Hiking in Natural Bridge State Park Virginia: A Must See!

Natural Bridge State Park Virginia is right off of I-81, just north of Roanoke, Virginia.  We’ve driven past the exit sign for Natural Bridge many times over the years and finally had a free afternoon. We decided to stop in and hike to the Natural Bridge.  Come along on our adventure as we hike the Cedar Creek Trail right under the natural bridge itself!  

Fun Fact, there are at least 3 different “Natural Bridge State Parks” in the United States.  One in Virginia, one in Wisconsin, and one in Kentucky.  So to avoid confusion, we are indeed talking about the Natural Bridge State Park in Virginia.  

Natural Bridge State Park Virginia finally became a state park in 2016, but it has an awesome history!  Sitting at 1500 acres with 10 miles of hiking trails and a primitive group campground, let’s dive into this Virginia must see state park! 

Important Links (Map, State Park Website, Link to Camping Site)

• Natural Bridge State Park website
• Natural Bridge State Park Trail Map
• Camping in Natural Bridge – Book Group Sites Here

The Bridge

The Natural Bridge itself stands at 200 feet tall and is the largest limestone arch in North America!  This arch used to be part of a cave, but after years and years of the Cedar Creek carving away the cave, it collapsed!  Leaving behind only the thickest top of the cave, which created the natural bridge that we know and love today.

A Brief History

Natural Bridge State Park has an awesome history, dating all the way back to the 1700’s!  Yes, before we were even a country, this arch was a destination of millions of people who craved to see the geological wonder.

In 1774, Thomas Jefferson, yes the man who wrote the constitution, bought the bridge to preserve it.  He hired a man to take care of it, as well as guide and host guests.  

After Jefferson’s death, a hotel was built nearby to accommodate all the guests.  This private property hosted people for over 200 years as a resort before it was founded as a state park in 2016.  

Location

Natural Bridge State Park Virginia is located just 35 minutes north of Roanoke, VA, 4 hours west of Norfolk, VA and about 3 hours southwest of Washington, D.C.  This makes Natural Bridge the perfect day trip from just about anywhere in the state of Virginia.

Natural Bridge State Park is also the perfect addition to a Virginia road trip!  A quick side trip from the Blue Ridge Parkway and only an hour from the southern entrance of Shenandoah National Park.  If you’re seeking the beauty and diversity of Virginia, this is a great place to make a quick stop

Fees

Unfortunately, Natural Bridge State Park Virginia does require a fee to hike the Cedar Creek Trail, which is the only trail that goes under the 200 foot natural bridge.  They are definitely leaning into the tourist destination by charging $9 per adult to walk this 2.2 miles trail. 

Yup, you read that correctly, $9 per adult to walk under the Natural Bridge!

Brian and I were a little shocked at the price, but decided that we had already committed the time to stop and see it, so we might as well suck it up and do it.   

Hours

Unlike most state parks which are open from dawn to dusk, Natural Bridge State Park Virginia is open daily from 8am to dusk.  The only exception is that the park is closed on Christmas Day.  

And they are very specific that hikers need to be off the trails by 30 minutes before sunset.  So watch your time when you are hiking here.

Parking

As far as parking goes, there is plenty of parking at the visitor’s center.  You can simply type Natural Bridge State Park into your favorite maps app, or you can use the address 6477 S Lee Hwy, Natural Bridge, VA 24578.  This will lead you right to the parking lot!

Time to Spend Here

Now, you might be asking just how much time you should be spending here.  We spent about 2 hours here.  We hiked under the Natural Bridge, all the way to Lace Falls and also stopped in the Visitor’s Center.  

There are plenty of hotels and lodges near here, so you could easily spend a whole weekend here hiking the 10+ miles of trails in the state park.  But in all honesty, we didn’t feel the need to do anything else except the main trail.  

Below, find our itinerary!

+Our Itinerary

We spent a grand total of 2 hours in Natural Bridge State Park Virginia.  This park is so much more than what we did, but we only had time to hike the main trail.  And a quick stop is better than nothing right!?

• 5pm: We parked our truck and took a quick stop in the visitor’s center.  We paid for our trail passes ($18 total), used the restroom, and then bought our mandatory sticker.  
• 5:25pm: Started our hike down the 137 stairs, passed the Trail Store (where you can present your Trail Pass, or purchase a Trail Pass if you haven’t yet), before turning the corner to the main view!
• 5:35pm: Began walking and were quickly greeted by the stunning arch!  We walked under the arch and along the paved and gravel trail all the way to Lace Falls.
• 6:30pm: Walked back the way we came in and headed to the truck.
• 7pm: Left the parking lot and headed back to the location where we were camping.  

As you can see, we barely scratched the surface of Natural Bridge State Park Virginia, but this was all we had time for!  The other trails are listed below.

List of Trails in Natural Bridge State Park Virginia

• Blue Ridge Trail – 4 miles
• Buck Hill Trail – 2 miles
• Cedar Creek Trail – 1 mile
• Skyline Trail – 1.3 miles
• Thistle Ridge Disc Golf Trail – 2 miles

**WARNING: All of these distances are one way.  For example, we did the Cedar Creek Trail and it was 1 mile to the end and then 1 mile back.  So don’t forget to double the amount of miles walked!**

Our Hike – Cedar Creek Trail

We only had time for 1 trail, so we chose the Cedar Creek Trail.  This is the only trail that you can see and walk under the Natural Bridge, so if you don’t have much time, do this trail.

The trail starts down 137 stairs, but then the rest is perfectly flat and easy.  You’ll walk under the stunning rock structure and continue down the trail.  We passed a few points of interest, like the Saltpeter Caves and the Lost River.  Both of these points have signs with historical information you can read.  

Continuing on, you will walk on the shaded trail before it dead ends to a point where you can see Lace Falls.  These falls are small and peaceful and worth seeing, even if just for a short minute.  

We then walked back the trail to our truck and headed to our nearby campground.  This trail was quick and could easily become crowded!  We either recommend getting there early or waiting until the evening like we did.   

Camping 

The campground at Natural Bridge State Park Virginia is primitive and only for groups.  There are 3 different group campsites that you can book here in advance.  

There is no drinking water here, no showers and only a port-a-potti available to campers.  Personally, this is too much roughing it for me, so we opted to camp at a nearby family campground instead.  

Conclusion

Natural Bridge State Park Virginia is a geological wonder right near Roanoke Virginia.  While the place is definitely touristy, and a little pricey, we were glad we stopped to walk under this incredible structure.  

In all honesty, we probably won’t go back here because of the price to walk 2 miles, but it was worth stopping that one time.  

As always, feel free to reach out to averagewildexperience@gmail.com if you have questions about the park!

Happy Hiking!