Natural Stone Bridge and Caves Park in Pottersville, New York, is not only one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Adirondacks, it also a geological wonder. The massive marble stone bridge is the largest of its kind in the eastern U.S.
The family-owned and operated park also features several waterfalls, caves, hiking and snowshoeing trails, and many activities for children, including gem stone mining, disc golf, a museum, adventure tours, a dino dig, Gold Rush mine, bouldering wall and a playground. A picnic pavilion and space for weddings are also available.
Admission includes the self-guided tour, and visitors can opt for an Adventure Tour, which leads guests through the caves by expert guides. Adventure Tours are offered once a day and require reservations. These tours are described as “rigorous and strenuous,” with an additional fee required.
Along the self-guided tour, guests will find Noisy Cave, a shallow cave housing a waterfall where Trout Brook pours in from several openings. The rush of the water has no doubt played a role in its naming. If the timing is right, you may see participants of an Adventure Tour moving through the waters of the cave.
The winter season offers snowshoe tours with 14 miles of trails. You can bring your own equipment or rent for the day.
The cave system carries a portion of Trout Brook, the waterway that flows through the park. These caves were carved out, just like the Stone Bridge, over millions of years by the forces of nature. The most common rock that make up the caves is marble, which is easier to be carved by eroding forces than granite. Other types of rock found along the trails are quartzite and amphibolite, which started out as a different rock material and were transformed with tremendous heat and pressure to their present state.
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