Sewanee Natural Bridge

A remarkable natural sandstone arch, the Sewanee Natural Bridge is easily accessible via a 400-foot stair-stepped path from the parking lot.  Take US 41A west from the Sewanee village area, then left on TN 56 for about 2 miles; Sewanee Natural Bridge Road will be on your left.  Please respect the privacy of landowners whose homes flank the narrow tract that contains the Natural Bridge formation.

A masterpiece of Mother Nature’s handiwork, the 27-foot tall natural bridge has been artfully weathered from solid sandstone by natural forces. Cross the bridge and turn left, making a U-turn to descend below the arch, where you can explore the area immediately below. 

Please exercise great care when crossing the bridge, particularly with children. 

People have always been fascinated by unusual geological formations. This Natural Bridge has long been an attraction, and can be found on a number of antique postcards, dating from the early 1900s. 

Notice that in both of these postcards the forest above the bridge has all but vanished; in the latter half of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century, nearly every accessible acre of forest on the Plateau had been cut for timber or firewood. Nearly all of the trees you now see have grown since then.