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We visited Natural Stone Bridge and Caves on June 5th, we were so happy to have gone! It was a highlight of our trip. A great place to see the art work of our Mother Earth and our Creator.
Every photo I took was truly a work of art, and not because of my photo skills, but just the natural spectacle that we had the joy of experiencing.
I do want to note that many spots is not an easy walk. If I did not have 2, new knees, I could not have seen some areas. Rubber soled shoes, not sandals or flip flops, are a must, so keep that in mind.
We brought our hiking sticks but they do offer ones for you to borrow for the hike, and I recommend using one. Some of the steps my husband called “Mayan steps” because they are high like the ones on the Mayan or Inca pyramids, which are quite high. The sticks, or canes, help push up onto the steps. There are railings, everywhere and lots of places to sit, along the way.
There are plenty of places to walk there, too, that are not as hard, and were the proper shoes!
I really like being able to go inside of a couple of the caves, and enjoyed how they lit up some spaces to make it easy to see.
We also had back packs with water and snacks. We carry little bags to put our own trash into our backpacks. They do have trash bins, along the way. Please, do not litter. Put your trash in a proper place.
I thought it was good that that they had a “mining” place and a “dinosaur” place, for the kids and their little museum.
I suggest NOT taking very small children on the hike, who are not aware enough to stay safe. I would say, depending on your child, and their maturity and ability to behave, age 7 and up, should be fine, but you know your own child better than anyone. It can be VERY dangerous if they are left to run willy nilly and/or listen.
The gift shop was wonderful. So many great treasures, big and small. We found a beautiful geode to give to our grandchild and other nice things.
We are are 68 and 73, and we made the entire trek, but boy, were we tired. If I were 30 years younger, it would not be so much, but if we can do it, so many others can, also.
It is definitely something that I think everyone should get to experience. Life is too short not to smell the roses and see the wonderful displays of nature at the Natural Stone...
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Trail was clearly marked and easy to follow. The sights were absolutely gorgeous. Freshly built wooden structures mixed in with concrete and natural stone structures made up the paths - but everything felt natural (i.e., not man-made). There were a few parts that were a little more challenging for someone who doesn't usually hike (ducking / steep inclines), but those were made up of the natural features (stone) - and there is really no way to fix it. Besides, getting a bit of exercise could do me some good!
There were also some fun side activities, primarily for the kids. We don't have kids, but we did note that the kid-centric areas looked new / well-maintained.
As for the actual stone bridge and caves - stunning! This is nature in its finest form, with natural features that are interesting, relaxing, and that can make you feel just a bit smaller in comparison. There were a couple of times where we just sat and enjoyed the sights and sounds, in no rush to move on to the next stop.
The check-in process was easy. The owner told me they have a new admission system, which they put into place during COVID-19, and will be keeping moving forward. This is waht I participated in, and it was really easy. We bought our tickets online, showed up with no wait time, and were greeted by someone who checked us in. We were handed a map, and were on our way.
Speaking of the owner, he was extremely interested in our experience. We didn't realize he was the owner at first, but he wanted to hear all about what we thought. We hadn't seen anyone in ages, due to COVID, so we were more than happy to have a socially-distanced chat. He's a really genuine guy who really cares about what he does, and how people see it. This is family-owned land - not state-owned, and he really takes pride in his family's business. It turns out that his family has been on the property since shortly after the American Revolutionary War... Incredible.
I can't recommend this place highly enough - whether on a quick excursion from Lake George, or otherwise, check this place out. We plan to come back to do the Adventure Tour. We weren't sure if we wanted to book it for the first go-around, but it seemed like it would give us a more up-close and...
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Just saw the sign on Route 9 while driving around Schroon Lake on vacation with my family. I actually turned the car around to go see what this was because my wife and I had heard nothing about it. When we arrived we wandered into the main store where you’re charged $20 a person for a guided tour. After my six year old had her fun meandering about the overpriced knick-knacks in the ridiculous gift shop. One would think you were entering a National Park but in reality it’s someone’s backyard who must’ve thought” I can lure some touristy suckers up here with some road signs, and then sell them some rocks on their way out. The cold woman at the desk asked me if I’d like to sign up for a guided tour and both my wife and I said we were just curious as to what this place was and we weren’t sure if we wanted to take an hour long hike. She said “fine, well you can go outside but don’t go past the picnic tables. “ Of course the on the far side of the picnic tables was the precipice where you could see what exactly you were going to be headed towards and if it was worth $20. I wasn’t sure if my six year old could make the hike in her crocs and I wanted to see how steep the climbs were so I moved closer to the picnic tables. The cold woman from the front desk came running outside to yell at us for trying to see what we’d be paying for.. and pointed us in the direction of the bathrooms and exit… we wandered towards that direction, apparently not with a fast enough pace or direct enough of a route for the lady, because she came chasing after my wife and I and our six year old daughter… yelling at us to head toward the exit gate. I went in with an open mind and really wanted to cross the rock bridge and my daughter was psyched to see caves. I would’ve paid the $60 or whatever if I was sure my child could make the hike, but this woman was so rude about it that we just headed back to the car and left.
They lured us in and could’ve sealed the deal but scared us...
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