To reach the Nada Tunnel, from
Stanton, Kentucky, you would go East on State Route 15. When you come to
the intersection of Route 77 and 15 you would turn left on Route 77. After
a short distance you will come to the small town of Nada, KY. Of course, the name of
Nada Tunnel was taken from this nearby town. After you go through the town of
Nada it is about a mile and a half, on route 77, until you come to the
tunnel. The coordinates, in longitude and latitude, for the Nada Tunnel are N37° 49.029' x W83° 40.855'. Also, there's a road that runs over
and across the Nada Tunnel. The name of this road is Tunnel Ridge Road and it turns off Rt. 15 approximately ten miles from Campton. The
coordinates for the Tunnel Ridge Road turnoff are N37° 47.835' x W83° 39.258'.
Click here for a map of the Nada Tunnel and Tunnel Ridge Road.
My feeling, the first time I approached the Nada Tunnel, was one
of apprehension. Since it is a one lane tunnel there were cars, in front
of us, waiting their turn to go through the tunnel. As you can see from the
picture there were people just sort of hanging out and helping to direct
traffic. This was a big help because it's pretty hard to tell when someone
is coming from the other direction. You just have to ease up to the entrance,
look to see if there are headlights in the tunnel and then, either back
out if you see headlights, or proceed on into the tunnel if the way is
clear. Once you enter the tunnel, you immediately realize this tunnel was
built by primitive methods. As you can see
from the pictures, there is no concrete on the walls or the ceiling of this
tunnel. The tunnel was carved through a solid rock cliff, as far as I could
tell and it looked very much like there was a serious lack of machinery
involved in the process. The day I was there, water was running down both walls and
also dripping from the ceiling. There is no electricity and no lights of
any kind inside the tunnel. The road going through the tunnel is paved with
asphalt. That's the nearest and only thing that even comes close to
being modern about this tunnel, at all. According to published reports,
the Nada Tunnel was built in 1911, as a logging railroad tunnel. It is
12 feet high, 13 feet wide and 900 feet long. According to what I have been
told, by people presently living in that area, the trains that went through
Nada Tunnel were also used for transportation, on special occasions, like
large social events, dances and so forth. Seeing and traveling through
the Nada Tunnel is a very unique experience. I would advise anyone visiting
the area of the Red River Gorge to take the time to check it out.....
The picture, above, is the West end of the tunnel, in full foliage.
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Links To Old Tunnel Pictures
Digging The Tunnel In 1911
View From Inside Tunnel
Building Of Railroad & Related Tunnels
Nada Tunnel & Work Crew - 1914