Natural Bridge State Park

Story

Natural Bridge State Park is a 530acre state park of Wisconsin, United States, featuring Wisconsin's largest natural arch. Directly beneath the arch is the Raddatz Rockshelter, a rock shelter once used by Paleo-Indians and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park is located southwest of Baraboo between the unincorporated communities of Leland and Denzer, in the town of Honey Creek.Natural historyThe park is on the edge of the Baraboo Range in an unglaciated Driftless Area of south-central Wisconsin. Outcrops of sandstone deposited 1.6 billion years ago jut out of the tops of these hills.The arch and rock shelter have been weathered out of one such outcropping. The top of the arch is 35ft above the ground. The arch opening is 25ft wide and 15ft high. The rock shelter is 60ft wide and 30ft deep.The park's hills are forested with oak and other hardwoods. Some ridge tops bear small prairie remnants with grasses and cactus. Around the outcrop walls grow ferns such as the walking fern, slender lip fern and the rare purple cliffbrake. The shade of the rock faces also supports Solidago sciaphila, a rare goldenrod.