Natural Bridge State Park

November 30, 2019 Cold

Natural Bridge State Park in North Adams has some unusual and special features. It’s home to the only white marble bridge in North America. It was carved out around 13,000 years ago and is one of the best demonstrations of glacial erosion in New England.

Although the park and visitor center are closed in the off-season, you can still walk up the short road along the brook in order to view the marble arch.

The brook itself is pretty scenic, and along the way is a story of an Indian maiden who fell in love with an adventurous young man in the 1700s, much to the dismay of her father.

At the top of the road is a large grassy area that’s almost like a natural amphitheatre, with walls made of marble. In fact there is some kind of sonic artwork installed, but we missed the performance in the off-season.

This park was actually a working marble quarry from 1810 to 1947, later a privately owned attraction, and then finally a state park from 1985 onwards. The arch and quarry have always attracted hikers, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, who visited in 1838.

At the side of this area you climb a set of stairs that lead to the different sections around the marble arch. The walkway has fencing all along, since in many spots there’s a 60 foot drop to the brook below.

The star attraction is the natural marble arch carved by the flow of water, which still courses through the channel below.

The view from the other (upper) side is also pretty dramatic.

In one spot, you can see plenty of deep etchings from hikers who visited this spot. Some of these stretch back to the 1800s.

After weaving around the arch and channels, you eventually cross a bridge, leading to a dam.

Crossing back on the bridge, you can also check out the small visitor center, which was closed for the season.

• A really special site with a cool arch and exposed white marble.
• This was a real gem. The marble bridge was very accessible.
• Very epic marble bridge. It was just too cold.
• The river was so low in the canyon and the bridge was really cool.
• Big bridge ha ha ha.

For more information: Natural Bridge State Park official site.