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    Natural Bridge State Park

    4.5 (82 reviews)
    InexpensiveHotels, Hiking, Campgrounds
    Closed 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    Stefania A.

    Great trails, wish I knew about the sky lift prior to climbing up to the natural bridge. But either way, it was beautiful!!!

    John B.

    A diversion from the more famous Red River Gorge, this park is built around a natural bridge. At least for me, the term connotes a rock formation in southern Virginia, but I've also been to one in Australia; natural bridges are apparently pretty common. Arriving at one of several parking lots in the ravine, I found a fairly developed lake area that is probably fun for summer camp but didn't suggest anything overly natural or interesting. The hike to the bridge is short as the crow flies, but at least according to my watch traversing roughly four miles involved climbing the equivalent of 44 sets of stairs. It's a workout. Upon arriving at the bridge, it was worthy of building a park around. Apparently the original park was the end of a rail line for timber (sadly no longer available). In the present day, I was quite surprised to see no ropes or fences whatsoever on the bridge itself, which you can definitely walk up to (using a claustophobia-inducing pathway) and cross. Don't get me wrong, the bridge is pretty wide and pretty stable, but given all the small children and the vagaries of weather conditions, I got very nervous with the whole thing and kept my distance. Some of the locals did not. Even on a gloomy winter day, it was apparently too much to expect to get a shot of the thing without various other people monkeying around (though at least you get a sense of scale). In nicer weather, I expect that the crowds will come flowing in, as there seemed to be plenty of other activities.

    Jeremy J.

    I've been here a couple times, and the natural Bridge State Park is always a home run each time. It's got a good hiking and walking trails. It's a lot of fun has waterfalls objects to look at landmarks. A lot of cool stuff for sure I would recommend it.

    Nicole L.

    This was a really fun place to hike. The most famous hike is to the natural bridge. It is awesome, and comparable to something you would see out west. It was a 1.5 mil hike up, the younger kids complained but made it. The hike down was quick. There is a skinny staircase that is called fat man's misery. It was a fun hike all around. Highly recommend! Also don't forget line dancing every Saturday night at 6:30.

    Kathy V.

    I mean....yes. Yes, yes, and yes. I have been to the Gorge and the surrounding natural areas. But over the week of Thanksgiving 2020, my pod and I were staying in a cabin in Slade, and when they heard I had never been to the actual Natural Bridge *AT* Natural Bridge State Park....we all decided it was about time to change that and we planned a visit while we were in the area. The hike up to the actual Natural Bridge is lovely and the surrounding other trails we explored gave great views and gorgeous sights. The trail is easy to follow and is well-marked. Even while we were still on the trail, I was eager and keen for a future visit! The only downside was the multitude of people on the trail not bring kind with giving space when passing and not having masks to wear at least when very closely passing folks. It is a PANDEMIC people. Outside is nice, but respiratory droplets still exist! Anyway....not the park's fault, really.

    Under the bridge.
    Judith R.

    The Gorge area is so beautiful! Had some relatives in town from Texas. They loved the peacefulness and the views from the skylight and atop the Natural Bridge.

    Spectacular! We took the sky lift up to the "bridge" and once at the top there are lots of trails to different viewpoints. And you can walk across the massive stone bridge. Some stairs and steep slopes, but most can be voided via another trail. Well worth the visit.

    Rhonda W.

    Finally made it here ... my mom is from Kentucky and she came before the skylift when you had to walk up. Thank God for technological advancement because even though the walk wouldn't have been far it is ridiculously steep. This has been on my bucketlist for years and glad we came in the fall .. it was gorgeous. there was alot of fall colors in late Oct but for some reason they didn't show up great in my pics. It was around 4 pm so maybe the lighting was off for pics. But in person it was a crayon box of colors. so pretty. we walked across the bridge and to the area you view it. didnt walk under it. we had driver from Gatlinburg and just wanted to get home to our doggie.

    Lots of great areas on the trails.
    Wink B.

    What's not to love here!? The gorge and surrounds are just breathtaking and whether your a casual hiker, a more serious backpackers or cliff climber, there ate definitely things to to here! Lots of trails and kayaking areas for every adventure and level. Lots of places to stay in and around the park. The staff has always been super and the history here is amazing too. Plus there's a growing number of foodie drinkie places showing up. This is awesome. Come and stay awhile and bring the fam.

    Kimberly B.

    We stayed here for a night on Aug 25th. Got there earlier than check in and room wasn't ready yet so we went and did the Underground Cave boat tour. Front desk was friendly and informative about things to do in the area. Our room had a private patio to enjoy the view and peacefulness, was clean and had everything we needed for a nights stay. Cute State Park Lodge with walking trails to the Natural Bridge. We would stay here again for sure!

    Shannah H.

    This is a beautiful Kentucky State Park and well-worth spending a day exploring several sections or a few hours hiking to Natural Bridge. We did the latter and have no regrets for the 3 hours we spent on the trail and sight-seeing from a truly unique viewpoint. The original trail is only a mile long but is a hike that's both doable and challenging (cardio-wise, not footing-wise). The trail ends right under the bridge and you then take some very narrow rocky staircase to get to the top (if you're a little plump, probably not the best route up for you tbh). Once on top you have an AMAZING view of the valley and surrounding mountains. You can't help but marvel knowing people have crossed this bridge for thousands and thousands of years. Take a bit of time and walk all the way across, circle the sky lift and head over to a nearby lookout cliff. You can see back to the Natural Bridge and again have a great view of your surroundings. Maybe better than from the bridge itself. If you don't want to take the hike, you can take the sky lift. A one-way trip is $10/adult. Round trip is $13/adult.

    Wild daisy
    Leah A.

    Another beautiful place to visit in Kentucky. It's nature's way of saying it can do wonders to our universe as long as we take care of it. The park was well maintained, clean and simply beautiful. It's worth paying for the sky lift, don't forget to use your military discount. Don't forget to bring water and wear appropriate shoes when coming to visit. Don't forget to use your sunblock too, once you're there you can't help to stay and linger to enjoy the spectacular views.

    Hiking to the bridge

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    2 years ago

    Challenging uphill hike, but the view was worth it! Breathtaking photo opps at the top of Natural Bridge!

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    Great trails. Only issue is you have hikers everywhere. Definitely do the sky lift up and down then the devils crotch.

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    Review Highlights - Natural Bridge State Park

    Take a bit of time and walk all the way across, circle the sky lift and head over to a nearby lookout cliff.

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    Koomer CampGround - Site #24 looking down from the parking pad

    Koomer CampGround

    (4 reviews)

    Camped here on a Saturday night recently -- I'd rented a cabin in the Gorge and backpacked here…read moreseveral times, but never car-camped. I think I was a little afraid that the campground would be similar to Miguel's -- lots of party-time people and little privacy. However, our small group was pleasantly surprised that many of the sites had their own sense of "place." While few of the sites are completely secluded, they at least have plenty of trees around them to give you a tiny bit of privacy. We got a double-pad site since we had two tents, and this was more than enough room. The pads are very generously sized, so if you have one of those ginormous 8-person tents that are bigger than a Manhattan studio apartment, you should have no issue setting it up. Each site comes with a picnic table (ours had 2 but not sure if that was because it was a double?) and a fire pit. You can purchase wood and ice at the campsite host. There are also some short but fun trails that lead off from Koomer Ridge, and I think at least one connects to the Rough Trail, which is a very long trail going through the Gorge that also lives up to its name. The only downside is you can hear the traffic from the road fairly easy, but giving how close the campground is to the main road, this isn't really surprising. I just figure it's part of the territory with car camping as opposed to backpacking.

    We moved camp here after one night at another not-so-great place, and then decided to stay an…read moreadditional night because we were having too much fun. Wonderful, spacious sites and nice clean facilities - what more do you really need? The campground is conveniently located near the highway and for short drives to the surrounding area for hiking, sightseeing and whatnot. There is access to at least one cliff trail at several points around the campground, and you're never too far from a pit toilet. But if those aren't your idea of a nice place to do your business, the actual restroom and shower facilities are amazingly clean. My only complaint is that the frogs don't know what "quiet time" means.

    Middle Fork Campground - The creek side RV sites

    Middle Fork Campground

    (3 reviews)

    This is one of two Natural Bridge State Park campgrounds. The other is Whittington. It's just a…read moremile or so away, on the opposite side of the road. I could almost bet a million dollars that I've driven by a thousand times and it always seems packed full. There are both RV sites and primitive sites available. There are just a few sites that I would recommend.... and the few others that line Middle Fork Creek. The creek is small, bet there were people fishing. There are two completely areas to this campground. One, is sort of like a subdivision in the city, huge cluster sites, close together. The other part was a more relaxing, quieter section. Those were the sites along the creek. The only part that I would stay, if I did come back again, would be the creek side sites. I live in a subdivision in the city, so I want to vacation somewhere different. We attempted to book the night before we decided on our last minute, second camping trip of 2017. Reserve America is how you pre-book KY State Parks. Reserve America charges a $7.50 reservation fee, which I despise and have avoided by during a "walk-up". We had attempted to do a walk up here before, but they were full to capacity at both campgrounds. So, we knew that we needed to arrive early on a Friday. We arrived around 3:00 on a Friday in April and there were only two spots available. Both weren't prime locations either. Note to self... never trust doing a walk up here, it's always way too booked up. And score a site creekside. The regular walk-up weekend rate is $34. That is crazy expensive for the condition of the sites. We were in site B7 and when we arrived, the people beside of us were hooked up to our water faucet. We later found out why. The one that we ended up with leaked and gushed water. It caused our site and even the site on the other site, muddy. The annoying thing was that the guys at check-in said that they already knew about it. The activities around are pretty limitless. Ziplining, rock climbing, hiking, or just plain site seeing up in a chair left, I would say that the Natural Bridge SP area is one of the boomingest state park areas in Kentucky. A lot of the campers head out for the day, leaving their dogs in their campers. There was a lot of barking when we walked around the campground and even sat outside. Pets aren't allowed on the hiking trails, so if you plan to hike in the area, know that ahead of time.

    We stayed at Middle Fork Campground (lower section of Whittleton) at Natural Bridge State Resort…read morePark for 2 days at $18/day, which normally around $29/day for electric/water hookup. Perhaps the low cost has something to do with the way everything layout in this campground? The electric/water hook ups were on the wrong side of RV/trailer, dump station is on the opposing traffic, rain drainage was none existence as any moisture collected above are being seeping out across multiple sites below. Our site#B6 was closed to the comfort station, which was a bit dated, but showers, toilets, and sinks were clean and functional. Sites here will need leveling blocks to make it right. There are also primitive sites right next to a creek running on one side and warning of flash flood on the other side. Since the entire campground just below Hwy 11, car noise could be a problem for light sleepers. OTA TV has 12 digital channels. No WiFi reception inside this valley, weak LTE/3G here but somehow we got free TengoInternet at picnics area and near cottages. If not for Natural Bridge formations, Red River Gorge, Nada Tunnel nearby, we wouldn't think we stay as long as we did.

    Natural Bridge Campground - Natural Bridge Campground

    Natural Bridge Campground

    (12 reviews)

    I booked one night in the open tent field for two- my friend and myself. My total price was $28.04…read more It seemed a little steep for what it was but we figured it was worth it for access to showers, bathrooms, and water. Upon our arrival, we checked in with no issues, set up our tent, and then tried to get into the shower house to use the bathroom and shower off before the temperatures dropped for the evening. I was told by the woman manning the front desk that the shower code was in my email. Very foolishly, I trusted her. We were unable to access the showers or the bathrooms within the shower building- the bathrooms next to the shower building were boarded shut for the winter. We searched my email high and low, and there was no shower code- not in my inbox, not in my spam, not in any folders. After conferring, we decided to call the after-hours number. No one answered, so we left a message and headed to Miguel's Pizza for dinner. An hour passed, and we hadn't heard anything, so we called again- no response. We were never contacted about our message, and we checked out the next morning with no further contact regarding that issue. But before we left- we headed over to fill up our water bladder and water bottles before hitting the trail for a long hike. We were in the middle of doing so, when a woman in a white car came over and (very passive aggressively) asked us if we were checking in to that site. We responded that we were just filling up on water and would be leaving shortly. She harrumphed and drove off, but it was obvious that she wasn't pleased with us doing so. We finished filling up and left, agreeing to never stay there again. I'm afraid that Natural Bridge Campground has just permanently lost themselves two customers.

    LOVE LOVE LOVE!! Was a wonderful cabin experience in the middle of nowhere! We were in town to…read morevisit SUP Kentucky for their clear kayak glow tour in the mines and were lucky to find this place since there aren't many hotels around. Really romantic experience, highly recommend!

    Natural Bridge State Park - hotels - Updated May 2026

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