Hiking Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller
Date: September 2, 2025
This 3.6-mile loop trail called the Red Trillium Trail, part of the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System, was rated difficult. I certainly agree as the trail ascended 300 feet with many switchbacks through a thick forest. An opening in the trees high up gave us a great view of the Ohio River below. In the fall/winter when leaves are off the trees there would be many great overlooks to see the mighty river. We descended into Trillium Hollow, which was deep, quite woods. We saw several 19th century boundary markers carved out of stone.
Looping back up the ridge we came to a short .4-mile spur trail off of the Red Trillium Trail was the McCall Cemetery Spur Trail. A thunderstorm had just passed through, so I quickly hiked the trail before more rain came. It was heavily forested, and the trail was not very wide. Suddenly, thunder roared, as I walked out to about a quarter acre of open land surrounded by massive trees. Before me there were about thirty gravestones ranging from around 1820 to the late 1800’s. Quite a few were McCall family members. It was eerie as it thundered again, and rain began. I made my way back onto the trail.
Across the street from the trailhead was our Sandy Springs Campground. Our travel trailer was backed up to the edge of a bluff, thirty feet above the Ohio River giving us outstanding sunset and sunrise photos of the river and the hills of Kentucky on its far shore. We enjoyed two nights of campfires and watching an occasional tugboat and barge sailing by.
