In the land of arches, Natural Bridge brings the bridge to you with a Sky Lift that climbs straight up the rock wall to drop you feet from the star feature. There are a few loop trails above for different views, above, below, ridge side, and even up close and personal with the fat man's squeeze down from the top. On Saturdays, a farmers market may be at the base offering local fares like breads, baked goods, honey, or even alpaca fur! The lakeside trail offers a suspension bridge, and on Saturday evenings there could be square dancing at Hoedown Island! Adjacent to the Red River Gorge, you can stay or dine at the Hemlock Lodge with a view of the pool and river below. read more

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If you are looking for somewhere with all the bells and whistles, this is not it. However, if you are looking for a room to relax in while you explore a gorgeous park, this is your best bet. We stayed here one night. The accommodations were very simple, but also very peaceful, and dinner at the lodge was delicious. Breakfast didn't have a lot of options, but we were going hiking anyway and didn't need a big meal. The property is dated, and the refrigerator didn't get very cold, but overall we were happy and would stay here again. read more

Such a beautiful state park! You take a chairlift up to the Natural Bridge and you can either ride it back down or hike down. I recommend getting there when they open as it was a lot less crowded versus waiting until later in the day. read more

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Seems that many/most of the other reviews on this site are for the lodge or cabins--but "Natural Bridge State Resort Park" is the actual park itself so that is what my review is for. I can't speak to the cabins, but as for the lodge my review is under "Hemlock Lodge" and it's a solid 4 despite a few cons. But for the park itself--a 5, hands down. A beautiful, well maintained park full of trails from easy to difficult and each with glimpses of wonderful natural beauty such as the main trail here that leads to the natural bridge. You can hike to the top of the bridge and walk it, then trek under neath it for a view of the arches, then to several overlooks to get a glimpse of it from a distance. I'd recommend doing all of the above as each is breath-taking. This area of KY has more natural arches than any place east of Utah and that doesn't get mentioned nearly enough. There's a local business on site at the park that sells passes to ride a ski lift to the top of the resort park trail where you can then trek to the natural bridge in 15 minutes or so (max) of moderate hiking. We opted for the one way pass and hiked down--a really great hike but one that is a bit more difficult and provides opportunities to slip and fall so if you're a casual at best hiker you may prefer the roundtrip lift. It's worth doing if you're up for it though, as it's a beautiful hike. Really great park in a really great location to use as a homebase to explore all of the red river gorge area which offers a lot of other great hikes and natural beauty. read more

Hands down my favorite state park in Kentucky! Not only is it so beautiful to hike through, but in my opinion is very unique compared to other parks in the state. About 40ish minutes from Lexington, this park sits next to Red River Gorge. It's an outdoor lover's dream, with all kinds of different things you can do. The park itself has multiple trails of different lengths and difficulty ranges. We struggled a bit in the beginning to find the trail we wanted, but after finding it, we were able to see all the others and made our way through easily from there. I recommend starting with the Original Trail that takes you to the bridge, made entirely of rock. It's pretty steep and will get your heart pumping, but it's worth it! Once you make it to the top, the views are absolutely stunning! If you're looking to check out more nature in Kentucky, this park is where you need to go. It really shows off what this state has to offer on the outside! read more

Overnight at Quiet Waters cabin, I ran to the natural bridge and back, making it a loop from the Saturday morning farmers market. It was a delicious run with over 600ft of climb, and managed the whole 5 mile loop in 55 minutes. Lots of rock features and overlooks of valley beneath. Beautiful day for a hike. read more

Check in was fast except if you have any questions about the property, the front desk gives you attitude for taking up their time from watching Netflix and gossiping about their family. Got to our cottage and inspected the place. I saw mold under the sink and shower, 25 baby spiders in the corner of the room, and 7 daddy long legs in the closet, rust on the whole fridge from the outside to the inside. I made the front desk aware of my issues and she said they already knew about the mold that it won't be resolved. I just felt unsafe my whole trip to sleep there. You need a tetanus shot to stay in the cottages! At least offer us to move to the inn! The hikes were nice and definitely recommend kayaking in the Gorge! read more

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The perfect place to connect with nature. Trails range in difficulty from lite-easy to challenging. Signs, literature and staff can help you choose the trail suited to your range. The views are gorgeous! Set adjacent to Red River Gorge, it is the perfect location to a long weekend (or more) exploring the area. There is a lodge on premise (I will check out a stay soon) , but make sure to book reservations well in advance. The lodge is closed Dec 20-31. The lodge also has a restaurant and bar with a nice menu selection and adult beverage offering. FYI: Pets are not permitted on all the Natural Bridge State Resort Park hiking trails. They are permitted only on Henson Arch Trail and Whittleton Trail. This is for pet and owner safety as trails are steep, narrow, and many have rock "steps" It would very easy for a pet to be injured. This is a KY must see location. read more

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I was taking a road trip through KY and decided to stop here. It was packed everywhere I went, not easy to find a parking spot. The reason I wanted to write a review was to let people know that if you decide to hike to the actual stone bridge with dogs - DON'T. dogs are not allowed on the trails. I am fine with that and understand. I just wish I knew before trying to find a parking spot. We did find a few places to walk through. Thanks to COVID-19 we walked around an empty swimming pool area. read more

Natural Bridge State Resort Park - Parks Near Me - Slade, Kentucky

Natural Bridge State Resort is a GORGEOUS, very well maintained, state park. We visited on Memorial Day weekend around 10am (which I would consider a pretty late arrival for a park, especially on a holiday weekend) and easily found parking at the Natural Bridge trailhead lot. If you're in fairly good shape the hike up to the top of the natural bridge is moderately easy. There is a very narrow passage once you get almost to the top to squeeze through. If you're concerned about the climb they offer a sky lift (basically just a ski lift). Personally, I feel safer walking than getting on those types of lifts. You are allowed on top of the bridge, which was awesome. There are no guard rails so use caution and keep yourself and kids away from the edges. There are some trails that are slightly more challenging, like the Needles Eye stairs and Devils Gulch stairs, that are narrow and steep. The trails are well marked and not very long. They are well trafficked. By midday the trails were getting a lot more crowded. By 1pm we explored many of the trails and since it was getting more crowded we decided to leave. The parking lots were completely full on our way out. I highly recommend arriving somewhat early if you're looking to enjoy the trails when they're quiet. read more

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They advertise they have a restaurant. After spending 2 hours at their bar the bartender informs us no food due to a holiday buffet at over $30 per person. If they would have told us that at check it I would have made other arrangements before I was not able to drive (maybe they don't frown upon drunk driving there). So it was a mike walk with a big hill to get anything else that was around there. If they let us know at check in I wouldn't have an issue. Anyone that knows the area knows that it is on a hill 200 foot above the road. read more

This is such a beautiful and well-maintained Park! Luckily for us, it's only a 2 hour drive from Cincinnati, perfect for a day trip. It was very easy to find with GPS and we had cell service the entire time: score! We parked by the lodge and took the closest trail to the natural bridge. It was maintained nicely with a wide trail of rock and the occasional wood steps. I am absolutely out of shape and this was a decent work out. I admittedly stopped atleast 5 times up the steep trail to take a break. They do have benches throughout which is a plus! Once you're finally up there, you walk up an extremely narrow natural rock staircase type trail. I could imagine some folks not getting up there because of the narrowness and claustrophobia. I assumed there's got to be another way up but I just can't confirm... The views though; gorgeous! We went in the dead of winter and the foliage was still gorgeous. Plenty of spots to just sit and enjoy the view on top of the rock. There were plenty of families there with older kiddos, like 8 year olds+. I couldn't imagine bringing my toddler, I'd be super stressed because the cliffs have NO barrier down. Speaking of cliffs, you can take the natural bridge all the way around to another beautiful cliff with more amazing views and tranquility. It is quite an easy hike but very muddy. Once we were over there, we took a separate trail down and I am so glad we went exploring! It was one of the most beautiful, extremely steep rock steps down between two huge rock formations. It was stunning. Highly recommend taking a trip to this park. We visited the lodge for a quick tour and they have a nice little bar with a ton of liquor selections, a gift shop and public restrooms for hikers and visitors. It is very clean! There's also a buffet with limited hours that smelled absolutely delicious. What a wonderful little (big) gem!! read more

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Such a beautiful place to hike and camp! Our camping spot was right next to a brook and it was so peaceful. We woke up around 8am to hike and it was such a beautiful fall hike with some amazing weather! I would recommend this hike to absolutely anyone. We took trail number two up and number three down. Although I will warn you that there a TON of stairs going up trail two. read more

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The natural bridge was beautiful to see. My friend and I took the $17 roundtrip sky lift up to the natural bridge. It took about 16 minutes each way. We only had about an hour at the natural bridge which definitely wasn't enough time! I'd recommend 2-3 hours to see multiple views. There's options to walk over the bridge, under the bridge, view from a distance, etc. Lots of scenic view points/lookouts. To get to the view points you have to pass through some very narrow pathways/stairs in some areas. Definitely recommend coming if you're in the area. The gift shop has some fudge, drinks, normal souvenirs, a souvenir penny machine, bathrooms, etc. Nice pit stop for a few hours to hike. read more

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This was the perfect place for a family outing on a warm day in June! Because we had two small children who probably couldn't make the hike, we opted for the sky lift. I will warn you that the seats have large gaps between the bottom and the back and the railing is pretty small. So you might want to look at pictures before you decide whether your child is old enough to do this! The write up was beautiful! It provided a little shade and a nice breeze! Not to mention a gorgeous view! If you're scared of heights, this might not be your thing! But I thought it was great fun! At the top, we enjoyed walking across the natural Bridge all the way to the little gazebo. We took plenty of pictures and then continued to explore. We also enjoyed walking the opposite direction and getting to see the natural Bridge from a far! Hubby and I love a nice challenging hike, which I've heard this is. Hopefully, we can return at some point without the kids and give it a go! read more

Only a couple of hours away, but it is a world away. Hubby and I took an impromptu trip to Natural Bridge this past weekend. It took less than 2 hours to drive there from Louisville. But it felt like it was a world away from Louisville. The park is nestled in the middle of cliffs and forests of Daniel Boone. The park is good for people of all ages and fitness levels. There are long, short, easy and difficult trails. If you want, you can drive down the road to Red River Gorge and do the rock climbing thing; or you can be the drive-by tourist: drive to the parking lot: catch the Skylift to within few hundred yards of the natural bridge. You also have the choice of using the Skylift to go up only and then hike your way down. To best enjoy all that the park has to offer, it is best to stay overnight in the lodge or one of their fully equipped cabins (glamping!!). We stayed in the lodge this time. Every room has a wonderful view of the valley, pond and pool below from the private balcony. The room is not glamorous but it is clean and has all the basics you'd expect from a hotel room. Their rates are very reasonable. They also offer discounts to AAA members and military. Hubby and I had dinner in the attached restaurant. It was Easter so they had the Easter Buffet that night. Fancy? No. But it was homey and filling food, just what hubby was craving. However you do it, you'll love the scenery. Take a deep breath, take in the breeze and fresh mountain smells, it'll feel like you are a world away from it all. read more

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Natural Bridge State Resort Park is amazing! I was born and raised in Kentucky and I grew up going to the park. Hiking, camping, swimming, fishing, and more in this area were all very big parts of my childhood. There's so much fun to be had here! In high school my friends and I used to drive to this area to hike and explore, and of course to eat at Miguel's Pizza! We would sometimes even go just for the pool at the lodge, for which you could buy a day pass. The lodge and pool are great, so if you're in the area you should check those out as well. One of the main trails up to the bridge begins/ends at the lodge, so there's plenty of opportunity. And now, as an adult, I still visit whenever I can. My friends and I have rented cabins in the area on numerous occasions, and my husband and I have spent weekends camping here and day trips hiking. There's just so much to see and do. If you haven't been to Natural Bridge State Resort Park, I cannot recommend it highly enough! You've got to go check this place out! read more

This is an amazing place to visit. I encourage everyone to visit it. The pictures cannot do any justice of this natural beautiful sites. read more

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This state park has gone down hill drastically. The food in the dining room is always a disappointment. WiFi is very hit / miss. MSNBC / CNN available, FOX nowhere to be found. Rooms are usually "clean enough" but never fully acceptable. We had a shelf about to fall off the wall and a steady stream (drip) to listen to all night from the tub. We come back for the nostalgia of the area and the park is as good a place as any to spend a few hours sleeping, but they have certainly lost their way. No longer is the focus on programs and the nature of the area, but rather corporate look and terrible decor. We honestly will likely be looking for other accommodation next trip. read more

Natural Bridge State Resort Park - Shelf falling off of wall - Parks Near Me - Slade, Kentucky

Great short hike up at the Red River Gorge and one of the most popular trails. It's an out and back, about .75 miles each way. It's definitely a moderate difficulty just because it's all up hill on the way up to Natural Bridge. The trail is kept up pretty nicely all the way and there are a lot of places to stop and rest. Once you get to the Natural Bridge, you can either check out below the arch or take the trail to the top, which I would recommend. But there is a "Fat Mans Squeeze" (a very narrow cut through the rock face that you need to squeeze through) to get to the other side of the trail and to the top. Please be courteous to other hikers and take turns going through. Once at the top, enjoy the beautiful view. There are several other trails that crosses at Natural Bridge so you could continue on one of those or head back down the same way you came up. There is also a Skylift that will take you to the top but I have never done that before so can't comment other then it's another way up top. My opinion, just get to RRG and enjoy the beauty the Kentucky holds. read more

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Fantastic. Not a 5-star hotel. But clean and staff is very friendly. The setting beats any 5-star hotel. Balconies overlooking trees and trails below. And the trails outside your door make a wonderful hike in the morning. I went early so had the trails to myself (but made lots of noise to make sure I didn't surprise any bears). I walked on top of the natural bridge, under it, to lovers leap lookout. It was all fantastic. read more

Natural Bridge State Resort Park - Cool caves in cliff faces - Parks Near Me - Slade, Kentucky

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I love hiking at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. The bridge is the coolest thing. The trails leading up to it are great for all levels of hiking. It's perfect for kids and for more experienced hikers. Definitely a great place to take the family or out of town guests. My favorite part of the experience is taking the Sky Lift up to the bridge. Beware if you are afraid of heights, though. The lift is currently 13 dollars per person for a round-trip ticket and open April thru October. I've also come to Hemlock Lodge in the park for their seafood buffet on select Friday nights. It's not the best, though. read more

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Room was dated, very clean. Warm atmosphere and great trails. Love how everyone is scared to see bears in the parks! We are from upstate Michigan and the bears are more scared of you then you ever will be of them. The facility was older with great history. Previous reviews said the rooms didn't have blow dryers. Ours did, but we did not have a microwave oven. They never stated it would have a microwave. Staff was friendly, and the price was right. If you go out to eat, there are very few places to go and they are crowded. Leave and be prepared to wait or go to Stanton Ky, only a 15 car ride. Better then waiting 45-60 minutes for a seat. read more

We stayed in the ADA Compliant cottage because it was more accessible. Everything was wonderful. The cottage kitchen was fully furnished with everything you would need to cook meals. The beds and furniture were very clean. All of the linens and sheets smelled very clean and were spotless. The layout of the cottage is very accessible. We bought our own food at Aldi in Richmond on our way, so we cooked all of our own meals and saved so much money. Of course, we went to Miguels for dinner one night. The layout of the resort is very warm and inviting, as everything is nestled into the side of the mountain. Even though it was built in the 1960's, the mid-century design makes everything rustic and cozy. The lodge and cottage decor and furniture is up-to-date and good quality. read more

Natural Bridge State Park, Hemlock Lodge is one of our favorites. We enjoy going in the spring before the summer vacation crowd gets going. The last time we went our room was very clean and the private wooded balcony with a babbling stream was so peaceful. We had ate our meals in the dining room and the food was hot, fresh, delicious and reasonable. The staff was helpful and very friendly. It's a short walk over to the trails you can take to explore all the wonders that this place has to offer. Can't wait to go again. read more

Natural Bridge State Resort Park - Natural Bridge - Parks Near Me - Slade, Kentucky

Fun hike for the family. They have different trails that lead you to the natural bridge. There are a lot of great things to see on the hike, really cool for photos. Make sure to pack water. The top is beautiful and serene. read more

I am just going to review one of the feature here in the resort : The Sky lift. It's fun! The ticket is $10 round trip for adults and $7 round trip for kids under 12. You can do one way which is $6. The ticket booth opens at 10.00 am sharp, we were a lil bit leary going on the skylift as we had our 6 year old with us, but the operator helped us boarding and gave us more time to do so since we have our little on. The view is not as scenic but it's still nice. It took about 20 minutes so to get to the top of the hill and from there you can walk to the top of the Natural Bridge in 15 minutes or to the overlook area. If you like hiking, then you may want to hike instead, but if you like to try on every features offered in this resort, then I think it's fun. read more

Natural Bridge State Resort Park - The Skylift facility in Natural Bridge State Park - Parks Near Me - Slade, Kentucky

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Took family here for a day trip today and we had a great experience! The location is very pretty; the trails are great & give excellent views. Afterward, we went to the lodge for lunch & had a terrific buffet lunch at a very reasonable price. Friendly staff, homemade dishes including soups, salad dressings, and desserts. We are hooked! Daughter has already made reservations for a return weekend! A very nice outing here close to home! read more

My company rented a cabin here for a meeting. We had a one bedroom handicapped accessible cabin which was big enough for our group of Seven to use for meeting space. The cabin was well equipped with comfortable furniture, TV, and small table and chairs. It was within easy walking distance to the restaurant at the lodge where we had lunch. The food was good, not particularly interesting but well prepared and fresh. Service was a bit slow. I understand they have a buffet on weekend evenings. I'm giving this four stars not because the facilities are stellar but because they are good and in a beautiful setting. It's comfortable and homey and the 1/2 mile trail up to natural bridge offers a sight that should not be missed. Stunning! read more

My husband and i took a trip to the park today. We took the skylift up the mountain and walked down. Make sure to take your own map from the Kentucky state parks website because the map they give you at the skylift is awful. Luckily we had service at the top to google a copy. The trails weren't marked well so a map helps. They have a mini golf course and other fun stuff to do. We'll go back! read more

Got in late so we didn't get to experience much with the park, but we were fortunate enough to hit the bar. Thanks to the amazing bartender Mark Tavern we were able to try a lot of the different types of bourbon. It was a fun and friendly atmosphere. Will definitely go back if we are in the area again. read more

Very nice location and nice balconies off the rooms! You are in the middle of no where, but .75 miles away from the Natural Bridge on two different trials. The lodge has a large pool, lake (think pond) with paddle boats, and several short hiking options. There are two long hikes available too. Better hikes are about 10 miles away in Red River Gorge National Recreational Area, surrounded by KY77, KY715, and KY15. The lodge was built about 40 years ago and is recently updated. The rooms are decent size, but bring your cooler. There are no microwaves or mini-fridges. The bathrooms are average size but good shape. The beds are comfortable. All you need to sleep here is good. Do not expect much else. But again this is the edge of nowhere and the mountain highway! The staff is very friendly. The other thing avoid the buffet!!! It was aweful, and at $14 each you should be able to enjoy more than fried shrimp and fried corn nuggets (fried cream corn). The srtuffed steak was more grisle than meat and horribly dried out. No even the broccoli could flavor the chicken alfredo! And the catfish tasted like breading because there was very little catfish. But they had a german chocolate brown thing made with walnuts instead of pecans, that was good. The sky lift was $11 for round trip to the top but the hours did not run past 5:19pm before Memorial Day. read more

We visited over the weekend and couldn't of had better weather. The trails are clearly marked and the views are phenomenal. We chose to take the shortest trail up to the natural bridge, however it was a little strenuous at times, and we didn't see any identifiers to advise guests. Make sure to wear sneakers and maybe bring a snack or water for along the way. read more

Exceptional place for outdoor family fun, group hiking trip or small family gatherings. Several small businesses and activity centers to visit and friendly service. read more

DO NOT STAY IN THE LODGE!! ZERO STARS!! I just got married on Saturday and my new hubby tried to surprise me with ONE NIGHT away from full time "MOM-ing!" So he made a reservation over the phone for ONE NIGHT! However I have a special needs autistic, non verbal child that does not stay with anyone forcing us that night to not be able to get away. So first thing Monday morning the lodge took the money out of my husbands account. He called to discuss a refund and explain the situation with no success after speaking to "Matt Combs." So I personally call and speak with "Matt Combs" who tells me hes the supervisor and we can not get a full refund even after explaining the special circumstances as to why we were not able to make it to the lodge on our wedding night! Mr. Combs was cold, short, and lacked ANY compassion whatsoever to someone struggling with a special needs child! I wouldve LOVED to had even ONE NIGHT of a honeymoon, any bride would! However my child feeling safe overrides any desire I may ever have! You would like to think a supervisor of a "HOSPITALITY" establishment would at the very least show a sign of compassion, sympathy, understanding, ANYTHING really. I hate that this lodge is now, in my mind, added to the list of business's that refuse to show the slightest ounce of kindness in an already cold world to a struggling mom of a special needs child. I would NOT recommend this establishment to ANYONE that believes sometimes "life" just shows up. Im saddened that even the "higher-ups" (this insensitive supervisor) here forget what it feels like to be human when they are on the clock. read more

Beautiful drive in on a motorcycle. We stayed one night. The lobby was inviting and they a cute little gift shop right off of the lobby.

Very personable & welcoming staff. Beautiful location to enjoy the Kentucky natural beauty.