When you stay at Black Bear Lodge Motel in Slade, you'll be in the mountains, just steps from Natural Bridge State Park and 3 minutes by foot from Osborne Bend Trail. .This motel is 0.2 mi (0.3 km) from Fat Man's Misery and 1.3 mi (2.1 km) from Kentucky Reptile Zoo.
Natural Bridge State Park - 1 min walk - 0.0 miles
Fat Man's Misery - 5 min walk - 0.3 miles
Kentucky Reptile Zoo - 1 min drive - 1.3 miles
Hoedown Island - 2 min drive - 1.3 miles
Red River Gorge Geological Area - 4 min drive - 4.9 miles
Getting around
Blue Grass Airport (LEX) - 64 min drive
Restaurants
Red River Rockhouse - 7 min drive
Miguel's Pizza - 11 min walk
Toads Barn Grill - 6 min drive
Redpoint Bbq - 9 min drive
Daniel Boone Coffee Shop - 11 min walk
About this property
Black Bear Lodge Motel
Black Bear Lodge Motel offers 10 air-conditioned accommodations with coffee/tea makers and hair dryers. Refrigerators and microwaves are provided.
Bathrooms include shower/tub combinations. Televisions come with satellite channels. Housekeeping is provided weekly.
Make yourself at home in one of the 10 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and microwaves. Satellite television is provided for your entertainment. Bathrooms have shower/tub combinations and hair dryers. Conveniences include desks and coffee/tea makers, and housekeeping is provided weekly.
Make use of convenient amenities, which include a picnic area and barbecue grills.
Satisfy your appetite at the motel's coffee shop/cafe, or stop in at the grocery/convenience store.
The front desk is staffed during limited hours. Free self parking is available onsite.
Property amenities
Parking and transportation
Free uncovered self parking on site
Food and drink
A coffee shop/cafe
Family friendly
Grocery/convenience store
In-room microwave
In-room refrigerator
Conveniences
ATM
Grocery/convenience store
Limited-hour front desk
Guest services
Housekeeping (weekly)
Outdoors
Barbecue grill
In the mountains
Picnic area
Accessibility
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
Upper floors accessible by stairs only
More
Smoking not allowed
Room amenities
Bedroom
Bedsheets provided
Bathroom
Hair dryer
Private bathroom
Shower/bathtub combination
Towels provided
Entertainment
TV with satellite channels
Food and drink
Coffee/tea maker
Microwave
Refrigerator
More
Air conditioning
Desk
Policies
Check-in
Check-in start time: 4:00 PM; Check-in end time: 9 PM
Contactless check-in available
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 21
Check-out
Check-out before 11 AM
Contactless check-out available
Special check-in instructions
The front desk is open daily from 9 AM - 7:00 PM
The check-in location differs from the property location; go to: [769 Natural Bridge Rd., Slade, KY 40376]
Guests will receive an email within 48 hours before arrival with check-in instructions; front desk staffed during limited hours
If you arrive at the property after hours, you'll need to check in at an alternate location: [769 Natural Bridge Rd., Slade, KY 40376]
If you are planning to arrive after 8:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
For any questions, please contact the property using the information on the booking confirmation
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools
Guests planning to arrive on the same day of booking must contact this property prior to 6 PM for check-in instructions.
Access methods
Front desk (limited hours)
Pets
Pets not allowed (service animals welcome)
Children and extra beds
Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available
Property payment types
Important information
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards, debit cards, and cash
Cashless transactions are available
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a smoke detector
Please note that cultural norms and guest policies may differ by country and by property; the policies listed are provided by the property
We should mention
This property does not have elevators
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms
Property is also known as
Black Bear Lodge Motel Slade
Black Bear Slade
Black Bear Lodge Motel Motel
Black Bear Lodge Motel Slade
Black Bear Lodge Motel Motel Slade
Black Bear Lodge Motel Reviews
Reviews
8.0
Very Good
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travelers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.
Rating 10 - Excellent. 265 out of 654 reviews
10 - Excellent
265
Rating 8 - Good. 223 out of 654 reviews
8 - Good
223
Rating 6 - Okay. 88 out of 654 reviews
6 - Okay
88
Rating 4 - Poor. 48 out of 654 reviews
4 - Poor
48
Rating 2 - Terrible. 30 out of 654 reviews
2 - Terrible
30
8.4/10
Cleanliness
8.2/10
Staff & service
7.2/10
Amenities
8.0/10
Property conditions & facilities
Reviews
10/10 Excellent
Jacqueline
Jan 5, 2026
Jacqueline
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025
2/10 Terrible
Jessica
Dec 28, 2025
Jessica
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2025
8/10 Good
Beth
Traveled with family and small children
Dec 23, 2025
Liked: Amenities
The bridge was very pot-holey. They need filled in.
Staff was super helpful in explaining how to check in after hours
Nick
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2025
6/10 Okay
Cindy
Traveled with partner
Nov 29, 2025
Liked: Cleanliness
The room was nice, comfortable and plenty of towels. Not use to having NO person to talk to... Just picking up a key then dropping it off I did not like.
The room was filthy and sticky. Especially night stand. Bathroom floor dirty and some white container in there that that was gross. Noise from the other rooms terrible. No lights on entrance sign we passed it three times before we finally entered the drive. Lights would have helped. Outside chairs full of cigarette ash.
Lastly washcloths old stains on them. Do not recommend
Our room was infested with ants, the bed was so uncomfortable we both woke with backaches and the toilet is so low to the ground your lucky if you can get up.Was not thrilled about the place at all.
Clean room. Very quiet. They are now offering WiFi since there is no cell reception in that area which was very awesome to see. It was pretty fast also.
Great place, easy check in process and friendly staff.
Donald
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2025
10/10 Excellent
Andrea
Nov 10, 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Check-in associate was very friendly. Room was clean and comfortable. Be sure to read the check in instructions because you do not check in at the lodge itself.
Chosen based on budgets so we weren't expecting the Ritz. Price was 1/3 less than Natural Bridge State Park lodge and reasonable for a prime location in a popular tourist area - ideal for our purpose of visiting trails and arches throughout the Red River Gorge Area.
Check-in staff (down the road) were friendly and efficient. The room was reasonably furnished as pictured and things worked. We liked the wood based interior. Bonus - we were on the 2nd floor which means we had a vaulted ceiling. There rain at night and we could hear it on the roof which was a plus for us. Room blacks out well.
Main downside - the beds were sort of like sleeping on plywood and need replacing. Minor quibbles - took forever to get hot water in the sink (but no problem in the shower which had great water pressure) and the floors under the bed should have been vacuumed months ago.
NOTE: Main motel photo is not from the motel but from the nearby Natural Bridge State Park and doesn't represent the motel.
Mark
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2025
6/10 Okay
Kimberly
Nov 4, 2025
Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
Parking was convenient, Heat in room worked excellent. Bed was uncomfortable, bathroom was clean. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
After only a couple days of intermittent, light rain, the ceiling leaked. Workers arrived quickly but didn't fix the problem. It continued to leak while I was there. Staff was friendly and responsive.
It’s close to most of the area attractions we were looking to visit. It’s not that it’s a bad place but it is not very updated and the mattress is HORRIBLE! Pillows are not comfortable and just need to be replaced with something that actually works as being comfortable. For the price and the fact that there’s hardly anything else in the area it was just convenient but not really comfortable. Would I stay there again? Not unless they have replaced the mattress and pillows with something newer and more comfortable!
David
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2025
4/10 Poor
Cindy
Oct 23, 2025
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Terrible bed that rolled around a lot. Terrible pillows. Wholes in blanket. Tub stopped up. Some type of bee kept getting in the room. Lots of places it could have come in. Cheaply furnished.