Natural Bridge is an amazing rock bridge that soars 20 stories above your head. Its formation is believed to have begun when a cavern collapsed and left a stone expanse that was slowly carved out by water from the Cedar Creek. If you find yourself traveling through the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, you’ll want to make a stop at Natural Bridge to see this wonder of nature.
When you arrive at Natural Bridge don’t let the parking lot fool you. A large billboard, a plastic sculpture of a cowboy riding a dinosaur and a building housing a wax museum, will greet you. Tickets for Natural Bridge are purchased inside the welcome center, where you will also find a large gift shop. With tickets in hand, you head down stone stairs beside Cascade Creek to the entrance of Natural Bridge and the creek-side trail.
The walk under the rock bridge is breathtaking. It’s hard to believe that a creek really carved away this much stone. During your visit, take the time to continue down the trail to see the Monacan village complex. The Monacan Indian Nation of Virginia has constructed a living history village that highlights life as it would have been 300 years ago along the Cedar Creek. After our visit to the village, we continued to walk down the trail even further on our way to Lace Falls. It was quite a walk down and back, but it was beautiful day and the kids had a great time playing on the edge of the creek as we enjoyed all Natural Bridge had to offer. Below is also a little snake we saw along the way.
