The Cumberland Plateau possesses a seemingly infinite amount of awe-inspiring qualities. Rare and endangered flora and fauna, thousands of miles of sandstone cliffline, caves, white-water rivers, and a stunning amount of biological diversity are just a few of its attributes. The patchwork of public lands in Kentucky and Tennessee provide hundreds of miles of trail through which a hiker can experience the Cumberland Plateau, which is a landscape beautiful in all seasons. Spring brings mild weather and wildflowers, summer allows one the opportunity to enjoy the refreshment of a swimming hole, fall the chance to admire the multitude of colors in the foliage, and winter is a pleasure all its own. Not much compares to hiking along a stream on a sunny, cold winter day, on top of a thin carpet of snow, beneath hemlocks and through rhododendron, with the beiges, browns and reds of the sandstone clifflines glowing in the sunlight and a blue sky overhead. Something about the mix of white, green, brown and blue is nearly transcendental.
I could ponder the intangible beauty and charm of the Cumberland Plateau and its seasons for the better part of a lifetime, but I decided to focus this post on one of its superlative characteristics. The Cumberland Plateau has the highest concentration of natural arches east of the Rocky Mountains, and two areas familiar to many people here on KyWilderness -- the Red River Gorge and the Big South Fork -- are particularly abundant in natural arches. Aside from waterfalls, arches are probably the type of landform that I visit the most when I go hiking. Fortunately, the Cumberland Plateau has an abundance of both -- both on and off-trail. Similar to my post about off-trail waterfalls, this post will have pictures of off-trail arches that I’ve visited in the past few years.
One of the more elusive off-trail arches in the Red River Gorge: Red Byrd Arch. A really striking span and well worth the effort to visit.
Snow Arch, living up to its name. Red River Gorge. 
Two different views of Hopewell Arch. Red River Gorge.
Sandy Arch. Red River Gorge.
Morning Arch. Big South Fork.
A 40-foot sandstone spire with a window about 1/3 of the way up. Big South Fork.
Arch. Private property near the Big South Fork.
Cherokee Arch. One of my favorite arches to visit. A winter and summer view. Red River Gorge.
Massive limestone arch. Wayne County, Kentucky.
Coon Den Arch. Daniel Boone National Forest.Those are just a few of my favorite off-trail arches. There are a few dozen more on my list to visit

. I also need to visit several on-trail arches that I haven't checked out yet.
Looking through my photos of arches really made me appreciate what a beautiful landscape the Cumberland Plateau is -- and how lucky I've been to get to experience so much of it. Some of my most memorable backpacking trips have included stops at several of the arches pictured. A winter overnight trip near Cherokee Arch and a perfect fall backpacking trip that started with a trip to Morning Arch are especially pleasant to recall.
Hope you all are able to get out and check out some arches soon once with the pleasant weather of spring on the way. . . I'd love to hear any stories about off-trail adventures to arches and see any photos of off-trail arches from other KyWilderness posters.