Mantle Rock - Atlas Obscura
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Mantle Rock

Smithland, Kentucky

An enormous natural sandstone bridge in Kentucky. 

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Spanning 180 feet and 30 feet high, Mantle Rock is an impressive natural sandstone bridge owned by the Nature Conservancy in Livingston County Kentucky.

Mantle Rock is also part of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, memorializing the genocide of Indigenous peoples during the harsh winter of  1838-39.

Know Before You Go

It's a small, mostly level hike from the gravel parking loop. The easy walk itself is about 0.4 mile, just shy of a mile, round trip.


The parking, beginning of the trail, and where the trail splits are well-marked and have informational signage.

geological oddities geology
Nearby
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