Natural Bridge State Resort Park — Attraction in Stanton

I booked this trip for my husband’s birthday and at first everything was great. The location is amazing with trails right behind the rooms and it had just snowed 5in so the resort and bridge looked so nice. We got into our room and it looked older and not as nice, but we weren’t as concerned. We then went to dinner and our waitress wasn’t the nicest and the food wasn’t that good either, but we didn’t let that bother us too much since there was snow and probably limited staff because of it. We then went in our room and started getting settled in, which is when it went down hill. The shower had different types of hair all of the ground and one big chunk of hair stuck inside the shower curtain. Not to mention, there were several towels with hair in them. They didn’t provide us with a lot of bar soap, which was frustrating since their “shower soap” looked very nasty and had things in it. After being disgusted, I went to go to sleep and once I pulled up the sheets I saw hair everywhere. Little pieces that looked like dog hair, men’s hair, and later a couple pieces of long hair. I was absolutely disgusted. I checked to see if I could flip the sheet over, but there was no sheet underneath that sheet and it was just the old crusty mattress, which looked worse. I wasn’t going to complain, but I couldn’t even sleep in the bed so I called the front desk. I was very polite and mentioned that there was some hairs on my sheet and asked if we can switch it for new sheets. The lady at the front desk, who has been watching movies the entire time we checked in and each time we were up there, said “I don’t know if we even have one, so come up here and check if we do.” Then she hung up…I’ve heard that the customer service is horrible at this place, but I was hoping I wasn’t going to experience it. We were in a different building and had to walk back up to the front with the snow and the thick ice, since she didn’t want to send a staff member or herself to our room. My husband got a singular sheet, not a whole new set of sheets, and saw that she was once again watching movies the entire time. She didn’t even look up to comment or apologize for the inconvenience. I’m shocked that we weren’t moved into a different room or didn’t at least have someone to come and change the sheets. She then asked what our room number was and my husband asked why, which she responded “people try to steal sheets, so I’m just making sure what room you guys are.” I know having to stay at work, while there is snow outside can be frustrating, but having zero sympathy or customer service with people, who are trying to be nice, is horrible. I have no idea how this place has almost five stars and I have no idea how service isn’t better when there is less people in the “resort”. Hopefully it’s better for others, but I will never be staying at this place again. Loved the location, but that unfortunately was the only good thing...

Hiking: 10/10 Lodging: 5/10

We stayed two nights in a cottage at the park in October 2024. The cottage gave us a roof over our head, working heat/air conditioning, hot water, and a bed to sleep in. Other than that, it lacks amenities. And for $200 a night, I am incredibly disappointed. Upon arrival, we noticed there was NO toilet paper. We called the front desk and was told “Uhhh, well, the housekeepers have left for the day but we might have some in stock here at the lodge” which they did and were able to give us some. We later realized we didn’t have any hand soap either. We used the dawn dish soap we found in the kitchen. I also found food smeared into the carpet, as well as toenail clippings from a previous tenant. The dishes had gunk left on them. The air return grate was filthy. Black mold all over the bathroom shower tile. I’m fine with “roughing it”, especially knowing the cottage is probably very old. But for $200 a night, this was not worth it. I don’t think I’ll be spending that much to stay here again. Note: most of the cottages are duplexes, so prepare to have some noise from neighbors. Also note to anyone who has trouble with stairs: you MUST be able to climb flights of stairs in order to get to each cottage. If you cannot do stairs, you should choose the lodge instead. I cannot speak for the quality of the lodge.

The complimentary breakfast was a nice add on. Basic breakfast options: biscuits and gravy, sausage, scrambled eggs, make your own waffles, bread and bagels to toast. Apple butter and peanut butter. Packaged danishes and muffins. Yogurt. Juice, milk, coffee, half and half.

The pool and gift shop beside the pool were closed during our stay, so I cannot comment on those. The swinging bridge at the end of Lakeside trail was open and well maintained. The playground down from the cottages had caution tape all over it and was closed. The “playground” shown on the map toward the top of the resort was just a set of swings.

Notes on hiking: We had two boys with us- a 5 1/2 year old and a 3 1/2 year old. They both did the “original trail” with no problems and they loved it. (Walk to the back of the lodge to find the trail head of the Original Trail.) It was incredibly beautiful in mid-October. Trails were well identified and well maintained. Balanced Rock trail was closed at this time. We also took the skylift one day to the top, saw the view from the top of the natural bridge, and then walked Laurel Ridge Trail for a super easy walk to Lookout Point. If you are physically unable to do much hiking, you CAN see views by taking the skylift up to the natural bridge and you CAN do the walk to lookout point. It’s easy and worth it!!

We enjoyed lunch and dinner at Toad’s BARn and Miguel’s pizza, respectively. Both were delicious. Toad’s was super fast and the smash burgers were super. We did have to wait about 45 minutes for our pizza...

My wife and I stayed here in our small travel trailer at the associated Middle Fork Campground on 10-13 August, 2024. We reserved and paid for our Site Number 4 in advance using the KY State Park's booking vendor website (Reserve America). The campground is very nice and perfectly located to do lots of hiking and exploring throughout this state park, and is also just a few miles by car from many other hiking trails in the Red River Gorge area of the Daniel Boone National Forest. The site had a concrete trailer pad, fire ring, and picnic table, plus 30 or 50 AMP power and city water hookups. There is not much privacy between the campsites themselves, and it got fully booked on the weekend nights we were there, but the Middlefork Campground's ideal location, modern amenities and cleanliness was more than enough to override that inconvenience. It also has a brand new shower and laundry building that was air conditioned and kept very clean. My only complaint about the campground was the location of the sewage dump station. It's before the entrance gate where you check in, and it's on the left side of the road (the entrance side) vice the exit, so if you want to dump your RV holding tank when you leave the park, then you have to exit on Cottage Road, circle back around on Cottage Road, and then re-enter the campground and do this loop again to exit the park. That could be a little hazardous if you are towing a large 5th wheel travel trailer. Just across the road (State Road KY-11) from the Campground is a big reservoir lake where you can rent Kayaks or SUPs at a reasonable price. There is also a large public swimming pool a short drive away from the campground, but it is only open on weekends due to lifeguard shortages. The nearby Hemlock Lodge, which is the "resort" portion of the State Park has a nice lobby, gift shop, and a cocktail lounge with some nice views of the public pool a few hundred feet below. If you are "Glampers" like us and usually eat out at restaurants, vice cooking meals at your campsite, there are several of them located to the north or south of the campground along the KY-11 roadway a few miles drive in either direction. The rolling hills and forest lands in this area are very beautiful, and there are over 30 hiking trails within a 20 mile radius, many of which are less than 2 miles in length. The landscape and topography very much reminded us of the beautiful Ozark Mountains in NW Arkansas. We hiked 6 of the 8 trails within the Natural Bridge State Park, and 6 trails along the east side of the County 715 loop road just north of the town of Campton that is only about a 15 mile drive away. As my pictures show, many of these hikes offer spectacular views of the natural bridges and river valleys below them. Even if you are not a hiker, this 715 loop road has some spectacular scenery if you drive it by car...