Hiking the Natural Bridge Trail in Yellowstone National Park
Distance (via Bay Bridge): 3.1 miles / 5.0 km
The Natural Bridge Trail in Yellowstone National Park is a fun, beautiful, and easy day hike near Yellowstone Lake and Lake Village that branches away from all the busier areas surrounding the lake to a towering 51-ft. (15.5 m) rock bridge above a narrow canyon below!
One of my favorite things about the hike to the Yellowstone Natural Bridge is that the trail passes both beneath the bridge and climbs up to it, at which point hikers have the option to either traverse across the top or bypass it and follow the maintained trail over Bridge Creek.
Either way, the Natural Bridge Trail is a great day hike for people of all ages, as there is hardly any elevation change to reach the best viewpoints beneath the bridge, ultimately meaning that it’s not necessary to hike up and across it in order to have a great time!
How Long is the Natural Bridge Trail?
Since visitors often begin hiking from either the Bay Bridge Marina or the trailhead off Grand Loop Road, I’ve broken down each section to help you plan your adventure.
Natural Bridge Distances:
Natural Bridge Trailhead to the Bay Bridge Campground: 0.1 miles (0.2 km)
Bay Bridge Campground to Natural Bridge Road: 0.8 miles (1.3 km)
Grand Loop Road to Natural Bridge Road–Bay Bridge JCT: 0.5 miles (0.8 km)
Natural Bridge Road to Natural Bridge Loop Trail: 0.4 miles (0.6 km)
Full Natural Bridge Loop Trail: 0.5 miles (0.8 km)
Total Distance (via Bay Bridge): 3.1 miles (5.3 km)
Total Distance (via Grand Loop Road): 2.3 miles (3.7 km)
Natural Bridge Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Natural Bridge Trail is located in one of two places.
First, parking for the actual trail is located in the large Bay Bridge Marina parking lot, or there is the option to park at the Natural Bridge Road Trailhead directly off Grand Loop Road.
I personally prefer to hike the actual trail rather than follow the road, which is the route shown in this article.
Google Maps Directions: Natural Bridge Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Yellowstone–Tetons
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in the Yellowstone–Teton area.
Hiking the Natural Bridge Trail
As previously mentioned, there are two routes, or trailheads, that hikers can utilize to reach the Yellowstone Natural Bridge.
The trailhead shown here is the official Natural Bridge Trailhead from the Bay Bridge Marina, which I prefer because the route that begins off Grand Loop Road is better suited for bikers.
Initially, the Natural Bridge Trail heads directly toward the Bay Bridge Campground before branching away and wrapping around the parking area as it makes its way south to Natural Bridge Road.
Natural Bridge-Bay Bridge Campground Junction
After just 0.1 miles (0.2 km), the Natural Bridge Trail reaches the connection with the Bay Bridge Campground.
Once here, go left, then left again at the next split, just a few steps ahead, to continue hiking toward Natural Bridge Road.
At this point, the Natural Bridge Trail becomes much quieter as it wraps around the Bay Bridge Marina and starts making its way over to Natural Bridge Road.
Is the Natural Bridge Trail Open Year-Round?
No. The National Park Service closes the Natural Bridge Trail on a regular annual basis because of high Grizzly activity in the late spring and early summer.
During this time, Grizzlies are typically moving around more intensively after denning, feeding on emerging vegetation and other food sources. On top of this, females often have young cubs with them.
This combination makes surprise encounters more likely, which is why the National Park Service temporarily closes trails when bear activity reaches a level officials consider unsafe.
This is all to say, always hike with bear spray on any trail in Yellowstone National Park, and know that Yellowstone Lake and Sylvan Pass through the East Entrance are notorious for higher Grizzly activity than other areas of the park.
The one thing that probably stands out about the Natural Bridge Trail compared to the route that starts off Grand Loop Road is that the official trail from the Bay Bridge Marina is longer by about 0.4 miles (0.6 km) each way.
However, I personally think the extra distance is worth the effort, especially considering the hike is so easy and the fact that the best photos of the Natural Bridge are taken early in the morning, meaning the slightly longer hike really is just a nice, cool, early-morning walk in the woods if you time it right!
Natural Bridge (Bay Bridge)-Natural Bridge Road Junction
After 0.9 miles (1.4 km), the Natural Bridge Trail via Bay Bridge finally meets Natural Bridge Road, the route that begins off Grand Loop Road.
This is where the two routes become one.
That said, go right at this junction to begin hiking Natural Bridge Road toward the bridge, about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) away.
Natural Bridge Road is both a hiking and biking trail up to the point where the trail branches away from the road at Bridge Creek.
This easy 0.5-mile (0.8 km) stretch on Natural Bridge Road is typically where the trail gets a little busier, as it combines traffic from both trailheads.
If you don’t plan to hike early in the day, which I recommend for the best photos, I strongly suggest wearing a hooded sun shirt, as there is quite a bit of exposure on Natural Bridge Road.
This meadow on the left-hand side of the road is a nice sign that the start of the Natural Bridge Loop is not far ahead!
Natural Bridge Loop Trail
After 1.3 miles (2.1 km), the Natural Bridge Trail reaches the start of the loop that leads to the bottom of the Natural Bridge before climbing up, over, and ultimately returning to this junction at the very end.
That said, both directions lead to the Natural Bridge, but the shortest route to the best viewpoint is to go right and follow the loop counterclockwise.
Regarding my thoughts above, I chose to right toward the base of the Natural Bridge.
North Natural Bridge-Natural Bridge Bypass Junction
This is where the Natural Bridge Trail finally branches away from Natural Bridge Road, about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the first junction.
Once here, go right, and the best viewpoint from the base of the bridge will be found just around the corner!
Bottom of the Natural Bridge
This is the base of the Natural Bridge, which, in my opinion, is the best viewpoint of the 51-ft. (15.5 m) tall bridge!
I mention this because it is a cool experience to hike up and over—or around—the top of the Natural Bridge, but the best photos are definitely taken from the bottom.
What is the Best Time of Day for Photos at the Natural Bridge?
The best answer is early morning, but not too early.
By this, I mean that the Natural Bridge is surrounded by steep hillsides, meaning it takes a while for the early morning light to actually make it into the Bridge Creek drainage for good photos.
That said, I don’t recommend beginning the hike around sunrise because you’ll arrive too early for the sun to light up the arch and the surrounding landscape.
Instead, I recommend planning to arrive at the bridge about 2–3 hours after sunrise, which is the best time to get photos from most angles at the base.
The base of the Natural Bridge is also where the trail starts climbing to the top.
As previously mentioned, I don’t believe that completing the full loop is necessary to enjoy the best of the Natural Bridge, but it is a fairly short and easy ascent if you are interested.
At the first switchback, there is the option to leave the main trail to hike beneath the Natural Bridge, but personally, I don’t think it’s worth the effort.
I believe this because the views are not better beneath the arch compared to those from the base.
In all, there are four switchbacks that climb about 100 ft. (30.5 m) over 0.1 miles (0.2 km) to the top of the Natural Bridge.
This is the top of the steep 0.1-mile (0.2 km) ascent from the bottom of the Natural Bridge.
Top of the Natural Bridge (Warning)
This is where the Natural Bridge Trail reaches the top of the Natural Bridge.
That said, there is the option to either go left to scramble across the Natural Bridge or right to follow the maintained Natural Bridge Trail across Bridge Creek.
The reason I want to urge caution here is not because the scramble across the bridge is particularly difficult, but because a fall from the top would almost certainly be fatal.
That is to say, the hike across the top is certainly not for all people of all abilities—especially when there is snow and ice along the trail in the early and late Yellowstone season.
To skip ahead to see photos from the top of the Natural Bridge, click here.
This is where the maintained Natural Bridge Trail bypasses the bridge and crosses Bridge Creek.
Bridge Creek
It is a fairly steep descent and ascent on the far side of Bridge Creek.
This is where the official Natural Bridge Trail passes the far west side of the bridge itself.
After reaching the top of the Natural Bridge, the loop begins a much more gradual descent on the south side of Bridge Creek to return to Natural Bridge Road.
Natural Bridge-Natural Bridge Road Junction
This is where the Natural Bridge Trail returns to Natural Bridge Road.
That said, go left to return to the beginning of the Natural Bridge Loop, as the road to the right is a long, remote backcountry route that is generally of no interest to most visitors.
South Natural Bridge-Natural Bridge Bypass Junction
Immediately after turning left, Natural Bridge Road passes the other side of the bypass, or turnaround in the road, just before the base of the bridge.
At this split, go straight to continue walking down Natural Bridge Road to the start of the loop.
Natural Bridge Loop Junction
This is where the Natural Bridge Trail returns to the beginning of the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) Natural Bridge Loop.
From here, go straight (right) to begin the roughly 1.3-mile (2.1 km) hike to the Natural Bridge Trailhead in the Bay Bridge Marina or the 0.9-mile (1.4 km) hike to the Natural Bridge Road Trailhead off Grand Loop Road.
Top of the Natural Bridge (Warning)
This is the hike across the top of the Natural Bridge.
Once again, it is not a particularly challenging hike/ scramble across, but the drops on either side are certainly high enough to have fatal consequences.
This is the view looking up Bridge Creek toward the maintained trail that bypasses the bridge.
This is the far west side of the Natural Bridge, where both the route across the top of the bridge and the maintained trail come back together.
To skip back to this same junction previously shown, click here.
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