“Vires-Acquirit-Eundo” Ancient Arbor Vitae

Before dying in 1980, this more than 1600 year old specimen of the Arbor Vitae tree was the oldest and largest known in the world. Its diameter measures 56 inches. Depending on climatic conditions that determine its growth rate, the arbor vitae increases one inch in diameter every thirty years. Native Americans use the foliage as a source of Vitamin C to prevent scurvy. Looking back up Cascade Creek, beautifully exposed tufa deposits, tan and buff colored deposits of calcium carbonate, can be seen. Layers of the same type of limestone and dolomites that form the bridge can also be seen along the trail and in the creek. The limestone is a blue-grey color. "Natural Bridge is the Bridge not made by hands, that spans a river, carries a highway, and makes the mountains one," Henry Clay, American statesman, 1777-1852.

Virginia · United States