"Natural Bridge State Resort Park is hiking, arches, exploring, scenery, reflection, and making memories." The park, nestled with the Daniel Boone National Forest, is home to many arches. Although most people visit the famous “Natural Bridge,” there are over 200 Sandstone Arches within the Red River Gorge Region. The park has 20 miles of hiking trails of varying difficulty with picturesque beauty. In 2005, Kentucky Living Magazine readers voted Natural Bridge State Resort Park as the best place to hike within the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
The Setting
The park is approximately 2,300 acres, mostly bordered by the Daniel Boone National Forest. Natural Bridge State Resort Park is a legally designated wildlife sanctuary and nature preserve and is managed for the protection and benefit of the native plants and animals of Kentucky.
Daniel Boone first passed through this area in 1767, and settlement began shortly thereafter. Saltpeter, used in the manufacture of gunpowder, was mined extensively here for use in the War of 1812. A large portion of Powell and Wolfe Counties was purchased by timber and railroad companies in the late 1800s. The Lexington and Eastern Railroad opened Natural Bridge as a public park in 1896 and it became one of Kentucky's first state parks in 1926.
This western edge of the Appalachians is known as the Cumberland Plateau. Most of the ridge-tops are approximately the same height, around 1250 feet above sea level. To the east and south, the Cumberland Mountains have much higher and less uniform peaks. To the west is the much flatter Bluegrass Region of Central Kentucky.
The ecosystem has a myriad of landscapes but the entire region is a mixed mesophytic (deciduous) forest. Trees include towering hemlocks, white pines, different species of oaks, tulip tree, red, sugar, and silver maples, rhododendron, mountain laurel, and beautiful wildflowers, especially in the spring. Both campgrounds have waterways that meander through the campground.
The Facility
There are 87 total campsites with electrical and tent sites available. There is a centralized dump station at each campground. Check site numbers for specific information. Most camp sites have shade, with the exception of some of the drive through sites.
Amenities include:
- Shelter Rentals are available on the park
- Private Meeting Rooms (Seminars, Weddings, Meetings)
- Catering for Special Events
- Each Campground has a centralized bathhouse facility, complete with restrooms and showers. Showers have hot water.
- Playgrounds located within the park grounds
- Community Swimming Pool available and include a lifeguard. There is an extra fee for admittance (seasonal)
- Paddle Boat Rentals available within the park (seasonal)
- Mini Golf available within the park (seasonal)
- Dump Station located in each campground
Camping Tips
- Make sure you check in at the registration booth and always use a trails guide when hiking. Leave all plants and animals alone; they are protected by state law.
- Do not gather firewood from the woods as this is prohibited.
- Firewood can be purchased at each campground booth.
Park Features
The “Natural Bridge” is 78 feet long and 65 feet high, 1250 feet above sea level and 500 feet above the Middle Fork of the Red River. The opening was formed many thousands of years ago by the repeated freezing and thawing of the narrow sandstone cliff (a process known as "weathering"). There are well over 200 arches of various sizes and types within 5 miles of the “bridge,” mostly within the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Natural Bridge is home to 89 resident bird species, 34 amphibian species, 31 reptile species, 54 mammal species, 54 ferns and fern ally species, 146 tree and woody plant species, and 115 spring wildflower species. Checklists are available at the front desk of Hemlock Lodge. Disturbing or collecting any plants or animals in the park is prohibited.
Address
2135 Natural Bridge Road
Slade, KY 40376
606-663-2214
Learn more about this park and book your reservation online 
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