Parking
The Natural Bridge Trailhead is south of Bridge Bay, off Grand Loop Road, and has limited parking. The Bridge Bay Marina lot is an alternate start, but it adds the campground approach.
Overview
About Natural Bridge Trail
Why go
- A distinctive rhyolite arch on an easy walk
- A strong view from below without a major climb
Heads up
- Parking at the road-side trailhead is limited
- The service-road stretch is more exposed than the forest approach
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yellowstone map
Full mapElevation7,762–8,002 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
5 active Yellowstone alerts
- ClosureBiscuit Basin closed after hydrothermal explosionBiscuit Basin’s parking lot, boardwalk, and Firehole River are closed to all travel.Official details
- ClosureMost Yellowstone roads close to regular vehicles November 1Most Yellowstone roads and the West, South, and East entrances are scheduled to close to regular vehicles November 1, 2026, as the park prepares for winter operations.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yellowstone Tour Guide
Hear Yellowstone as you drive it.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yellowstone National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yellowstone audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Natural Bridge Trailhead0:00 / 0:27
“The Natural Bridge trailhead is coming up, for a forest walk to a rock arch carved by Bridge Creek.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yellowstone Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Bridge Bay Marina
- Gull Point Picnic Area
- The Lake’s Slow Slosh
- A Lake’s History in Glass
- 243 audio storiesacross Yellowstone’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Bison, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 167 trails, 192 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“First time driving through a national park. We used the Yellowstone tour on grand loop Road and it’s just like having a tour guide in your car with you.”
Trail guide
Hiking Natural Bridge Trail
A gentle walk to a natural archFrom the Natural Bridge Trailhead off Grand Loop Road, this is an easy 2.
From the Natural Bridge Trailhead off Grand Loop Road, this is an easy 2.5-mile out-and-back, usually one to two hours. The path goes through forest, then follows an old service road toward Bridge Creek and a natural arch cut through rhyolite. It is short and mostly gentle, with the bridge as the clear payoff. The National Park Service describes the trail as semi-paved and accessible.
Follow the forest and old roadThe approach starts under trees, then opens onto an old service road with more sun.
The approach starts under trees, then opens onto an old service road with more sun. Near the bridge, follow the walking path down to the creek rather than stopping on the road. NPS lists the complete walk as 2.5 miles round trip; a separate breakdown from this road-side access comes out closer to 2.3, so plan for the longer estimate.
The arch is best from belowBridge Creek cut through a rhyolite cliff to make the natural bridge.
Bridge Creek cut through a rhyolite cliff to make the natural bridge. You can see the arch from its base without climbing. The top is closed to hiking and biking, despite older directions that describe a steep switchback. Rocks beside the creek can be wet and slippery. For a photo, let the steep drainage catch the morning light before you reach the base.
Choose the right trailheadUse the small Natural Bridge Trailhead south of Bridge Bay, off Grand Loop Road; parking is…
Use the small Natural Bridge Trailhead south of Bridge Bay, off Grand Loop Road; parking is limited. Starting at Bridge Bay Marina adds the campground approach and is a separate, longer version, reported at about 3.1 miles round trip. This record uses the road-side trailhead and does not include those extra miles.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Yellowstone
713 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
743 sightingsWolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
5,273 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
3,258 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
397 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,494 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yellowstone. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
