The area OP is talking about is referred to as the Red River Gorge, it spans a handful counties (powell, wolfe, menifee, and lee county) which are in various states of development.

Definitely an interesting place to travel around. You can go drive 20 minutes and go from fairly developed tourist-ville with gift shops and well kept cabins galore to rough oil/logging roads with people living in rundown buildings in extreme poverty.

Lots of incredible natural resources that have been poorly protected compared to a lot of wild areas out west. Unfortunately it doesn't look like things are getting any better in that regard.