Natural Bridge State Park

How to Get There

From Lexington, VA (14 mi): Take US‑11 S toward Natural Bridge, follow signs for Natural Bridge State Park, and turn onto S Lee Highway to reach the main entrance and parking area.

Overview

Natural Bridge is a geological formation in Virginia comprising a 215-foot-high (66 m) natural arch with a span of 90 feet (27 m). It is situated within a gorge carved from the surrounding mountainous limestone terrain by Cedar Creek, a small tributary of the James River. Consisting of horizontal limestone strata, Natural Bridge is the remains of the roof of a cave or tunnel through which the Cedar Creek once flowed.

Natural Bridge has been designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. Since 2016, the bridge and its surroundings have been managed by the Commonwealth of Virginia as Natural Bridge State Park.

Natural Bridge State Park

Natural Bridge State Park officially opened on September 24, 2016. Visitors must purchase tickets to view the bridge from below. U.S. Route 11 (Lee Highway) runs on top of the bridge, but protective fences make it difficult to see anything besides the roadway.

The state park includes several long-standing attractions, including the trail under the bridge and along Cedar Creek, a recreation of Monacan Native American housing, and the 30-foot-tall (9.1 m) Lace Falls. The "Drama of Creation" light show continues to be shown in the evening, after the state park is technically closed. One change under state ownership was the removal of Foamhenge, a full-size replica of Stonehenge made entirely out of styrofoam that was formerly located on the property. The attraction was moved to Fairfax County after it was determined that the art installation did not fit with the state park's mission.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Natural Bridge (Virginia)",which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0