Weather: 78ยบ, stormy
About this Hike: Natural Bridge was one of the hikes on the original itinerary. Since this is a relatively short and straightforward hike, I stopped here while making my way down to Grant Village.
The skies were getting cloudy when I began the hike, but the clouds were a welcome respite from the high-altitude heat.
The hike follows an old road eventually reaching the namesake natural bridge. It is a neat feature of the park with a well-defined rock arch and a little stream trickling underneath.
The trail goes up to the top of the bridge and you can even walk in the middle of the arch. I'm honestly surprised the park service allows this, but then I guess the bridge is fairly strong.
I wrapped up on top of the bridge as the first rumbles of thunder began to be heard. By the time I was into the short hike back to the parking lot, it was a full on downpour. Despite lots of thunder, I never saw any lightning. The wind got much worse as I approached the parking lot. I finished just in time. Not surprising, I got caught in a small traffic jam due to a lodgepole pine that had blown down and was blocking half the main road.
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