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.

Yunmentun Natural Bridge in China, 16th Largest in the World

 

We went on a trip to China to view 9 of the world's largest natural arches and natural bridges starting May 17, 2026. This was the first one we saw on this trip, it is number 16 on the list. Instead of calling these features "arches", the Chinese seem to prefer using the term "gate", as that is the translation for the "men" part of the name Yunmentun. Altogether it translates as Cloud Gate Village. It's been measured at 213 feet (65 meters) for its span. We rode in a boat upstream on the Yongshui River, viewed the bridge from the river side, then went under the bridge to a dock along this tributary.

Samsung a52 Phone camera: ISO 25, 1/313 sec, f1.8, focal length 5.2mm, (24mm equivalent)

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

Concealed Bridge, Herdina Park, Arches National Park, Moab, Utah, 2025 Spring Arch Rally, Natural Arch and Bridge Society, March 10, 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 third day of hiking, our host David Alexander took us to the Herdina Park area of Arches National Park. One of the several natural rock spans that we saw on this hike was this one called Concealed Bridge. To get to it we had to duck under an overhang of sandstone before reaching a dryfall, or pouroff, This span  was on the edge of a pothole.

The span of this arch is 9.5 feet and the height is 10 feet and is listed as a waterfall-type natural bridge.

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!

A small waterfall and natural bridge in the Tuolumne River, Yosemite National Park, California

 This is the Tuolumne River near the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge and is along the John Muir Trail.  This feature is called the Green Pool.  The river flows over this small waterfall and into a pool that is some 8 to 10 feet deep at its deepest.  The granite arm along the right edge of the photo actually forms a natural bridge.  Notice the rocky streambed and the opening in this granite arm in the lower left of center in the second photo.  This is the third natural rock span that we know of in Yosemite National Park.  We've posted photos of those other rock spans earlier in our photo gallery.

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

Granite arch in Yosemite, along Chilnualna Creek, Wawona area

During a backpacking trip in Yosemite during the second week of June, 2018, we were headed out on the last day along Chilnualna Creek and visited this natural arch. We had already found it years ago during a trip to this area. We think it was formed from a pothole in the granite that eroded downward until it broke through the bottom of a ledge. By estimating the size with Bob's tripod, we determined that the opening was about 1.5 meters or about 4 feet across. That puts it in the "minor" arch category, but still, an arch made of granite is a rare thing. We first approached the arch from the side of the creek where the trail runs along, but we took these pictures after crossing the creek upstream from this spot and positioning ourselves to see the maximum opening possible.

This was the third day of a loop backpacking trip we took along the Alder Creek trail and looping clockwise to come out by the Chilnualna Falls and cascades, which are dramatic in their own right. We really took our time in this area, almost 4 hours, before heading down the trail which loses about 2000 feet (610 meters) in elevation to the trailhead where we parked the car.

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

Owachomo Natural Bridge from near Zeke's Bathtub

This is Owachomo Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah.  This monument was set aside in 1908 to protect three magnificent natural bridges and they can be viewed along a one-way scenic loop road.  Owachomo is the third bridge along the road and is the most photogenic and thinnest of the three.  It's also the easiest one to hike to, both because it's the shortest distance from the road and because it has the least amount of elevation change to get to and from.

The pool in the foreground is called Zeke's Bathtub after Ezekiel "Zeke" Johnson, the national monument's first superintendent.

Owachomo spans 180 feet, is 106 feet high, 27 feet wide, and is only 9 feet thick.  Because of its thinness, it's considered to be a very old natural bridge.

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

Sipapu Natural Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah

Sipapu Natural Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah.

According to the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, Sipapu is the 13th largest rock span in the world with a span of about 225 feet and a height of about 144 feet.

This is the first of the three meander-type natural bridges that visitors encounter along the loop road in Natural Bridges National Monument.  The bridge is visible from a viewpoint at a pullout along the road, but visitors can also hike a trail down to the bridge itself.  The roundtrip hike is only 1.2 miles, but hikers lose and then gain back 600 feet of elevation and have to climb a couple of ladders.

This photo is from a long ledge along the trail that affords a great view of just how big the opening under this arc of rock is.

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