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Natural Bridge State Park, Natural Bridge, VA

Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFamily FavoriteHistory Buff

Natural Bridge State Park

6477 South Lee Hwy · Natural Bridge, VA

Why you should go…

The park centers on a limestone arch about 200 feet tall in a gorge carved by Cedar Creek, land Thomas Jefferson bought in 1774. From the visitor center you descend 137 steps to the Cedar Creek Trail, which passes beneath the bridge to Saltpeter Cave, Lost River and the 50-foot Lace Falls. More than 10 miles of trails cross forest and meadows with mountain views, and there is a Children's Discovery Area and a disc golf course. It opened as a Virginia state park in 2016 and is an International Dark Sky Park.

  • #natural arch
  • #state park
  • #hiking trails
  • #waterfall
  • #dark sky park

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Natural Bridge State Park, ordered by straight-line distance.

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

    Free

    Walk the restored village where Lee surrendered to Grant in the McLean House on April 9, 1865.

    45 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing