A Review of Natural Bridge, Kentucky

Just an hours' drive out of Lexington, Kentucky, you start to get into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains as well as the gorgeous color of the Daniel Boone State Forest. As you drive along the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway, you are able to see beautiful landscapes change into mountains.

After passing Winchester, KY, it is a short drive to Stanton, which is the last stop for medium, family motels and niceties such as McDonald's. The trip to Slade is quick, passing through some smaller rural towns on the way. The exit at Slade boasts a rest area, a few tourist shops, a gas station, and a Subway sandwich shop. If you follow the signs to Natural Bridge, off the right of the Parkway (going southwest), you will find a few more tourist shops, a go-kart and mini golf range, and a few eating establishments, as well as the lone non-state park motel, Lil Abner's. Although we didn't stay there, we did hear good things about Lil Abner's in terms of cleanliness.

You enter the park through a small cut across one of the fingers of the Red River. Once in the park, if you go to the right, you head towards the Sky Lift that will take you to within 100 yards of the top of Natural Bridge. If you head left, you go to the Lodge, where you can stay inside the park.

Checking in at the Hemlock Lodge was very easy. We had reserved one of their private one-bedroom cabins a few weeks earlier (note: they are often booked at the Lodge, and it's always better to reserve a room or cottage in advance), for a price of about $125 after taxes. We were able to check in by 2:00, and were given a map and instructions on how to get to the cabin. In addition, we were given a "frequently asked questions" sheet about the park and amenities. Overall, the staff at the Lodge were very nice and helpful.

To get to the cabins, you must leave this entrance of the park and go further south down state highway 11. A second turn takes you to the cottage entrance as well as "Hoedown Island" and the Activity Center. We were told by park staff that it was an "easy, 5-minute" walk from the Activity Center back to Hemlock Lodge, although we didn't try that.

Our one-bedroom cottage ended up being a lovely 5 room cabin, complete with screened in porch and a grill outside. We were on a cliff face, and had to park above the cottage and go down two flights of stairs to ge to the cabin. If I have any complaints about Natural Bridge park, it would be that we weren't warned about that hike! The cottage included a living room and full kitchen, linens, tableware and cookware, a separate bedroom with two queen beds, and a separate bathroom. They kept the A/C on so it was very comfortable in there when we arrived, and the window shades were open so we could see the beauty of the forest. All in all, it was a lovely stay. There was cable TV with a full range of channels, and a phone. Ours seemed to be the smallest cottage - there were others around that were much larger, and could easily accommodate a family, or even a few families together.

We unpacked what we wanted from the car (not wanting to have to make too many trips up and down those stairs!) and returned to the area where we had first come in, to go over to the Sky Lift. The parking lot at the Sky Lift gave a terrific view of the lift going up the side of the cliff, but really didn't prepare us for the wonder that it was, going straight up the gorge to the top. It was a little pricey, at $9.00 per person (round trip), but it was worth it solely because we are not hikers. If a person enjoys hiking, or can walk long distances going up in elevation, there are many walks to choose from, including one from right behind Hemlock Lodge that was less than a mile from the Lodge to the top of Natural Bridge. To us, the lift was totally worth it.

At the top of the cliff where the lift lets you off, you have a choice of going left or right. If you go to the left and walk about a half mile or so, you get a magnificent view of Natural Bridge from a cliff side about three-fourths of a mile away. The walk is slightly uphill, but very lovely. Returning to the lift, if you walk to the right a little less than a half mile, you are on top of Natural Bridge. The funny thing is - you don't even realize where you are at first! This walk is very level and not too much of an uphill climb. It is for the truly hiking-impaired, although it is not handicap-friendly. You can even take a (very skinny!) staircase down to be below the bridge.

As far as eating places, you can eat at the Hemlock Lodge, or at one of the local places in Slade, or you can go back down the road to Stanton (about 10 miles or so). We were feeling tired and dusty and hot, so we chose not to eat at the Lodge - we drove back to the McDonald's in Stanton. There are only two places to stay in Slade - at the Hemlock Lodge (or one of the cabins) or at Lil Abners' Motel. Otherwise, you must return to Stanton or even Winchester. The Lodge has lovely rooms that overlook the pool, Red River, and Hoedown Island.

We were told the pool cost $4 a day (even for guests), and I guess people didn't like that, because even though they were full for the night and it was over 100 degrees with the heat index, no one was at the pool. There is a gift shop in the lodge, which caters to things made only in Kentucky, but didn't have much tourist-y stuff like post cards, etc. Hoedown Island offers the guests clogging shows at times, and it can be accessed by the same road that goes out to the cabins. You do get an amazing view of the lodge from Hoedown Island, though - it literally looks like it is floating on the side of a cliff face.

We also took some time to drive a little bit through the Red River Gorge, which offers the hiker a lot more bridge and arch type as well as other sandstone formations. You get to the Red River Gorge by going on the other side of the Parkway and taking state highway 11 out of Slade. A map is available at the gas station in town. One of the most dramatic parts of the drive is on state highway 77, just north of Slade in the tiny town of Nada. If you take this highway east out of Nada, you enter the Red River Gorge area, and experience the Nada Tunnel - one lane of highway going through a solid rock cliff. There is no stoplight - you go in and if you see headlights coming your way, you back out until they come through! It is truly dramatic and a must-experience.

We had the breakfast buffet at the Hemlock Lodge. They do not offer it every day, so make sure to check if it will be available. Even though it was a half hour to the end of the buffet, it was a decent meal, and very nicely priced. The eggs tasted fresh, and they had local bacon, sausage, pancakes, toast sticks, grits & cereal, and fresh fruit, including blackberries as big as my thumb. The restaurant has a lovely view of the Red River and Hoedown Island, and we saw many hummingbirds come to their feeders as we ate.

Overall, the experience was very nice. I would have liked to know about the stairs to the cabin, and if you're not a hiker, there really is not a lot to do after the first day. People with kids might have a hard time finding enough to keep them occupied. If you are the outdoors-y type and love to hike, however, there are a lot of trails and some truly breathtaking scenery. If you are looking for five-star hotels with room service...keep looking, because you won't find it at Natrual Bridge State Park in Kentucky!