FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Climbers in Kentucky hope to add new language to the state’s recreational use statutes that would expand access to rock climbing in the Red River Gorge by limiting liability for landowners.
“There is a large group of people in the world that, when they think about Kentucky, they think about rock climbing just as much as they think about bourbon or basketball or horse racing or anything like that,” said president of the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition Curtis Rogers. “It’s a global destination for climbing.”
Rogers shared a story of a European encounter that proves just how widely the gorge is known.
“I was actually in Switzerland one time and I bumped into a lady,” Rogers began. “She said, ‘hey, where are you from?’ I said, ‘well I’m from Kentucky,’ and she said, ‘oh, like the Red River Gorge?’ I was like, ‘well yeah, that’s exactly right. Not too far from there at all.’
Climbers like Rogers hope House Bill 114, which was introduced at the start of the 2025 session, will specifically list rock climbing among Kentucky’s recreational use statutes.
“Almost all the other states kind of enshrine their recreational activities that that state’s known for, and rock climbing is synonymous with Kentucky,” Rogers said. “It helps too that there’s neighboring states, West Virginia, Tennessee, some of those other states have done the same thing, so it’s easy to say, ‘hey look, the states around us are doing this. We should do it too.’”
For landowners, it all comes down to liability. Back in August, LEX 18 spoke on this topic with April Reefer, who owns a restaurant and a nature reserve in Wolfe County.
“The law has never been tested. I think anybody would be crazy not to still have liability insurance,” Reefer said then.
Rogers added, “When you have that word in there, when it says climbing, rappelling, and bouldering, then it just gives them a little more confidence that, ‘hey look, I’m covered if something were to happen here.'"
That is the new language a Lee County representative proposed. Rogers added an example of how that might impact cabin owners who also own areas off cliffs.
“Cabins by nature are on top of beautiful overlooks,” said Rogers. “This could have a huge impact to where, let’s say you own a cabin on top of a cliff, and we say, ‘hey this is a great area to climb, can we climb here?’”
“With the recreational use statute specifically says climbing is protected, that person is more likely to let us climb in places like that.”
The next step for the bill is to get assigned to a committee for discussion.
“We’re just reaching out to local climbers, climbers across the country, to send letters and voice their support for the proposed change and hopefully a lot of representatives and senators are getting email and phone calls from climbers,” Rogers said.
The 2025 legislative session will last through March 28.
