Yellowstone National Park · Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

Natural Bridge Trail

1.4 mi of trail, end to end · about 100 ft of climbing · 7,765 ft–7,877 ft · earth surface · trail class Minimally Developed · bike, hiking

7,819 ft 7,817 ft · 0.4 mi high 7,819 ft

Trailhead Natural Bridge Trailhead 7,760 ft Drive there

Natural Bridge Trail the Park Service's write-up

1-2 Hours · no dogs · Summer, Fall

Start Bridge Bay Marina

A natural bridge formation made of rock in a forest.
Photo: NPS / Addy Falgoust

The natural bridge is a 51 foot (18 m) cliff of rhyolite rock cut through by Bridge Creek. The hiking trail meanders through the forest for .7 of a mile (1.2 km). It then joins a service road and continues to the right (west) for .4 of a mile (0.6 km) to the Natural Bridge. The short but steep switchback trail to the top of the bridge starts in front of the interpretive exhibit. To protect this fragile resource, the top of the bridge is closed to hiking and biking. Past the natural bridge, the trail crosses a creek then continues along the cliff before rejoining the road. Exercise caution along the creek bed for wet and slippery rocks.

Safety notes: Trail is generally closed in early summer while bears feed on spawning trout in Bridge Creek. Inquire at the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center for opening date and other closures. The bike trail to Natural Bridge begins just south of the marina off the Grand Loop Road.

Trailheads: Bridge Bay Marina parking lot near the campground entrance road.

Accessibility Natural Bridge Trail is a 2.5-mile, semi-paved accessible trail just south of Bridge Bay.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

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About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.