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Kentucky Christian University's Young Library - Virtual Kentucky Outdoors Vacation

Day 2 - Hiking at Natural Bridge State Resort Park

Natural Bridge State Resort Park - Slade, KY

https://parks.ky.gov/slade/parks/resort/natural-bridge-state-resort-park

natural bridge aerial view

 

Morning

Hopefully your vehicle's all packed up, you had a good night's rest, and you're ready to head out early.

Before you hit the highway, let's set the mood. Open up your favorite podcast streaming service (like Spotify) and play "Old Gods of Appalachia." 

old gods of appalachia podcast

This spooky horror anthology set in Eastern Kentucky, with stories set in the old pioneer days, will have you jumping at shadows during your upcoming hike!

 

Here's a preview of today's adventure for the passengers: 

Arrival

You pull into the park, and head towards the visitor's center. You learn Natural Bridge features 10 hiking trails that are managed by the U.S. Forest Service. They vary in degree of difficulty and length: the shortest trail being 0.5 miles, the longest being 7.5 miles! This means you can dedicate as much or as little time to the hiking portion of today’s vacation!

Keep in mind, if you brought your good boy or girl along, you got to stick to Whittleton Trail. Because of Natural Bridge’s Nature Preserve status, dogs aren’t allowed on the other trails. Don’t worry, Whittleton Trail has its own campground. Honestly, this trail has everything you’d want in a hiking experience, including a waterfall!

What you waiting for? Get parked at the campgrounds, lace up them boots, and start hiking.

 

 

Lunchtime

Now that you've finished your hike, you gotta be famished. Head on over to Sandstone Arches restaurant for the lunch buffet. Don’t skip your veggies after all the hard work you’ve put in.

Day 2 - Sky Lift and Ziplines

Skylift

Conveniently located near the restaurant and gift shop is the skylift. You've been looking up at the trees and cliffs all day, time to look down on 'em!

 

 

Ziplining

Skylifts are slow. You heard there's something a little faster 25 minutes up the road - Red River Gorge Ziplines.

This 2 hour adventure takes you 300 feet above Red River Gorge. There are racing lines for the competitive family members, extending 1900 feet!

There are weight limits and restrictions. Plus, at this height, ziplining may not be everyone’s cup of coffee. Still interested? Get strapped in and watch this video:

 

 

Make Camp

Whew! What a day. Time to make camp and settle down for the evening.

Start a fire, or bring out the camp stove, and make one of those Mountain Home meals. Chili Mac sounds good!

Now that you've got a full belly, check out tonight's entertainment, featured in the left-side menu.