Rainbow Bridge National Monument
Utah
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
6.8 h fully dark
Crowds
low
Entrance
Free entry
No dock access to Rainbow Bridge
At current lake levels, Rainbow Bridge docks do not reach the land. Dock-to-trail access to Rainbow Bridge will not be available until water levels rise again. Restrooms at the dock will remain open. This alert will stay up until the situation changes. Check the link for current lake information.
Official NPS alert →Rainbow Bridge is one of the world's largest known natural bridges. The span has undoubtedly inspired people throughout time--from the neighboring Native American tribes who consider Rainbow Bridge sacred, to the thousands of visitors from around the world who visit it each year. Please visit Rainbow Bridge in a spirit that honors and respects the cultures to whom it is sacred.
Topics
No entrance fee.
Hours & seasons
Rainbow Bridge National Monument is open every day of the year, from sunrise to sunset. On rare occasions, the park may be closed for visitor safety while significant trail and/or dock repairs are taking place. Contact the park for up-to-date information on any closures in effect. Overnight camping or docking your boat is prohibited.
Hours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 9286086200
✉ glca_information@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec
Typical crowds: low
Weather now: ☀️ Clear, 95°F
☁️ 106°/79°
☁️ 107°/79°
☀️ 105°/82°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
1%
Feb
1%
Mar
2%
Apr
5%
May
14%
Jun
48%
Jul
100%
Aug
82%
Sep
54%
Oct
33%
Nov
4%
Dec
3%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Things to do
From Your Boat To The Bridge · 1.5 mi · 10388 ft gain · <p>The length of this trail changes every day. As the water levels on Lake Powell rise and fall, the docks have to be moved so they will reach the shore.<br /> <br /> The amount of time it takes to enjoy this hikes depends on how you got here. If you joined a boat tour, you have to leave when your boat does.<br /> <br /> If you brought your own boat, you have to be gone by sundown. The trail is usually about a mile and a half one way, but does involve walking uphill, on some sandy and rocky areas, in extreme desert weather. You can choose when to turn around and go back to your boat.</p>
Contemplate Your Place in the Landscape At The Big Map · <p>Take a second glance, take an afternoon. Our friends welcome visitors to take their time (while the building is open) and see what they can find on the map.</p>
Accessibility
1 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Rainbow Bridge National Monument — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
Trail profile
Each dot is a trail — distance vs. elevation gain, by difficulty.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Rainbow Bridge National Monument — each spans a cross-park journey.
Frank "Boss" Pinkley
— Pinkley, Boss, NPS HistoryPlaces to see
Rainbow Bridge
audioAudio & media
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Learn more
When the climate changes enough, the vegetation communities growing in any given place will also change. Under an expanded bimodal climate zone, some plant communities in western national parks are more likely to change than others. National Park Service ecologists and partners investigated the future conditions that may force some of this change. Having this information can help park managers decide whether to resist, direct, or accept the change.
On August 4, 2008, Wall Arch in Arches National Park collapsed. While the forces of gravity and erosion may contribute to the collapse of natural rock formations like Wall Arch, are there other forces that may hasten the collapse of magnificent natural rock structures?
Visitors to Arches National Park experience natural free-flowing waters and have water to quench their thirst, thanks to an agreement between the National Park Service and the State of Utah.
The combination of high. elevation and a semi-arid climate makes the Colorado Plateau particularly vulnerable to climate change. Climate models predict that over the next 100 years, the Southwest will become warmer and even more arid, with more extreme droughts than the region has experienced in the recent past.
Ever wondered what those dark lines were on the rock walls of canyon country? These black, brown, and red streaks are called desert varnish.
Dinosaur fossils have been discovered at or are associated with at least 27 NPS units. Geographically, their finds are concentrated in the parks of the Colorado Plateau, but they have been found from central Alaska to Big Bend National Park in Texas to Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Massachusetts. The most famous site is the Dinosaur Quarry of Dinosaur National Monument, but a rush of new finds since the 1970s has greatly expanded our knowledge.
The Black-throated Sparrow edition of Get to Know the Plateau, spotlighting a beautiful bird of the Colorado Plateau. Brought to you by the Southern Colorado Plateau Network.
The cave primrose edition of Get to Know the Plateau, spotlighting a beautiful and endemic species on the Colorado Plateau. Brought to you by the Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network.
How Rainbow Bridge National Monument connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
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