Fairy Bridge (Xianren) largest natural bridge in the world, located in China

 

This is the largest natural bridge in the world and it's located in China. Fairy Bridge is the translation for the Chinese name of Xianren, which means "eternal people." How that became "fairy" we don't know. It is estimated to have a span of 580' 8.5" (177 meters), height to the top of the span of  475' 9" (145 meters), height to the underside of the span of 219'10"  (67 meters), thickness of 255' 11" (78 meters), and width of 63' 7" (19.4 meters). We rode on a powered bamboo raft that could accommodate about 25 people down the river to go under the bridge to the other side, where we took this photo. Then, we went back upstream under the bridge again to return to our starting point. The bridge forms a low roof over that part of the river. We saw a bat on our way back. 

Canon EOS 6D Mark II - 23 mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/100 sec., f/5

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Getu River Bridge, China

 

This is the Getu River Natural Bridge, within the Getu River National Park. We were surprised to see a building and a vending machine when we got here after climbing 1900 steps. We followed the Getu River through a large opening on a pathway fixed to the side of the cliff. After crossing the river on a bridge, we could see the river disappear into a cave. Then, it was a long stairway and series of switchbacks we had to hike to reach the top, where this natural bridge was located.

The Chinese name for this feature is the Getuhe Dachuandong, Getu = sacred place of peach blossoms, he = river, Da = big, chuan = river, dong = cave. So put it together, we get Getu River big river cave.

Samsung a52, 5.2 mm (24 mm equivalent), f/1.8, 1/474 sec, ISO 25

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Zhijin Natural Arch #2, China

 We were hoping to see the second-largest natural bridge in the world at Zhijin County, China. It's in an established park that's referred to as the Zhijin Grand Canyon, but storms that struck before we arrived damaged the road, so the park was closed. Someone who knew the area wanted to make sure our group didn't leave the area without seeing some natural arches, so she led us to two arches in the same drainage as the one we were hoping to see, but farther upslope. We had to hike to a large arch, then go under it to see this even larger, taller arch. We were standing under one of the supports for this arch to photograph it. It was the only safe place where we could do so.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II, ISO 100, f/4.5, 1/80 sec., 17 mm

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Jinpen Natural Bridge, China, highest natural bridge with a road over it

 

This is Jinpen Natural Bridge in China. It is regarded as the highest natural bridge in the world that has a road crossing over it. The road connects two villages. The bridge is 135 meters (442 feet, 11 inches) high, has a 60-meter (196 feet, 10 inches) span, is 15 meters (49 feet, 2.5 inches) thick at the top, and has a 30-meter (98 feet, 5 inches) road surface on top. 

Unfortunately, we had overcast skies and would've preferred blue sky for the background. After seeing it from this viewpoint, our tour guide took us to the road that crosses over the natural bridge so that we could hike to the bridge and cross over it. There were cars on the road, but our tour bus wasn't allowed on it.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II, ISO 1600, f22, 1/45 sec., 105 mm focal length

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Jiu Dong Tian Caves, Arch in China

 

On our visit to China, we toured the Jiu Dong Tian Cave system by boat. We had to take a tour bus down the river, hike down the river to a bridge, cross over, then take another tour bus down the other side of the river, then hike down into a cave before boarding boats to continue on through the caves. We went under this huge arch as part of the hike down to the dock. For size comparison, you can see a picnic table with a red umbrella and people standing under it. After emerging from the cave, there was another dock where others could go on the tour by going upstream. Normally, we would've continued farther down river and taken another tour bus back, but recent storms caused damage downstream, so we ended up going back through the cave a second time by traveling upstream to the original dock.

The Chinese word for cave is "dong." The Chinese word for window is "tian." So where Americans might call this feature a natural arch, the Chinese often call these features a "cave window."

Canon EOS 6D Mark II, 46 mm, f22, 1/45 sec, ISO 1600

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Dachuandong Arch, near Si Lian, China, 4th largest arch in the world

 

In Guizhou Province, near the village of Si Lian, is a series of sinkholes and arches. There are actually 4 arches, but we only saw the second and third ones as they are the largest. When we visited this area, a local tourism official insisted on showing us the way and accompanying us with a couple of staff members. The reason for his action is that he wanted to show the government that people are visiting these features, and there should be investments in infrastructure to accommodate more visitors. His staff members recorded him speaking about the need for investments and pointing to our group of American tourists traveling all the way here to see how special this area is. It was also good that he guided us, because we encountered very narrow roads. He posted the videos on social media, and our guide was recognized when we checked into our hotel later that same day. The video had gone viral.

The third arch was the largest. Its span of 300 feet (91.4 meters) makes it the 4th largest arch in the world. We had to hike through the second arch to get to it. The name means "big cave with a window". The Chinese, instead of using the term "natural arch" or "natural bridge," seem to prefer using their words for "heaven's gate" or "cave with window" to describe these geologic features. We were told that this particular area was used in the past for making gunpowder. Maybe it was considered a dangerous undertaking, so those engaged in the manufacture of gunpowder had to keep well away from everyone else.

Samsung a52, 5.2 mm (24mm equivalent 35mm), f/1.8, Auto ISO

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Qingxudong Arch, near Dafang, China, 7th largest in the world

 

Qingxudong Arch has been measured by laser rangefinder to have a span of 251 feet (76.5 meters) and a height of 246 feet (75 meters). That happened in 2015 by Natural Arch and Bridge Society member Gunter Welz. We used our own laser ruler when we visited on May 19, 2026, and basically confirmed those numbers. This arch had plenty of visitors and cars, vans, and even a small motorhome parked underneath. It's located near the village of Yang Chang Ba in Guizhou Province, China. In terms of span, the Qing Xu Dong Arch is considered the 7th-largest arch in the world. There's a small stream flowing under it. Beyond the arch, the stream curves into a cave and ends up going underground. It's very spectacular. The Chinese word dong translates to "cave" Instead of calling these features "natural arch", the Chinese tend to use either "heaven's gate" or "cave with window."

Coordinates where the photograph was taken: 27.10285° N., 105.6703° E.

Samsung a52, 1/216 sec, 1.7mm (13mm in 35mm equivalent),  f2.2, ISO Auto

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

The Temple, sea arch along the California coast at Point Reyes National Seashore

 The Temple is a sea arch along the Point Reyes National Seashore coastline. Sea arches form by erosion caused by wave action. The Temple is only safe to visit during low tide, because during high tide, the waves can reach the base of the cliffs along the one mile of beach that it takes to reach this arch.

The day was a little overcast, but we arrived here at mid-morning when the tide was going from low tide to high tide. We could tell that the water reaches the arch at those times. DO NOT try to find this arch until low tide, or you could be trapped!

Fuji GFX100S, f13.9, 1/50 sec. ISO 400, 45 mm (36 mm 35 equiv.)

Location: 37 deg, 58' 51.48", -122 deg, 48' 9.68"

            Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Corona Arch and sunburst, near Moab, Utah, March 18, 2025

 After participating in the 2025 Spring Arch Rally with the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, we hiked to Corona Arch out of Moab, Utah. The trailhead for this hike is off of the Potash Road. The hike to this arch crosses railroad tracks and involves scrambling with a handling and a ladder. It also passes by a pothole arch named Bowtie Arch.

This magnificent natural rock span is listed as having both a span and height of 110 feet and is a buttress type arch in Navajo sandstone. This view is from the side away from the direction we first approached it.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Parallel Double Arch, Klondike Bluffs, near Moab, Utah, March 14, 2025

 We attended the 2025 Spring Arch Rally by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society centered around Moab, Utah. The rally was held from Saturday, March 8th to Saturday, March 15th.

On our seventh day of hiking, our host Peter Jamieson took us to the Klondike Bluffs area north of Moab, Utah. One of the several natural rock spans that we saw on this hike was this one called Parallel Arch. This double arch was high on a cliff of sandstone.

The dimensions of these arches, according to the World Arch Database is, for the outer arch, 32 foot span, and the inner arch is 22 foot span.

We tried measuring the span and height of these two natural rock spans and came up with the following numbers:

Parallel Arch Outer

Span - 17.178 meters (56.36 feet)

Height - 12.617 meters (41.38 feet)

Parallel Arch Inner

Height - 9.067 meters (29.75 feet)

Span - 

Remember it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Big Sur southern coast, Kirk Creek Arch, Monterey County

 

We found out about an arch along the southern end of the Big Sur coast from a Facebook posting from an avid hiker we're following. She mentioned where she was and included several photos, including an arch in the Pacific Ocean. It was actually next to a campground we were already thinking about visiting, so her posting made us take the trip to see it sooner rather than later. We saw it first during a higher tide, with waves crashing under the arch. We came back about 6 hours later and the tide was low enough that we could stand under it. We took measurements with a laser measurer and reported our results to the Natural Arch and Bridge Society. It turned out that we were the first to report this arch to them.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Alabama Hills, the Eye of Alabama natural arch

 

Here is a close view of the second most famous feature in the Alabama Hills, the Eye of Alabama. We parked along the road and hiked up to this feature to get a closer image. There are over a hundred natural arches in this area. We visited during the Fall Arch Rally sponsored by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society in November 2024. We were part of a group of about 15 people on this day.

The Paiute name for this area is Payahuunadü, "land of flowing water."

Fuji GFX100S, ISO 100, f8, 1/220 sec., 100 mm (79mm equiv.)

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Mobius Arch and the Milky Way, Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, November 4, 2024

 We attended the 2024 Fall Arch Rally of the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, which was centered around the Alabama Hills for the first half of the rally. One night we hiked out to Mobius Arch to get some night shots of it, including this light painting of the arch with the Milky Way galaxy overhead.. Mobius Arch is the most noteworthy granite natural arch among many arches in the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Mobius Arch silhouette, Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, November 4, 2024

 We attended the 2024 Fall Arch Rally of the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, which was centered around the Alabama Hills for the first half of the rally. One night we hiked out to Mobius Arch to get some night shots of it, including this silhouette. Mobius Arch is the most noteworthy granite natural arch among many arches in the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Keyhole Arch during a cloudy sunset

We visited Pfeiffer Beach two evenings in a row to try photographing the sun through the arch. The first evening was overcast, but we wanted to look it over anyway, knowing we'd be trying again the next day. The clouds actually added an element we hadn't planned on photographing, but the texture was amazing. There was only about 4 photographers at the beach this evening.

Photo taken with Samsung a52 ISO 640, f2.2, 1/24 sec., 1.74 mm focal length

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Natural Bridge Falls and Boulder River panorama

Natural Bridge Falls is located in Montana as part of a National Forest Day Use Area. A natural bridge above the waterfall gave the area its name. The original bridge collapsed in 1988, but the stream flows through an underground passage that still qualifies as a natural bridge. It's just much less obvious.

This picture shows the Boulder River emerging from the passage below the brink of the falls and then continuing downstream in a wide meander. During high water, the river will flow over the falls and through the passage. 

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Horizon Arch double arch, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Escalante, Utah

 On Day 4 of the 2022 Fall Arch Rally, Bob decided to go on the trip to visit Horizon Arch.  South of the town of Escalante out of the Coal Bed and Mitchell Canyons, this double arch sits on a ridgeline not surprisingly given its name.  This rock outcrop also had a number of smaller arches carved into it.  The arch has a span of about 15 feet and a height of 10 feet.

The hike here was only about 2 and a half miles, but gained something like 1000 feet through loose rock, boulders, and pinyon-juniper type forest, so it was strenuous.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Metate Arch, Devils Garden Outstanding Natural Area, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

I, Bob, am attending the 2022 Fall Arch Rally by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society (NABS).  The second day trip was cancelled due to a forecast of afternoon thunderstorms.  The alternative was for our group to go to the Devils Garden Outstanding Natural Area instead, which was the object of the other trip scheduled for this day.  The Devils Garden consists of sandstone formations called hoodoos and are similar to the hoodoos that Bryce Canyon National Park is famous for.  The most impressive arch in the Devils Garden was this one called Metate Arch.   Its span is 16 feet with a height of 22 feet.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Broken Bow Arch, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

 I, Bob, am attending the 2022 Fall Arch Rally by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society (NABS) and hiked to this arch on the first day.  This is Broken Bow Arch in the Willow Gulch area of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah.  It has a span of 94 feet and a height of 100 feet.  This was near where our group first came around a curve in the canyon and saw it for the first time.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

The Eye of Alabama, in the Alabama Hills, west of Lone Pine, California

 

One of the bigger natural arches in the Alabama Hills is the Eye of Alabama (also labeled as the Eye of the Alabama). This arch looks to me like a left side of a face with a very large eye and the left end being the nose. But that's just me. When you're driving up to it, you might not see it, because it's not at the top of the ridge, but part way down. We got to this feature from a small pullout along the Movie Road and a short trail uphill, then off-trail. You can climb right onto it with a little scrambling. 

Photo details: Canon 70D, 55mm, ISO 200, f/11, 1/180 sec., with polarizer

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!