Gorge Underground

Useful Information

Location:	2478 Glencairn Rd, Rogers, KY 41365. Bert T Combs Mountain Parkway 50 km southeast of Winchester, exit Slade, Highway 11 Natural Bridge Road south. (37.759860, -83.664730)
Open:	All year daily. See online booking calendar. Post-pandemic Aftermath Arrive 30 minutes prior to your tour. [2022]
Fee:	Classic Boat Tour: Adults USD 49, Children (8-12) USD 25, Children (3-7) USD 10. On Saturdays plus USD 10. Classic Kayak Tour: Adults USD 49, Children (9-12) USD 49, Children (5-8) USD 25. On Saturdays plus USD 10. Crystal Kayak Tour: Adults USD 75, Children (9-12) USD 75, Children (5-8) USD 10. On Saturdays plus USD 5. Sup Tour: Adults USD 75, Children (9-12) USD 75, Children (5-8) USD 25. On Saturdays plus USD 5. [2022]
Classification:	Limestone Quarries and Mine
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	T=11 °C (air), 4 °C (water).
Guided tours:	Classic Boat Tour: D=1 h, Max=20, MinAge=3. Classic Kayak Tour: D=1 h, Max=12, MinAge=5. Crystal Kayak Tour: D=1.5 h, Max=8, MinAge=3. Sup Tour: D=1.5 h, Max=8, MinAge=3.
Photography:
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Gorge Underground, 2478 Glen Cairn Rd, Rogers, KY 41365, Tel: +1-844-254-6244. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

Gorge Underground is the name of the company which offers underground boat tours, with flat bottom boats or with kayaks, they even offer stand up paddleboat tours. Participants are equipped with life vests and helmets with headlamps. Quite special are the Crystal Kayak Tours, where the kayaks have a "crystal clear" bottom which allows to see underwater, for example trouts or lost mining tools. Underwater LED lights are mounted at the boat. The SUP Tour is done on a Stand Up Paddleboard, which is obviously not for everyone. You need a sense of equilibrium and probably get wet when falling into the water, but are compensated by colorful undderwater LEDs giving the water an eerie glow.

So what is this all about? Actually the tours take place in an abandoned rock mine or underground quarry. The sedimentary rocks, limestones, were mined for building houses, and as they are horizontal they were easy to mine and the resulting huge passages are horizontal and have a rectangular profile. At some point mining was ended, and the groundwater started to seep into the mine, and so al the passages are today flooded. So the only way to see the limestone mine is by using a boat.

If you are not interested to paddle yourself, you can take the boat tour where custom-built boats which are operated by a guide do the tour. The other tours require paddling and thus basic physical fitness.