Kentucky trails · Buffalo Canyon
Buffalo Canyon
A 5.0-mile out-and-back in Kentucky, with 335 ft of climbing. Reaches Big Cutoff and other arch/pass destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 69% of the ascent, between mile 3.3 and mile 5.0. It gives back about 407 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Big Cutoff (pass)
- Natural Arch (arch)
Heads up
Getting there
Natural Arch access. 36.84118, -84.51217 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:41 a.m., the sun rises at 7:07 a.m. and sets at 8:08 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:34 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 00 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 9.9-mile round trip takes roughly 4 h 01 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 11:08 a.m. — 9 h 00 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Natural Arch + Buffalo Canyon — 5.7 mi loop, 937 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Blue Heron Loop Trail — 11.3 mi
- Kentucky Trail (Segment E) — 12.5 mi
- Nathan Mcclure — 14.7 mi
- Cotton Patch Loop — 15.1 mi