Located just an hour southeast of Lexington, Natural Bridge State Resort Park is one of a growing number of resort parks popping up throughout Kentucky. Although these parks still offer the standard bare-bones campgrounds, they also feature lodges and cabins for folks who don’t want to get that “up-close-and-personal” with Mother Nature.

Some folks consider this an access feature, while others just claim it’s a more civilized way to enjoy the great outdoors. No matter how you describe it, Natural Bridge State Resort Park offers a very accessible and affordable way to enjoy scenic southeastern Kentucky.

Hemlock Lodge—Accessible Accommodations
Although it’s rather intimate with just 35 rooms, the park’s Hemlock Lodge (800-325-1710) boasts two wheelchair-accessible rooms, both of which feature wide doorways, level thresholds, and good pathway access. The accessible bathrooms each have a tub/shower combination with a hand-held showerhead, grab bars in the shower and around the toilet, a roll-under sink and a portable shower chair. As an added bonus, each room has a spacious private balcony that overlooks a scenic wooded area, so you really feel like you’re outdoors.

The lodge rooms are priced at a very affordable $85/night, while an accessible cottage with a tub/shower combination is available for $110/night. The lodge also features a huge pool with a zero-step sloped entry. It’s located just down the hill from the main lodge building, but because of the steep slope, it’s best to drive down there. There’s also a pleasant boardwalk to the right of the lodge. Even though the whole length isn’t accessible, there’s a level 200-yard section that leads from the lodge to a scenic waterfall.

Exploring the Red River Gorge
The most accessible way to explore the area is to hop in your car and meander along the Red River Gorge Scenic Byway, which follows the Red River on KY 715. This scenic loop begins just north of Hemlock Lodge at the one-lane Nada Tunnel on KY 77. It follows the Red River to Gladie Creek Bridge, the site of the Gladie Cultural Environmental Learning Center and historic Gladie Cabin.

The Gladie Cultural Environmental Learning Center is worth a stop, as it houses a number of interpretive exhibits and offers accessible parking, a level entry, and good pathway access. Gladie Cabin, a re-creation of an 1800s log cabin, is just a short drive away. There is one very large step up to the cabin, but even if you can’t manage it, you can still get a good view of the cabin (and perhaps a few bison) from the parking area.

From Gladie Cabin, the byway heads south towards the Bert T. Coombs Mountain Parkway and then loops back to Hemlock Lodge. Save some time for a stop at the Sky Bridge, the largest arch in Red River Gorge. There is a level dirt trail to the top of the arch, which is doable for many wheelchair-users. The scenery is spectacular there, and it’s the perfect place to get out and really enjoy the park.

Candy Harrington is the editor of Emerging Horizons and the author of 101 Accessible Vacations; Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers. She blogs regularly about accessible travel issues at www.BarrierFreeTravels.com.

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