An afternoon at Natural Bridge State Park in Virginia

“Oh wow!” That’s what I said, opening the car door at Virginia’s Natural Bridge State Park. The thick, toasty air vacuumed into the cool car and smacked me in the face, immediately fogging my glasses. It was a sweltering and humid day in early June when I arrived at the park just off Interstate 81 in western Virginia near Roanoke.

I’d seen many photos of the area. In fact, one of my favorite artists, Frederic Edwin Church, painted Natural Bridge in 1852. I’d driven by signs to the park a dozen times, each time saying next time, I would stop. This time, I acted and parked the car. I heard it was pretty developed, so I was not surprised by the large hotel, gift shop, restaurant, and, of course, an obligatory Baptist church, which are everywhere in the commonwealth.

I walked into the visitor center to pay the entrance fee and cool down before heading down the trail. Walking around, I scanned some exhibits and dodged the crowds. As I read, I learned the gray limestone arch is 215 high; for perspective, that’s 55 feet taller than Niagara Falls. It spans 90 feet, is 100 feet wide, and is 40 thick. It’s huge.

“Natural Bridge is something like being in a church. It almost brings tears to your eyes.” – Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

Exploring Natural Bridge

After filling a water bottle, I took off towards the bridge along the Cedar Creek Trail. Cedar Creek is Mother Nature’s tool responsible for carving the bridge. Along the way, a Monacan Indian Exhibit shows how Native Americans lived there. The Monocan people consider the site sacred, believing it is a site of glorious victory over the Powhatans many years before the arrival of settlers. Before too long, I rounded a bend and got my first view of natural bridge. Its beauty took me aback. Flanked on each side by bright green vegetation, the massive arch was a site where photos can’t do justice. After snapping a few pictures from a distance, I headed towards it, passing by a few Black rat snakes sunning themselves on a rock wall along the trail.

George Washington at Natural Bridge State Park

After getting to the bridge and into the shade, I was relieved to be out of the heat. The temperature in the shade provided some needed relief. I take a seat and start looking for some historical graffiti. That phrase has stuck with me since a park ranger used it to describe people’s names written many years ago in Mammoth Cave National Park. Earlier, I was chatting with a ranger in the VC who told me that George Washington surveyed the land in 1750. She clearly enjoyed her job, getting more excited and animated with her hands as she went on. “It’s seriously super cool! He was 18 years old when he was here. While here, he climbed up more than 20 feet and carved ‘G.W.’ on the southwest wall. I mean, talk about cool history!” She went on to tell me that it can be a little hard to spot but is highlighted with a rectangle around it. Sure enough, it was right there. Clearly readable to the naked eye but a little tricky to get a decent picture of. Legend also has it, a young Washington picked up a rock from Cedar Creek and hucked it all the way over the bridge.

Thomas Jefferson at Natural Bridge State Park

There is more than George Washington history at Natural Bridge State Park. Our nation’s third President, Thomas Jefferson, purchased Natural Bridge and the surrounding area from King George III of Great Britain for 20 shillings in 1774. “The Natural bridge, the most sublime of Nature’s works … so beautiful an arch, so elevated, so light, and springing as it were up to heaven, the rapture of the spectator is really indescribable!” said Jefferson.

“Know ye that for divers good causes and considerations, but more Especially for and in Consideration of the sum of Twenty Shillings of good and lawful money for our use paid to our Receiver General of our Revenues, in this our Colony and Dominion of Virginia, We have Given, Granted and Confirmed, and by these presents for us, our heirs and successors, Do give, Grant and confirm unto Thomas Jefferson, one certain Tract or parcel of land, containing 157 acres, lying and being in the County of Botetourt, including the Natural Bridge on Cedar Creek, a branch of James River …” – From the purchase record.

Jefferson built a small cabin on the property. It housed several famous guests, including Presidents James Monroe, Martin Van Buren, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, and Speaker of the House Henry Clay. “{Natural Bridge is} the Bridge not made by hand, that spans a river, carries a highway, and makes two mountains one,” said Henry Clay. To this day, a road runs across the bridge.

After taking in the bridge, I continued down the trail towards Lace Falls, which is beautiful. The entire hike was only about a mile and was stunning. Plus, you get to walk through the bridge again.

When I returned to the visitor center, I walked in and told the ranger I saw the initials! We chatted for a bit, and then I picked out and paid for my customary refrigerator magnet and headed back on the road, wondering why I’d never stopped at this beautiful place before.