Kayaking in an Abandoned Mine

Robert Wellerkayaking

Have you ever paddled a kayak in an abandoned, underground mine? Well folks, this year on our spring break trip to Kentucky, we did exactly that. We have been paddling for almost ten years now, ever since my wife surprised me on my fortieth birthday with a guided adventure paddling the Pictured Rocks along Michigan’s shorelines on Lake Superior. After that trip, we came home and went kayaking crazy. We bought ourselves a used Old Town Loon tandem as well as a couple of cheap Sun Dolphins for the kids. Over the next several years we obtained a four-place kayak trailer to pull behind our fifth wheel trailer along with two more Old Town Loon twelve footers. The irony in it all is that my wife and I were raised and still live in Portland Michigan, commonly referred to as “the city of two rivers” while neither of us ever spent any time on the Looking Glass or the Grand River until we got into kayaking. Now we enjoy taking trips down the river during the different seasons as well as taking our boats with us to paddle on the lakes we camp near or on each summer. Our kayaks have taken us to see some amazing things including up the channel that leads from Indian Lake to Kitch-iti-kipi. 

A year or two ago I was goofing around on the computer and stumbled on a link to a website for underground kayaking. After a few minutes browsing the website, I knew that it was something I wanted to do someday. This year is our son’s senior year of high school, so my wife and I were trying to figure out what to do for him for a spring break getaway. We ended up agreeing on making the drive to Rogers Kentucky to do some hiking and check out the Red River Gorge geological area. Breathtaking views from hiking trails awaited as did a three-hour side by side guided trail ride and of course, kayaking with SUP Kentucky in an abandoned underground mine. 

Another excursion near the kayaking adventure

On April 8, 2025, we left home with our son Jacob and our nephew Aiden (also a senior this year) and headed south to Kentucky. We arrived early enough in the afternoon to get in a hike before checking in to our VRBO. The Natural Bridge State Resort Park was very close to where we were staying and provided us with some pretty awesome hiking and lots to see. The next day we arrived at Out the Top side by side rentals and tours, where Jacob, being nineteen, was allowed to drive. Our guide was awesome and took us on some very fun trails. Jacob had a blast, and we were all covered with mud splatters by the time it was all over. After our exhilarating side by side ride through the creek and the woods, we took it a bit slower with a nice ride on the scenic parkway through the surrounding area. As we made our way back to the VRBO, we encountered a few more trails that looked interesting, so we came back later that evening and did some more exploring. 

The next day was the grand finale, our underground adventure with SUP Kentucky. We arrived at the site early as directed and enjoyed looking around for a little while before meeting our guides. We learned that the mine we were about to Kayak in was an old limestone mine that was active until the roadways in the area were completed. During the process of blasting to remove the limestone, the company running the mine got carried away a little with their use of explosives and they hit an aquifer above the mine, causing water to begin to leak from the ceiling and flood the mine. Several years later a developer purchased the mine and rather than trying to pump the water out, decided to turn it into the attraction that it is today. After donning all the appropriate safety gear and going through a brief orientation, we followed our guide on a relatively short walk into the mine and down to the underground kayak dock. We have visited old mines before in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as well as the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky, but this certainly was a unique experience. We lined up on the dock where we were asked to remove our shoes before the guides assisted each of us getting into our kayaks. (Wool hunting socks are recommended.) Now my family and I have all launched our kayaks from docks before, so this was not a new experience for us but for those, let’s say less experienced, the guides did an excellent job ensuring everyone stayed dry and on the correct side of their boat (that being the top side if you catch my drift). We paid the extra fee to take the “Crystal Clear” kayak tour. The boats are literally made of clear material and have multi color LED lights in them so each paddler gets to choose his or her own color as the guides toggle through the different LED colors. After we were all nicely situated in our crystal-clear kayaks, our guides, one at the front and one at the rear, led us on a narrated journey through the old mine. They pointed out several features of the mine and gave a brief history and many explanations regarding what we were all seeing.

Kayaking an abandoned mine shaft

They have some lights installed in the mine to give just a slight glow, but much of the light was from the colored glow coming from the hull of each of our kayaks and in some cases from underwater green lights that were there to draw the fish in. They have stocked a few species of fish in the mine, and they keep them fed regularly as there is no natural food source in the mine for them. Now because they feed the fish, and you kayak over the lights means you get to see some of them up close as they usually come looking for food when kayaks approach. Eventually we made our way to the spot where the water entered the mine through the crack in the ceiling. We were instructed that if we wished to stay dry that we should not get too close to the steady stream that was pouring in from above. As we neared the end of our guided journey, the guide offered us the opportunity to kayak into a dead end that is the deepest part of the mine. At that point the water is the deepest and the ceiling is the lowest. So low in fact that you can reach up while sitting in your kayak and touch the ceiling. After seeing a few more little pieces of history, we made our way back to the dock and we watched as the next group took off on their tour. Once in position, we were again assisted as we demounted our kayaks and climbed back onto the dock. Now my wife and I have logged several hours in kayaks prior to this adventure but, I would not say that you really need to have much experience paddling to be able to enjoy this site. In fact, several of the crystal-clear kayaks are set up as tandems so if you just want to sit up front and let your significant other sit in back and do all the work, feel free to enjoy at your leisure. Yes, I think this is something everyone should experience if they get the opportunity (as long as you have no fear of water and aren’t claustrophobic of course). I think our son and nephew would agree that this trip was a fun-filled, action packed four-day trip to the Red River Gorge area of Kentucky and well worth the drive! If you’re headed to the Bluegrass state, consider swinging through the Red River Gorge area, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. 

Happy Hiking, Safe Travels and God Bless.

Robert Weller
Latest posts by Robert Weller (see all)