Natural Tunnel State Park

Natural Tunnel State Park is a 1,007-acre park in Scott County, about 10 miles northwest of Mount Carmel.

The park supports biking, hiking, and picnicking. There are also cabins and yurts for rent.

Camping Camping is available from the first Friday in March until the first Monday in December. The park has two campgrounds, Cove View Campground and Lover's Leap Campground. All sites have electricity and water (EW) and are reserved by the site. Site details Site photos Cove View Campground - 16 electric-water hookup sites • Up to six people per site. The only exception is for immediate families of no more than two adults over 18 and their minors, all of whom must be under 18. • Each campsite has a campfire-ring grill and an extended-top picnic table. • Firewood and ice are sold at the campground host site. • Two vehicles per campsite. There is additional parking by the bathhouse (an additional daily parking fee applies there). • Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. Only overnight guests are allowed in the park after 10 p.m. Guests visiting campers should park in the bathhouse parking area. EW - Electric and Water Hookup Sites (001 EW – 016 EW). Shaded and sunny sites are for tents, pop-ups and RVs up to 38 feet. Electrical service is 20 and 30-amp. All sites are gravel pull-through with a grassy area and have a campfire-ring grill and a picnic table. A bathhouse with hot showers is at the entrance of the campground loop. Lover’s Leap Campground - 18 electric-water hookup sites • Up to six persons are allowed per site. The only exception is for immediate family. • Each site has a campfire-ring grill and an extended-top picnic table. • Firewood and ice are sold at the campground host site. • Two vehicles per campsite. There is additional parking by the bathhouse (an additional daily parking fee applies there). • Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. Only overnight guests are allowed in the park after 10 p.m. Guests visiting campers should park by the bathhouse and must pay the daily parking fee. • A volleyball net and horseshoe pits are in the campground area. EW - Electric and Water Hookup Sites (LL 01- LL 18). These sites are for tents, pop-ups and RVs up to 50 feet. Electrical service is 20, 30 and 50-amp. All are back-in sites and have a campfire-ring grill, picnic table, lantern post and utility table. Campsite 9 is accessible to the disabled and is near the bathhouse. The site is not reserved strictly for those with disabilities. Tents and all other recreational equipment should be set up within the campsite’s boundaries. The campground bathhouse has showers, restrooms and a laundry facility. Total campsites in the park of each type: EW: 34 Primitive Camping Natural Tunnel's primitive camping site is in a partially wooded area about half a mile from the main campgrounds and bathhouses. Parking is available at the site, with a short hike to the campsites. Tents only; RV’s and camping units are not allowed. Reservations for Primitive Camping can be made by calling the park office at 276-940-2674. Amenities: • Five 15 ft. x 15 ft. tent pads. • Common area with fire ring. • Covered eating area with four picnic tables. • Utility building with electricity and lights suitable for storage or food prep (no cooking inside the shed). • Parking for up to five vehicles. (Limited overflow parking available at the campground entrance). No RV or camping trailer parking is available. • Potable water spigot at the entrance to the primitive camping area. • Two portable toilets. (No showers on site.)

Cabins Between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day, all cabins and the lodge are rented for a six-night minimum, beginning on a specified start date that varies by cabin. The six-night requirement is reduced to a required four-night stay three months out and dropped to two nights in the last month before arrival. Cabin check-in is 4 p.m., check-out is 10 a.m. The cabins are on a ridge offering mountain views and access to the park’s trails. Winter weather can vary here, so be sure to read policies regarding transferring and cancellation of cabin rentals because of inclement weather. Late arriving guests should phone the park to arrange check-in several days before arrival, if possible. Because new cabins have been built, one cabin, which had been no. 11 is now cabin 8. All others remain the same. The new cabins are numbers 11 through 14. Cabins: When a week-long stay is required, cabins 1, 5, 12 and 13 rent weekly starting on Sunday. Cabins 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 14 rent weekly starting on Saturday. Cabins 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are two-bedroom frame cabins. They sleep up to six and have parking for two vehicles. The cabins have one queen bed and two sets of bunk beds (sleep four) in a second bedroom. Each has one bathroom with a shower. No extra bed rentals. Cabins 3 and 10 are three-bedroom frame cabins. Cabin 3 is ADA-accessible. They sleep up to eight and have parking for three vehicles. The cabins have one queen bed, two twin beds in the second bedroom and two sets of bunk beds (sleeps four) in the third bedroom. Cabin 3 has an ADA-accessible bathroom, which adjoins the room with a queen bed, and another bathroom with a tub-shower combo. Cabin 10 has two bathrooms with tub-shower combos. No extra bed rentals. Cabin 8 is a two-bedroom frame cabin. It sleeps up to six and is ADA accessible, including an accessible bathroom and shower. The cabin has one queen bed and a set of bunk beds (sleeps two) in a second bedroom. No extra bed rentals. Features: • Kitchen: Refrigerator, stove, coffeemaker, dishes, silverware, cooking utensils, pots, pans, microwave oven, toaster, can opener, clock radio. • Bring food, dish detergent, dishcloths, coffee filters, coffee, salt and pepper, nonstick cooking spray, soap, bath towels, etc. • Bedrooms: Bed(s), nightstands, dresser, closet with hangers. • No linens are provided. Guests must bring all linens: sheets, pillowcases, blankets, towels, bath mats, kitchen towels and cloths. • All queen and twin beds have Tempur-Pedic® mattresses. • No dishwasher, phone, TV, washer or dryer. • Wrap-around deck; open porch with rocking chairs and end tables. • Air conditioning and heating. • A picnic table and a campfire grill are in the yard beside the cabin. Firewood is for sale at the campground host campsite by the road near the cabin area entrance. • Gas log fireplace. • Mission-style rustic furniture. • No smoking. • Two vehicles are allowed for two-bedroom cabins, and three vehicles are allowed for three-bedroom cabins. A daily parking fee is charged for additional vehicles. All vehicles and trailers must be parked in designated areas at the cabin. • Pets are allowed. There is an extra fee plus tax per night per pet. • Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. Only overnight guests are allowed in the park after 10 p.m. Natural Tunnel has one six-bedroom lodge (LOD 09-SAT). When a week-long stay is required, rental begins on Saturday. Features: • Kitchen: Refrigerator, stove, coffeemaker, dishes, silverware, cooking utensils, pots, pans, microwave oven, toaster, electric can opener and large dining table. • Bring food, dish detergent, dishcloths, coffee filters, coffee, salt and pepper, nonstick cooking spray, soap, board games, bath towels, etc. A washer and dryer are provided. • Bedrooms - Bed(s), nightstands, dresser, closet with hangers, clock radio. Two bedrooms have queen beds, two bedrooms have twin beds, and two bedrooms have two sets of bunk beds. The queen and twin beds have Tempur-Pedic® mattresses. • No linens are provided. Guests must bring all linens: sheets, pillowcases, blankets, towels, bath mats, kitchen towels and cloths. • No dishwasher, phone or TV. • Front and back decks have rocking chairs. • There are three bathrooms, two with shower-tub combo and one with an accessible shower. • Air conditioning and heating. • A picnic table and a campfire grill are in the yard beside the cabin. Firewood is for sale at the campground host campsite, which is by the road at the cabin area entrance. • Accessible to the disabled: kitchen, dining area, living room, two bedrooms and one bathroom. • There’s a gas log fireplace in the living room and a gas grill on the deck. • Mission-style rustic furniture. • Maximum occupancy is 16; no extra bed rentals. • Maximum six cars, including trailers, at the cabin. A daily parking fee is charged for additional vehicles. All vehicles must be parked in designated areas. • No smoking. • Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. Only overnight guests are allowed in the park after 10 p.m. • Pets are allowed. There is an extra fee, plus tax, per night per pet. Total sites of each type: two-bedroom frame, 11; three-bedroom frame, 2; lodge, 1. Lodges The park's Cove Ridge Center can accommodate up to 48 overnight guests. Yurts Functionally speaking, they’re a cross between a tent and a cabin. The park has four yurts adjacent to the Cove View Campground. Each has a large wooden deck with patio tables, a picnic table and a fire ring with a cooking grate. Reservations are required. Parking for two vehicles is allowed. Those with additional vehicles must pay a daily parking fee and park in the overflow lot by the park office. Check-in is 4 p.m., and checkout is 10 a.m. The rental season begins on the first Friday in March and ends on the first Sunday of November. Cabin rental and cancellation policies apply. Yurts must be rented for Friday and Saturday on weekends, but one-night stays are allowed otherwise. • Maximum occupancy four. Sleeps three. One queen-sized and a twin-sized trundle pull-out. Guests must bring sleeping bags or linens (sheets, pillowcases and blankets), towels, bath mat, kitchen towels and cloths. • No smoking, cooking or pets allowed in the yurt. • Each yurt has no electricity or water, but a common-use water spigot is shared among the yurts. • Dining table seats four. • No heat or air-conditioning. • Guests use the Cove View Campground bathhouse. • Yurts 3 and 4 are ADA-accessible.

Hiking, mountain bike and self-guided trails - Natural Tunnel State Park has seven walking trails. The longest is 2.1 miles long. The trails lead to unique features of the park: the tunnel floor, Lover’s Leap, Tunnel Hill and Gorge Ridge. A 500-foot boardwalk and observation deck provide accessibility to guests with disabilities who may ride the chairlift, when operable, to the mouth of the tunnel. Most trails are open to mountain bikes.

There are no designated swimming areas in the park.

There is limited fishing within the park along Stock Creek. Other trout streams also are near the park. The Clinch River, which is about five miles from the park, is known for a great variety of fish, including walleye, smallmouth bass, red-eye, bluegill and musky.

There is limited fishing within the park along Stock Creek. Other trout streams also are near the park. The Clinch River, which is about five miles from the park, is known for a great variety of fish, including walleye, smallmouth bass, red-eye, bluegill and musky.

A state fishing license is usually required.

• The chairlift can be stopped at both terminals for loading and unloading passengers. Wheelchairs and walkers can be sent down in the chair with the individual or in the next chair. The park has a wheelchair at the lower terminal for public use should it be needed or in case the given motorized wheelchair is too heavy to load. Staff will provide assistance at this facility in loading and unloading physically challenged passengers. The boardwalk to the tunnel is level, and guests can wheel to the mouth of the tunnel. There is also an accessible pit toilet at the lower terminal building. • The visitor center and gift shop building is accessible. It is across from the chairlift upper terminal. Parking for the disabled is here as well, and accessible restrooms are provided in the breezeway of the visitor center. • Directly behind the visitor center is a hand-railed, asphalt, ramped walkway that goes to the main overlook above the Stock Creek Gorge and the mouth of Natural Tunnel. The overlook is approximately 200 yards from the visitor center parking area. • Cabins 3, 9, 10 and 11 are accessible. • Yurts 3 and 4 are accessible. • All electric and water campsites are fairly level and can accommodate disabled guests. They are asphalt pull-through sites with grassy areas surrounding them. The campground bathhouse toilet stalls are accessible. The showers in the bathhouse limited access. There is a ramped entrance to the bathhouse. • One of two picnic area restrooms is accessible. It has accessible entry and stalls. This restroom is near shelter 4, which was built by the Manville Ruritan Club to be accessible to disabled guests. Shelter 4 has tables and level walkways meeting specifications for the disabled. Shelter 5 is large and adjacent to an accessible restroom and accessible from an asphalt ramp. There's a hand-railed walkway approximately 300 feet long. These shelters and restrooms are about 100 feet from a parking area with spots for the disabled. • The Cove Ridge Center is accessible. It has ramped entrances, accessible restrooms and accessible shower stalls in the dormitory portion of the center. • The park features a restored train engine display that has a wheelchair-accessible ramp built into it. It is adjacent to the visitor center parking lot. Most trails in the park are, however, in mountainous terrain and ill-suited for their use.