Local
enthusiasts claim that “the
Natural Bridge is a slice of
bread, while the Natural
Tunnel is the whole loaf.” It
is likely that Daniel Boone,
while blazing the Wilderness
Trail, was the first
nonindigenous explorer to see
the tunnel. It wasn’t,
however, until 1832, a year
after Lt. Col. Stephen H. Long
explored the site, that it was
publicized. William Jennings
Bryan called it the “Eighth
Wonder of the World.”
This wonder
was formed over a million
years ago during the early
glacial period when carbonic
acid in the groundwater flowed
through crevices and slowly
dissolved the limestone and
dolomite bedrock. Then the
flowing water, now called
Stock Creek, was likely
diverted underground where for
centuries it continued to
carve out the 850-foot-long
tunnel. Fossils have been
discovered in the creek bed
and embedded in the tunnel
walls. The tunnel exits in a
deep, semicircular basin with
walls rising over 400 feet.
During the
Civil War, land around the
tunnel was mined for
saltpeter, an essential
ingredient in making
gunpowder. Then in 1890, the
South Atlantic and Ohio
Railroad laid railroad tracks
through the tunnel. When the
Southern Railroad acquired the
tracks in 1906, they opened a
passenger line. As many as
ten coal and freight trains
travel through the tunnel each
day.
In 1967,
after acquiring the tunnel and
143 acres, the state
established Natural Tunnel
State Park. Subsequently,
Virginia acquired 500
additional acres and the park
opened in 1971. Stop at the
visitor center when you arrive
at the park to see the
exhibits that provide
additional details on the
tunnel’s formation and the
history of the region. You
can also obtain information on
the park’s seven hiking
trails. Trails lead to the
tunnel floor, to Lover’s Leap,
Tunnel Hill and Gorge Ridge.
A 500-foot boardwalk,
accessible for the physically
challenged, leads from the
visitor center to an
observation deck overlooking
the gorge.
If you don’t
have the time or agility to hike
to the bottom of the gorge, try
the chairlift. The exciting
ride is 536 feet long and
descends 230 feet. You get a
bird’s eye view of the mountain
slope as you descend into Stock
Creek Gorge. Patrons in
wheelchairs can be accommodated
on the lift. A short walk leads
to the mouth of the tunnel in a
natural rock amphitheater that
is singularly impressive.
Safety considerations prohibit
walking into the tunnel.
A myriad of
recreational opportunities are
available at the park: hiking,
swimming in a hill-top pool,
camping with electric/water
hookups and picnicking. There
is even a small butterfly garden
visible from the parking lot.
Park personnel offer
interpretive programs focusing
on local folklore, natural
history and the local flora and
fauna. One of the most
frequently told legends is that
of Winnanoah, a Cherokee maiden,
who was saved from a panther
attack by Cochessa, a warrior
chieftain. They fell in love
but because they were from
warring tribes were forbidden to
marry. Refusing to live apart,
they leapt to their death from
one of the gorge’s great cliffs;
the spot is now called Lover’s
Leap.
Directions: From I-81
just over the state line in
Tennessee take Route 23 to
Kingsport, then continue on
Route 23/58 to Duffield; signs
indicate the park turn-off. The
park is located only one mile
from Route 23/58.
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