Natural Bridge State Resort Park Campground

The Great Outdoors

This Slade campground is located inside the Natural Bridge State Resort Park, and you will no doubt enjoy everything that this park has to offer. The sandstone arch known as the Natural Bridge is 78 feet long and may be at least a million years old. There is a seasonal skylift, and the 2,400-acre park also includes a four-acre pond with an island, a 40-acre lake, and a 1,188-acre nature preserve. There is a Hoedown on the island every Saturday in season with Appalachian square dancing and other couple and individual dances. The park also features Hemlock Lodge with a full-service restaurant, a pool complex with bathhouse, and a gift shop with handicrafts and souvenirs. Picnic shelters with tables, grills, and restrooms are located throughout the park. Canoes and kayaks are available for rent, and other outdoor recreation here includes miniature golf, fishing, hiking, and bird watching.You can also visit the Red River Gorge Geological Area in Stanton with your campervan rental near here. This area has been designated a Geological Area, a National Natural Landmark, and a National Archeological District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The spectacular rock features include towering cliffs and sandstone arches. It is the only known site of the white-haired goldenrod and the state’s only breeding site for red-breasted nuthatches. You can also drive the Red River Gorge Scenic Byway. Other outdoor recreation activities here include canoeing, mountain biking, multiple hiking trails, big game hunting, and nature and wildlife viewing and photography.The Daniel Boone National Forest is one of the best ways to experience the great outdoors when you are camping at the Natural Bridge State Resort Park Campground. This forest is federally managed for multiple uses including recreation, wilderness, wildlife, fish, water, minerals, and timber. It contains Cave Run Lake, Laurel River Lake, Lake Cumberland, multiple wildernesses, five wildlife management areas, and the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail. Other recreational opportunities in the forest include climbing, hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, trapping, and picnicking. Visitors can also enjoy boating, scuba diving, swimming, tubing, winter sports, target shooting, caving, geocaching and letterboxing, and nature viewing and photography. The Gladie Visitor Center features interpretive exhibits, cultural heritage displays, and information on the forest and its resources. There are interpretive areas in the Cumberland District and the Stearns District.

Exploring the Area

The Fitchburg Furnace Historical Site (also known as the Red River Furnace) is an artifact of the iron industry that dominated the area. Visit it with your rental motorhome at the Natural Bridge State Resort Park Campground to see a piece of American history. It was the last charcoal-fueled iron smelting furnace built in this country and is the largest charcoal furnace at 81 feet high. It is considered one of the top 25 dry masonry stone structures in the world, thanks to its intricate architectural design. The Fitchburg Furnace Historical Site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The furnace is located in the Cumberland Ranger District in the Daniel Boone National Forest. There are an information kiosk and interpretive signage at the site. There are also picnic tables for visitors.If you’re looking for more things to do when you rent a camper near the Natural Bridge State Resort Park Campground, head over to Morehead. This is the seat of Rowan County and the home of Morehead State University. It was the center point of the Rowan County War. Today, you can enjoy outdoor recreation, museums and galleries, restaurants and bars, live music and other performance venues, and more. It is part of the Foothills Quilt Trail that celebrates the rural heritage of folk art and farming. More folk art can be found at the Kentucky Folk Art Center, which also has authentic, unique works for sale in the gift shop. Don’t miss the Home for Wayward Babydolls where abandoned plastic toys live out their final days in sometimes gruesome fashions. Special events that take place here every year include the Poppy Mountain Bluegrass Festival and Bourbon, Boots & Bling. Visit the Morehead Visitor Center for updated information on area events, attractions, happenings, and tourist information.You can enjoy meals at the lodge’s Sandstone Arches restaurant when you are RV camping at the Natural Bridge State Resort Park Campground. Should you prefer other local options, you’ll have your pick of barbecue, home cooking, pizza, and other family-friendly foods. You may also need to refill your tank as well as your body, and there are numerous convenience stores, truck stops, and service stations.