Kentucky trails · Rough
Rough
A 4.2-mile out-and-back in Kentucky, with 490 ft of climbing. Reaches Grays Arch and other arch/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 49% of the ascent falls between mile 2.8 and mile 4.2. It gives back about 812 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Grays Arch (arch)
- Gray's Arch (viewpoint)
Heads up
Getting there
MARTINS FORK TRAILHEAD — parking nearby, restroom, water. 37.82001, -83.66716 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:36 a.m., the sun rises at 7:03 a.m. and sets at 8:05 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:32 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 02 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 8.4-mile round trip takes roughly 3 h 35 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 10:38 a.m. — 9 h 27 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Buck + Sheltowee Trace + Rough — 7.4 mi loop, 1,312 ft gain
- Sheltowee Trace + Rough + Rush Ridge — 9.1 mi loop, 988 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Auxier Ridge — 0.7 mi
- Double Arch — 0.7 mi
- Court House Rock — 0.8 mi
- Rock Garden No. 4 — 3.0 mi