At the edge of the parking lot to the Natural Stone Bridge, the two RV Gypsies paused to photograph some of nature's wonders.



Suddenly Lee was greeted by a friendly Norwegian Elkhound. Then a jealous dog approached and sat there barking. (The two RV Gypsies had two Norwegian Elkhounds when they lived in Connecticut)

Below: History of an underground river and ancient riverbed: As the ancient river down cut, it encountered the marble that was possibly exposed through an unusual east-west trending fault. Eventually, the marble pirated away the water and a new river bed and cave system was created.





Below: Trout Brook - Once a mighty river, most of the year it is a shallow brook with many boulders popping up. This allows the river to warm up considerably in the summer time. Trout Brook is home to many creatures including: rainbow and brown trout, suckers, snapping turtles and yes, leaches.


Logging in the Adirondacks was one of the main industries from the 1800s until the present. It reached its peak in 1905 when 700 million feet of board were cut for use in construction. Rivers were used for transporting timber. About 200,000 logs were railed along the Hudson River in 1904. To prevent logs from jamming into the caves, the loggers constructed wood dams to divert the water and logs. But spring floods overwhelmed the dams and there are still a number of ancient logs preserved under the stone bridge. The sawmill was built by Jacob Van Benthuysen. He received this property for service in the Revolutionary War and it has been in the family for over 200 years.



The trail and stairs leading to the Meditation Isle.


The two RV Gypsies entered Meditation Isle and got their first look at the Natural Stone Bridge. Cavers mapping these caves (2003-2008) have determined that the Stone Bridge is the largest cave entrance in the East. It is 180-feet wide and 62-feet high. It contains an underground lake right below the gift shop. These caves were formed during the retreat of the Wisconsin glacier about 10 -13 thousand years ago.

Karen looked away from the Natural Stone Bridge and aimed her camera upwards at a small wooden bridge crossing over the creek.

Lee was a bit further ahead on the trail and photographed Karen who was still down below.

Please continue on to page 2 of the Natural Stone Bridge and Caves. Photos have been divided into three pages for faster loading time in case of slow internet connections.

At the edge of the parking lot to the Natural Stone Bridge, the two RV Gypsies paused to photograph some of nature's wonders.

Suddenly Lee was greeted by a friendly Norwegian Elkhound. Then a jealous dog approached and sat there barking. (The two RV Gypsies had two Norwegian Elkhounds when they lived in Connecticut)

Below: History of an underground river and ancient riverbed: As the ancient river down cut, it encountered the marble that was possibly exposed through an unusual east-west trending fault. Eventually, the marble pirated away the water and a new river bed and cave system was created.

Below: Trout Brook - Once a mighty river, most of the year it is a shallow brook with many boulders popping up. This allows the river to warm up considerably in the summer time. Trout Brook is home to many creatures including: rainbow and brown trout, suckers, snapping turtles and yes, leaches.

The trail and stairs leading to the Meditation Isle.

Karen looked away from the Natural Stone Bridge and aimed her camera upwards at a small wooden bridge crossing over the creek.

Lee was a bit further ahead on the trail and photographed Karen who was still down below.

Please continue on to page 2 of the Natural Stone Bridge and Caves. Photos have been divided into three pages for faster loading time in case of slow internet connections.