Kentucky trails · Rock Garden No. 4
Rock Garden No. 4
A 1.5-mile out-and-back in Kentucky, with 271 ft of climbing. Reaches Owls Window and other arch/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 46% of the ascent falls between mile 1.0 and mile 1.5. It gives back about 300 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Owls Window (arch)
- Battleship Rock (arch)
- Natural Bridge (arch)
- Battleship Rock (viewpoint)
Getting there
Stairway access. About 45 min drive (32 mi) from Mount Sterling. 37.77710, -83.68049 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:15 a.m., the sun rises at 7:41 a.m. and sets at 6:59 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:25 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 17 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 3.0-mile round trip takes roughly 1 h 23 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:04 a.m. — 9 h 54 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Connector-The Original No. 1-Balanced Rock No. 2 + Battleship Rock No. 3 + Rock Garden No. 4 — 3.0 mi loop, 1,293 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Auxier Ridge — 2.9 mi
- Double Arch — 2.9 mi
- Rough — 3.0 mi
- Court House Rock — 3.4 mi