Some of Arizona’s best attractions… aren’t actually in Arizona at all. Just south of the border with Utah lies one of the largest natural bridges on earth, Rainbow Bridge National Monument, and its grandeur definitely needs to be experienced to be fully understood. It’s the world’s largest natural bridge in Arizona that’s not even in Arizona (whew!).
There’s so much to do on the pristine Lake Powell and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area as a whole: boating, fishing, hiking, and swimming, among other activities.
Domenico Convertini/Flickr One attraction, hidden deep within Forbidding Canyon, is easily one of the most underrated places on the Arizona-Utah border.
One of the world’s largest-known natural bridges, and the single largest in the country, this staggering monument attracts nearly 85,000 visitors from all over the globe annually.
Bernard Spragg. NZ/Flickr Spanning 234 feet, Rainbow Bridge is considered sacred to a number of local Native American tribes.
Comprised of sandstone deposited by wind as dunes, the bridge began forming about 200 million years ago.
Bernard Spragg. NZ/Flickr Extreme fluctuations in climate, from sea to desert reminiscent of the Sahara, created layers of stone with differing levels of hardness.
Due to its cultural significance, the National Park Service asks visitors to explore in a respectful manner.
Bernard Spragg. NZ/Flickr After all, its existence has only been known to the outside world for just over 100 years.
Rainbow Bridge is so large, it’s visible from space!
Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon/Wikipedia
Two other similar structures, Kolob Arch and Landscape Arch (pictured below), are both longer than Rainbow Bridge.
Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de/Wikimedia Since they’re arches rather than bridges, however, the Rainbow Bridge still retains its claim-to-fame. Xianren Bridge in China has the largest span worldwide.
You’ll find Rainbow Bridge on Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, just north of the Arizona-Utah border.
Google Maps Most visitors arrive by boat, but the monument is also accessible via a 14-mile hiking trail through Navajo Nation lands (a permit is required).
Rainbow Bridge may be operating with reduced hours or other temporary restrictions, so visit the National Park Service website to learn more. Have you ever visited Rainbow Bridge National Monument? If so, tell us all about your experience! Check out our previous article to learn about another breathtaking natural wonder in the area: The Easy Trail In Arizona That Will Take You To The Top Of The World.
Domenico Convertini/Flickr
One attraction, hidden deep within Forbidding Canyon, is easily one of the most underrated places on the Arizona-Utah border.
Bernard Spragg. NZ/Flickr
Spanning 234 feet, Rainbow Bridge is considered sacred to a number of local Native American tribes.
Extreme fluctuations in climate, from sea to desert reminiscent of the Sahara, created layers of stone with differing levels of hardness.
After all, its existence has only been known to the outside world for just over 100 years.
Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon/Wikipedia
Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de/Wikimedia
Since they’re arches rather than bridges, however, the Rainbow Bridge still retains its claim-to-fame. Xianren Bridge in China has the largest span worldwide.
Google Maps
Most visitors arrive by boat, but the monument is also accessible via a 14-mile hiking trail through Navajo Nation lands (a permit is required).
Are there any restaurants, businesses, or other attractions in Arizona you think the world should know about? Head over to our nomination page and give them a shoutout — you just might see your submission featured in an upcoming article!
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Address: Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Forbidding Canyon Lake, Powell, UT 84533, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
World’s Largest Natural Bridge in Arizona December 17, 2021 Tori Jane What are some weird places in Arizona? Arizona is a beautiful state, but don’t let that fool you – it’s totally weird in all the best ways possible, too. For example, Arizona is home to numerous ghost towns, allegedly haunted towns, historical locations and buildings, and so much more. There are some pretty unusual places peppered all over these locales, like the entire town of Jerome, for example. Most of it is said to be haunted and once upon a time it was a booming, will western mining town. The Grand Hotel in Jerome was once an insane asylum, and now it’s a hotel – definitely worth checking out! The entire town of Sedona is thought by many to have mystical powers, including but not limited to healing energy vortices among the red rocks. If urban exploration is more your thing, you can’t miss the totally-weird-but-totally-rad Casa Grande Domes, or the strange community of Arcosanti. You should also check out the remains of once-booming towns along Route 66! Are there any interesting roadside attractions in Arizona? Arizona is a state with plentiful, beautiful desert, and plenty of bizarre roadside attractions that even the locals have to check out at least once in their lives. Quite probably the most famous (or infamous) roadside attraction in Arizona is THE THING?, which is nestled in southern Arizona near Willcox. What IS THE THING? Guess you’ll just have to find out by visiting, eh? There’s also Historic Route 66, which has plenty of cute roadside motels, towns, rest stops, and more, which makes for a great “roadside attractions” road trip! In Williams, there’s a weird campground themed after The Flintstones, and in Oracle, you can find a literal working biosphere seemingly in the middle of nowhere. For more information about each of these ideas and then some, make sure to check out this article for some of the best roadside attractions in Arizona.
The OIYS Visitor Center
World’s Largest Natural Bridge in Arizona
December 17, 2021
Tori Jane
What are some weird places in Arizona? Arizona is a beautiful state, but don’t let that fool you – it’s totally weird in all the best ways possible, too. For example, Arizona is home to numerous ghost towns, allegedly haunted towns, historical locations and buildings, and so much more. There are some pretty unusual places peppered all over these locales, like the entire town of Jerome, for example. Most of it is said to be haunted and once upon a time it was a booming, will western mining town. The Grand Hotel in Jerome was once an insane asylum, and now it’s a hotel – definitely worth checking out! The entire town of Sedona is thought by many to have mystical powers, including but not limited to healing energy vortices among the red rocks. If urban exploration is more your thing, you can’t miss the totally-weird-but-totally-rad Casa Grande Domes, or the strange community of Arcosanti. You should also check out the remains of once-booming towns along Route 66! Are there any interesting roadside attractions in Arizona? Arizona is a state with plentiful, beautiful desert, and plenty of bizarre roadside attractions that even the locals have to check out at least once in their lives. Quite probably the most famous (or infamous) roadside attraction in Arizona is THE THING?, which is nestled in southern Arizona near Willcox. What IS THE THING? Guess you’ll just have to find out by visiting, eh? There’s also Historic Route 66, which has plenty of cute roadside motels, towns, rest stops, and more, which makes for a great “roadside attractions” road trip! In Williams, there’s a weird campground themed after The Flintstones, and in Oracle, you can find a literal working biosphere seemingly in the middle of nowhere. For more information about each of these ideas and then some, make sure to check out this article for some of the best roadside attractions in Arizona.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Arizona is a beautiful state, but don’t let that fool you – it’s totally weird in all the best ways possible, too. For example, Arizona is home to numerous ghost towns, allegedly haunted towns, historical locations and buildings, and so much more. There are some pretty unusual places peppered all over these locales, like the entire town of Jerome, for example. Most of it is said to be haunted and once upon a time it was a booming, will western mining town. The Grand Hotel in Jerome was once an insane asylum, and now it’s a hotel – definitely worth checking out! The entire town of Sedona is thought by many to have mystical powers, including but not limited to healing energy vortices among the red rocks. If urban exploration is more your thing, you can’t miss the totally-weird-but-totally-rad Casa Grande Domes, or the strange community of Arcosanti. You should also check out the remains of once-booming towns along Route 66!
Are there any interesting roadside attractions in Arizona?
Arizona is a state with plentiful, beautiful desert, and plenty of bizarre roadside attractions that even the locals have to check out at least once in their lives. Quite probably the most famous (or infamous) roadside attraction in Arizona is THE THING?, which is nestled in southern Arizona near Willcox. What IS THE THING? Guess you’ll just have to find out by visiting, eh? There’s also Historic Route 66, which has plenty of cute roadside motels, towns, rest stops, and more, which makes for a great “roadside attractions” road trip! In Williams, there’s a weird campground themed after The Flintstones, and in Oracle, you can find a literal working biosphere seemingly in the middle of nowhere. For more information about each of these ideas and then some, make sure to check out this article for some of the best roadside attractions in Arizona.
