the state park system — will remain open for the time being, said Gil Lawson, spokesman for Kentucky State Parks.

Lawson said the spaces between camping spots provide enough distance for people to camp safely, but he encouraged all campers to follow CDC guidelines at all times. He encouraged all visitors to call their preferred state park before planning a visit.

All playgrounds at state parks will be closed, as will playgrounds at Army Corps of Engineers sites in the Louisville and Huntington districts.

“As you can imagine, during the course of a day there’s a lot of people on (playgrounds), and we just can’t clean them constantly,” Lawson said. “But there are plenty of other areas for kids to play — on trails, open fields, wildlife observation, things like that.”

On Tuesday, Shaker Village announced it would temporarily close all hiking trails and buildings to the public. Mammoth Cave National Park has also closed all campgrounds, as well as its cave tours and visitor center.

As these closures take effect throughout the state, Eling encouraged people to look for trails and outdoor recreation destinations outside of the more heavily-trafficked areas.

The Red River Gorge is about 40,000 acres, while the entire Daniel Boone National Forest is over 700,000 acres.

“There’s a lot of places that probably don’t have anybody there,” Eling said.

Breaks Interstate Park, which follows the Russell Fork along the border of Eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia, also announced Thursday that it would close its campground, overnight lodge and restrooms until at least April 30.

In a heartfelt message on the Breaks’ Facebook page, park superintendent Austin Bradley said he stood on an overlook at sunset and “was reminded of all the things that can not be canceled in life.”

“No matter what the coming weeks may hold, the evening sunlight will look just as beautiful as it filters through the pines on the rim of the gorge and the deep forest will smell just as lovely in the early morning after a rain,” Bradley wrote. “And as long as we are permitted, these outdoor places will remain open to help remind our friends in Eastern KY and Southwest VA, that while much has changed in the last few weeks, much more remains the same.”

This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 3:34 PM.