Visiting Dixie – Day 6 Part 1

After spending another night in Tennessee, we crossed the border into Virginia first thing in the morning on our way to Natural Tunnel State Park. It didn’t take long to find the first thing we liked about Virginia…

Yes, that’s a TWO as the first number in the price of gas!

I was so excited to get to the park because it was going to be my first time on a real chairlift! But when we got there, we learned it is only open on weekends during the off season. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed but not as disappointed as when we found out we couldn’t actually go inside the tunnel. Apparently it is an actual coal train tunnel and they don’t feel like it is safe to have tourists walking on the tracks through an 850-foot tunnel with an average of ten coal trains traveling the same tracks every day… Fraidy cats! ;o)

  The hike down was very nice and it didn’t take long before we could see the tracks…

When we got to the bottom, we realized we were at the base of a very large rock wall!

The first thing we did is walk off a little trail that led to Carters’ Cabin…

I’ve always wanted to live in a cabin but I think I need something a little larger than this… as cute as it is!

Then we wandered over to find the tunnel… But first we came to the tunnel they blasted out of the rock to get to the natural tunnel that was carved out by water. I wonder when that could have happened??? ;o)

  

I really wanted to break the rules and walk down the tracks! I’m sure we would have heard a train long before it got to us… LOL

The walk back up wasn’t as nice as the walk down but after all the hiking we’d done it didn’t seem bad at all…

In fact we felt so good that we decided to take a hike along the ridge of the gorge to Lover’s Leap and a fantastic viewpoint!

  

Then we walked along the trail until we reached the campground. I really wish I had taken pictures of it because it was lovely! I am determined that someday we will go back and camp there!

We walked the road back to the car and did a bit of driving around to explore the rest of the park…

 

Yes, the super cool water park there is part of the reason I’d like to go back! :o)

Just before we left we drove out to the blockhouse…

I also liked seeing the blacksmith and the herb garden. I love the little stick fence!

Then it was back to Tennessee… But I’m already looking forward to going back to Virginia!