Mick McMurray
- Apr 2
- 2 min read

Discovering Rainbow Bridge

Updated: 4 days ago

Rainbow bridge, with a stream beneath it, and a blue sky in the background

Rainbow Bridge. For scale there is a Ranger led group in front of the bridge on the left side.

We embarked on an unforgettable adventure to discovering Rainbow Bridge and soaked in the picturesque scenery of the beautiful Lake Powell. The journey began as we boarded the tour boat at the resort, and we were amazed by the captain's skill in navigating the narrow channels. Upon arrival, a mile hike awaited us to reach the awe-inspiring span which is 290 feet high and is the largest natural bridge in the world. Different Native American tribes view this site as sacred and holy and fought to preserve the area from the expansion of tourism however they lost their court battles. Upon arrival at the site, we were met by a park ranger who gave us some history on the area and we were told to not walk through the bridge so some people scrambled over boulders to see the back side of the bridge. Everyone on our tour was respectful of the site however I've sadly heard that is not always the case.

Due to the current low water level in Lake Powell, accessing the dock by the Rainbow Bridge has become impossible. Only small watercraft can now access the area, and they have to beach their craft on a muddy bank that is quite a distance away from the bridge.

The entrance sign to the Waheap campground in page Arizona

This is where we camped and also where the tour boat is based.

Picturesque rock formations and a clear blue sky on a sunny day on Lake Powell

Scenery on the way to Rainbow Bridge.

In the narrow channels

An awesome job of navigating

Discovering Rainbow Bridge Hike

The hike from the dock to the bridge was about 2 miles around trip on mostly well-maintained trails. There were about 40 people on the tour so it wasn't very crowded. Most everyone spread out once there with some people exploring the area and some listening to the talk that the ranger was doing.