Visiting Natural Bridge

The first thing I saw when arriving in the area was the large Natural Bridge Hotel. There are several attractions around Natural Bridge, so it makes sense that many visitors stay nearby and spend more than a few hours exploring the area. Just a few minutes from the hotel is the visitor center and the beginning of the walk toward Natural Bridge.

The gift shop had all the normal souvenirs you’d expect, although at the time I visited I was surprised by some of the more unusual items for sale. Above are a few photos from inside, including one of myself posing with a giant black bear.

Butterflies at the Bridge

When I visited, one of the attractions near the visitor center was a small indoor butterfly garden called Butterflies at the Bridge. Hundreds of butterflies flew freely among the plants, making it an easy place to get close-up photographs of several different species.

The butterfly above was photographed inside the garden, while I found the caterpillar outside along the trail. The butterfly attraction is no longer part of Natural Bridge, but it was one of the stops available during my visit.

Monacan Village

After leaving the visitor area, I began the walk toward Natural Bridge. I had expected this to be the kind of attraction where you simply park near an overlook, take a few photos, and leave. Instead, the trail follows Cedar Creek through a wooded gorge and passes several interesting places along the way.

One of the most interesting stops during my visit was a recreated Monacan village. The Monacan people have lived in this region of Virginia for centuries, long before the arrival of Europeans, and Natural Bridge has cultural significance to their history. The Monacan Indian Nation is recognized by both Virginia and the federal government. Above are examples of reconstructed shelters showing how Monacan communities traditionally lived in the region.

The recreated village also demonstrated some of the resources traditionally available in the surrounding forests. Animal hides are shown on the left, while the creek on the right is part of the network of waterways running through the area. Seeing the village added an important human history to what I had originally expected to be primarily a natural attraction.

Wildlife & Trails

As I continued along the trail, I was surprised by how much wildlife I came across. On the left is one of my favorite lizards from the eastern United States, a five-lined skink. I’ve always loved the bright blue tails of the juveniles. On the right is a northern water snake, a large nonvenomous species commonly found around streams, ponds, and rivers. I used to try catching these when I was younger and learned firsthand that they aren’t particularly hesitant to bite when handled!

Even the smaller wildlife caught my attention. Above are two of the spiders I found while exploring the area, including a wolf spider on the left and an arrowhead orb-weaver on the right. Between the reptiles, insects, spiders, birds, and squirrels, there was much more wildlife along the trail than I had expected.

Cedar Creek and the smaller streams flowing through the gorge support much of the vegetation and wildlife in the area. Along the trail I passed small waterfalls, rocky creek beds, and water emerging from openings in the limestone. These smaller features made the walk itself almost as enjoyable as finally reaching Natural Bridge.

And finally, there is Natural Bridge itself. The enormous limestone arch rises about 215 feet (66 meters) above Cedar Creek and is far more impressive from below than I had expected. What I didn’t realize during my visit was that U.S. Route 11 actually crosses directly over the top of the natural arch. Since I had arrived from I-81, I had driven across Natural Bridge without even knowing it. It wasn’t until months later, when I looked it up, that I realized I had already been on top of the bridge before walking underneath it.