Field Trip: Natural Bridge State Park and Monacan Indian Village, Natural Bridge, Virginia
Natural Bridge was formed when a cavern collapsed and left the span that stands today.
Monacan Indian legend has it that Natural Bridge appeared just as they needed to escape from an advancing enemy.
Monacan Indian Village
6477 S Lee Hwy, Natural Bridge, VA 24578
Phone: (540) 291-1326
Phone: (540) 291-1326
The park is open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk, weather permitting.
Visitor Center - daily, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Trail Store - daily 8 a.m.-dusk
Base Camp exhibits area - Fridays-Sundays through Labor Day
Food service - closed for the season, reopens in the spring
Accessing the Natural Bridge requires navigating a stairway of 137 steps. Accommodations for accessibility can be made upon request with the contact rangers at the Visitor Center or by calling (540) 291-1326.
Once owned by Thomas Jefferson and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 215-foot tall Natural Bridge is a limestone gorge carved out by Cedar Creek. The newest Virginia State Park is more than just the bridge. Beautiful forests, open, rolling meadows showcase the area’s karst terrain, and vistas of surrounding mountains and the James River valley display nature’s splendor. Access these via 6 miles of hiking trails, including the accessible Cedar Creek Trail that leads from the bridge to the Monacan Indian Village and Lace Falls with its 30-foot cascade. Living history programs connect you to the past and cover how people once used the area’s resources for survival and inspiration. Start at the visitor center where you will find exhibits and a gift shop.
Natural Bridge, VA 24578
800-531-1410
800-531-1410
After founding the first North American colony, Capt. John Smith ventured into Monacan country, where he met one of the area's most powerful tribes. Learn about the people he encountered. Relive day-to-day life in a traditional Native American Woodland culture. Talk with Interpreters about shelter construction, hide tanning, mat and rope weaving, tool-making, gardening, harvesting, preparing meals, making pots, bowls and baskets.
Interpretive programs are held May-November, and are included with the Natural Bridge admission ticket.
The Monacan Village at Natural Bridge is conveniently located just off I-81, at exits 180 & 175; and off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
