Natural Bridge State Park, Kentucky

Karen and I especially enjoy the state parks of Kentucky, and Natural Bridge is our favorite of them all. The centerpiece of Natural Bridge State Resort Park is Natural Bridge. The impressive sandstone arch stands like a sentinel over this mountain hideaway, Soaring 65-feet high, 78 feet in length and 40-feet thick. You can walk across the bridge along it's 30-foot-wide level top. The only way one can reach the arch, or even see it, is on foot. Numerous trails lead to the arch, the shortest and easiest being a steep 3/4 mile climb of 500 feet. A skylift also takes visitors to within 600 feet from the top of the arch. However, to get a good view still requires climbing down from the top via a set of steep stone stairs, and a traverse through a long natural fissure known as "Fat Man's Misery."

Don't let this discourage you. More than half a million people make the trek to Natural Bridge each year. But it is not for the weak or infirm.

There is much more to the park than that. Here you will also find fabulous opportunities for hiking, camping swimming, and much more. There is a delightful lodge, restaurant, gift shops, cottages and activities for the entire family.

The Park was first established in 1895 by the Lexington and Eastern Railroad. The Railroad was built to haul logs out of Eastern Kentucky, and the park was a sideline to passenger and freight business. Trails, campgrounds, picnic areas and other improvements were built. The only way to reach the Natural Bridge for many decades was by railroad. In 1926, after highways had penetrated the area, the railroad donated the Natural Bridge to become one of Kentucky's four original state parks.