Camping and Hiking in Natural Bridge State Park Kentucky

Kentucky is known for its beauty and of course their elaborate cave systems, but did you know they also have an abundance of natural bridges?  One of the most popular natural bridges stands in Natural Bridge State Park Kentucky.  

While there are 2 Natural Bridge State Parks, this article is talking about Natural Bridge State Park Kentucky, not the one in Virginia.  If you are looking for that state park, check out this article for Natural Bridge State Park Virginia.  

Now, back to Kentucky!  This bridge is made of natural sandstone and stands at 65 feet tall with a span of 78 feet across.  But the best part about this bridge is how easily accessible it is!  You can access this bridge with either a short hike up the Original Trail, or you can take a skylift up to the bridge if you aren’t much for hiking.  

Regardless of how you reach the bridge, you’re not going to want to skip this awesome Kentucky State Park!

Important Links

Natural Bridge Resort State Park website

Red River Gorge website

Natural Bridge State Park Camping – Make Reservation Here

Reserve a Lodge/Cottage – Reserve a Lodge Room or Cottage Here

Trail Map

Dog Slaughter Falls – Nearby Hiking

Location

Natural Bridge State Park Kentucky is located in east Kentucky, the city of Slade to be exact.  This park is very popular for hiking and all sorts of outdoor activities, such as nearby zip lining and underground kayaking tours. 

This state park is just 1 hour southeast from Lexington, KY, 2.5 hours north of Knoxville, TN, and 4 hours south of Columbus, OH.  And while this distance doesn’t sound terrible, you’ll probably want to consider camping or staying in the lodge if you aren’t local.   

Time to Spend Here

With nearly 30 miles of hiking trails, a lake for kayaking and fishing and a pool, there’s plenty to do here.  And with two great campgrounds to choose from, a lodge and 11 cottages, there’s several ways to stay in Natural Bridge State Park Kentucky.

If you are looking for just a quick weekend getaway at a lodge or in a cabin to escape the busy life, this place is perfect.  Or if you just want to hike to and around the Natural Bridge, then you will be fine with a weekend stay.

However, if you are looking to hike more than a few trails, you will probably want to consider more than a weekend here.  There are dozens of trails in the state park and in the area, not to mention the endless amount of tours nearby.  If you want to get the most out of the area, you’ll want anywhere from 3 – 7 days here to hit the highlights.  

Hiking Trails 

There are a plethora of hiking trails throughout Natural Bridge State Park Kentucky and all around this entire area.  However, if you are looking to exclusively hike within the confines of the park, here is the list of trails.  

• Balanced Rock Trail – 1.5 miles / Strenuous
• The Original Trail – 1.0 miles / Moderate
• Battleship Rock Trail – 1.5 miles / Strenuous
• Lakeside Trail – 0.5 miles / Easy
• Upper Hoods Branch Trail – 0.75 miles / Easy
• Low Gap Trail – 0.5 miles / Moderate
• Hood’s Branch Trail – 7.5 miles / Moderate
• Laurel Ridge Trail – 1.5 miles / Moderate
• Rock Garden Trail – 3.5 miles / Strenuous
• Whittleton Trail – 4 miles / Moderate
• Sand Gap Trail – 10 miles / Strenuous
• Henson’s Arch Trail – 0.6 miles / Easy

Pro Tip: If you only have a few hours, make sure that you hike the Original Trail!  You’ll get to hike to and underneath the natural bridge itself.  Then if you connect with the Low Gap Trail you’ll get to walk on top of the bridge.  And if you have a little more time, I would connect with the Laurel Ridge Trail where you’ll get a great view of the natural bridge from a few hundred yards away.  All 3 of these trails took us less than 2 hours to complete.  

Ways to Stay at Natural Bridge State Park Kentucky

Natural Bridge State Park Kentucky is known as a resort state park.  Essentially, this means that there’s more than just the great outdoors and a campground here.  

In fact, there are 35 rooms in the Hemlock Lodge which resides at the top of the hill.  There are also several cottages to choose from!  7 of these cottages are 1 bedroom and the remaining 4 offer 2 bedrooms.   

But if these ways to stay are out of your budget, there are still 2 campgrounds (86 different campsites) to choose from.  We’ll dive into the details and prices, but truly there’s something here for everyone and every budget!

Details

• 2 Campgrounds
• 86 Campsites
• 2 Dump Stations
• 2 Bathhouses
• Laundry Room
• Easy Access to Hiking Trails 
• 35 Rooms in the Hemlock Lodge
• Seven 1-Bedroom Cottages
• Four 2-Bedroom Cottages

Campgrounds (Dog Friendly)

Let’s start with the cheapest way to stay at Natural Bridge State Park Kentucky.  There are 2 separate campgrounds here, the Whittleton Campground and the Middle Fork Campground.  

Whittleton offers 18 Standard Electric Sites and 23 Tent-Only Sites.  This campground is more of a traditional state park campground, with smaller campsites and a lot of tree cover.  

Middle Fork offers 34 Standard Electric Sites and 11 Tent-Only Sites.  This slightly larger campground is more big rig friendly with some pull through sites and no tree cover.  While none of the campsites here are Full Hook-Up, Middle Fork presents itself as more of a small RV Park.   

Lodge (Dog Friendly)

The next way to stay at Natural Bridge State Park Kentucky is in the Hemlock Lodge.  The Hemlock Lodge has 35 rooms (some with Queen Beds and others with King Beds), each with private balconies.  

The Lodge is open year round and just a short hike on the Battleship Rock Trail away from THE natural bridge itself.  Or if hiking isn’t your thing, the lodge is less than a mile drive away from the skylift that will take you to the natural bridge.  

There is also a pool here, a restaurant, a bar (with Bourbon flights), and right down the road, there is a mini golf course.  

Staying in the lodge is more expensive than camping, but it’s a great way to get away and enjoy some peace and quiet in the woods.  

Cottages (Dog Friendly)

Now, the final way to stay at Natural Bridge State Park Kentucky comes in several different shapes and sizes.  There are 11 different cottages just down the hill from the Hemlock Lodge.  

There are several cottages that offer 1-Bedroom/2 Queen Bed stays and there are a few 2-Bedroom/4 Queen Bed stays.  They vary in price, but all cottages include a fully-equipped kitchen with cookware, dinnerware and utensils for you and your family to enjoy your stay.   

The cottages are the perfect place to get away and truly enjoy the great outdoors.  They all offer some sort of porch where you can enjoy your coffee in the morning and a breath of fresh air.

Price Comparison

**Disclosure: Prices do not include taxes and fees.  Prices can fluctuate depending on holidays and weekends.  This is just an estimation (as of October 2024) to help you budget for your trip.**

Tent Campsites

• Daily Price: $23 per night
• Weekly Price: $161 per week

Standard Electric Campsites

• Daily Price: $35 per night
• Weekly Price: $245 per week

Hemlock Lodge 2 Queen Beds Room

• Daily Price: $136 per night
• Weekly Price: $952 per week

Hemlock Lodge 1 King Bed Room

• Daily Price: $146 per night
• Weekly Price: $1022 per week

1 Bedroom Cottage

• Daily Price: $156 per night
• Weekly Price: $1092 per week

2 Bedroom Standard Cottage

• Daily Price: $176 per night
• Weekly Price: $1232 per week

Deluxe Cottage – 2 Bedroom

• Daily Price: $206 per night
• Weekly Price: $1442 per week

2 Bedroom Log Cabin

• Daily Price: $206 per night
• Weekly Price: $1442 per week

Now that you know what you can afford, or what you can save for, I’ll let you in on our experience camping here!

Our Camping Experience

My husband and I camped at the Whittleton Campground in our 25 foot travel trailer for 6 days in September of 2024.  This also happened to be the weekend of Hurricane Helene, so the park was pretty empty, but we still enjoyed our stay here.

Our first impression with this campground was how narrow the roads were when we had to park our camper.  The narrowness made it more difficult to swing our truck/camper and get into our site.  But once we were parked, this park was a quiet little oasis to sit and relax.  

The bathrooms were always clean and just a short walk up the road for us.  There is also a laundry room and a dump station by the bathhouse.  Our favorite thing was the easy access to the hiking trails and the close driving distance to every corner of this state park.     

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a great place to get away on just about any budget, then Natural Bridge State Park Kentucky is the perfect place for you!

With plenty of hiking, boating, fishing and adventures to be had, you won’t want to miss exploring this state park.  When you decide to go camping or stay in the most luxurious log cabin, you can’t go wrong by staying and exploring this beautiful Kentucky State Park.  

As always, feel free to email me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com if you have any questions about Natural Bridge State Park.

-Happy Camping!