Natural Bridge State Park
Virginia State Park Since 2016; A National Historic Landmark And A 215 Foot Natural Limestone Arch Carrying US Route 11 · Natural Bridge, Virginia
A limestone arch two hundred and fifteen feet high with Cedar Creek running underneath it, and a road running over the top - US Route 11 crosses the bridge, and most drivers have no idea they are on it. The creek cut the arch out of a collapsed cave system over a very long time, leaving a span of about ninety feet that the Monacan people held as sacred ground long before any European saw it. Thomas Jefferson bought the bridge and one hundred and fifty-seven acres around it from George III in 1774 for twenty shillings, called it "the most sublime of Nature's works", built a cabin for visitors and kept it for the rest of his life. George Washington is supposed to have surveyed it as a young man, and his initials are carved in the rock, which may even be true. For most of the twentieth century it was a private roadside attraction with all that implies; Virginia acquired it and it became a state park in 2016, which is why it is one of the newest parks in the system and one of the oldest attractions in the country.
6477 South Lee Highway, Natural Bridge, Virginia, 24578, United States
Park open daily with seasonal hours, generally 8 AM to dusk, and the trail to the arch closes before the park gate - allow time for the climb back up. Visitor centre, cafe and the Monacan living-history village keep shorter hours and are reduced in winter. ADMISSION IS CHARGED PER PERSON, not per vehicle, which differs from other Virginia state parks. The creek path can close for flooding and is icy in winter.
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