State: Virginia
Address 1: 1420 Natural Tunnel Parkway
City: Duffield
Zip: 24244
Phone: 276- 940-2674
Open all Year: Yes
Number of Sites: 34
Electric Water: 34
Camp URL: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/nat.shtml#camping
Full Hook: Yes
Natural Tunnel, called the Eighth Wonder of the World by William Jennings Bryan, has been attracting sightseers to the mountains of southwestern Virginia for more than 100 years. Today it is the focal point of Natural Tunnel State Park, a park which offers visitors not only spectacular sights but also swimming, camping, picnicking, hiking, a visitor center, an amphitheater and interpretive programs.
The creation of Natural Tunnel began more than a million years ago in the early glacial period when groundwater bearing carbonic acid percolated through crevices and slowly dissolved surrounding limestone and dolomite bedrock. Then, what is now Stock Creek was probably diverted underground to continue carving the tunnel slowly over many centuries. The walls of the tunnel show evidence of prehistoric life, and many fossils can be found in the creek bed and on tunnel walls.
The park has two campgrounds, Cove View Campground and Lovers Leap Campground, which is new. All sites have electricity and water (EW). Lovers Leap sites can be rented for May 1, 2010, and beyond.