Natural Bridge Park
| Natural Bridge Park | |
|---|---|
_10.jpg) Natural arches at the Park. | |
 | |
| Location | Winston County, Alabama |
| Nearest town | Natural Bridge, Alabama |
| Coordinates | 34°05′35″N 87°36′53″W / 34.09306°N 87.61472°W |
| Opened | 1954 |
| Owned by | Donnie and Naomi Lowman |
| Operated by | Donnie and Naomi Lowman |
| Status | open |
| Hiking trails | 2 mile nature path |
Natural Bridge Park, near the town of Natural Bridge, Alabama, is a privately owned park in Winston County that has been open since 1954.[1][2][3] The current owners are Donnie and Naomi Lowman.[4]
The Park's primary attraction is a natural-arch rock formation that is 60 feet (18 m) high, 148 feet (45 m) long, and composed of sandstone and iron ore.[1] [2][5] The bridge is purported to be the longest natural arch east of the Rocky Mountains in North America. A two-mile nature trail guides visitors beneath the arch and past nearby rock formations.[6] Walking across the bridge itself is not permitted, due to safety concerns.
The Park includes picnic accommodations, an artesian well that supplies drinking fountains, a gift shop featuring hand-crafted items, 27 varieties of fern, and a stand of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)—a species that dates back to the Pleistocene epoch (approximately 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago).[3]
Downhill from the arch is an outcropping of rock resembling a Native American head in right profile, similar to that of an old U.S. "Indian head" nickel. The stone formation is just over 15 feet (4.6 m) high.
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Indian head nickel. -
Stone formation.
_rock_formation.jpg)
As of 2024, the park is open from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm seven days a week and admission is $10.00 for adults.[4]
History
[edit]This natural-arch formation dates back about 200 million years.[1] It was formed by the New River eroding weaker sandstone away from the stronger stone bridge spans.[3][2] creating an erosion feature: natural-bridge.[7]
Muscogee Creek Indians lived in this area, and they probably used the bridge-cave enclosure for shelter.[2]
The Park itself was opened to the public by the Legg family in 1954.[2] In recent years, it was owned and operated by Jim and Barbara Denton. In August 2023, Donnie and Naomi Lowman purchased it and are now running it (as of January 2024).[4]
Gallery
[edit]-
Entrance sign. -
Entrance and gift shop. -
View from under the arch, looking upward. -
Under the bridge. -
Looking outward, wintertime. -
Rock formation visible from the nature trail. -
Eroded rock -
Eroded rock -
19th-century graffiti
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_Gift_Shop_and_Entrance.jpg)
,_under_the_bridge.jpg)
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_graffiti.jpg)
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c Alisa Beckwith, "Natural Bridge History", "Small-Town Pride in Natural Bridge", from The Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, AL, February 10, 2002, webpage: geocities-NatBridge.
- ^ a b c d e Ettractions.com, "Natural Bridge of Alabama", 2008.
- ^ a b c "Natural Bridge Park". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
- ^ a b c "Natural Bridge Park Saved". Northwest Alabamian. 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ "Natural Bridge, Alabama (Cities)", 2008, Online Highways, webpage: OHwy-naturalb.
- ^ "Natural Bridge Park". Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
- ^ "Britannica Online Service :: Search", Britannica Online, 2009, webpage: EB-n6[dead link].
External links
[edit]- "Natural Bridge in Alabama". Archived from the original on June 13, 2018.
- Gann, Pamela (2022-09-23). "Everything you need to know when visiting Natural Bridge Park, Alabama". Pam Gann. Retrieved 2024-01-15.