Jacob and James just finished watching all the Ice Age movies at home including the Christmas episode. When we got to Natural Bridge State Park last weekend, we thought the landscape there looked so much like in Ice Age.

Natural Bridge State Park is beautiful, exotic and extremely touristy. It provides the best hiking trails we have seen so far. Everywhere we looked on the trails, there were amazing rock walls covered with velvety lichen and lively ferns, gigantic stand-alone rocks, cave mouths, streams, and sweet white honeysuckle flowers.

The hikes were quite strenuous because everyone starts at the bottom and tries to reach the natural rock bridge very high up above. It was like a pilgrimage. The view is breathtaking once you get there.

On the way down, we chose a different trail called the Balanced Rock Trail to be away from the crowd we saw going up. So called because a giant balanced rock structure stands on the side of the trail. We experienced such quiet peace and beauty as the trail wound through and up above the forest. The quietness and beauty of the woods stayed with the visitors long afterwards.

James was the most enthusiastic hiker on both trails the whole time. What stamina for a 2-year-old! We occasionally had to stop and rest. James could just keep going the whole time.