Natural Bridges National Monument
Kachina, Owachomo & Sipapu Bridges
In 1908 Natural Bridges became a national monument. This year celebrates the monuments 100th anniversary and we couldn’t have asked for better February weather than 50 degrees and clear skies. I highly suggest cruising through Valley of the Gods on your way up to the monument by driving up Moki Dugway to see views of the desert below. Trust me they will not disappoint.
Before you reach the monument you’ll notice a tiny park sign off to your right pointing up a dirt road indicating Bears Ears. At first I did a double take and as we drove on I asked the forest ranger and she confirmed, yes that is the Bears Ears. Unfortunately due to snow the road was impassible right now making our trip to visit Bears Ears just being sight seeing one (for now).
Once you enter the monument you will notice there are no lines, no booth collecting fees and just a small park office. Stop in and be sure to grab a map and fill up on water. If you do the drive through tour it takes 45 minutes to drive through the scenic loop and that includes stopping at all 3 natural bridges. This park is great for children and elderly as they can see the sights just from a short stroll to the lookout point. And by short stroll I mean each lookout “hike” is measured in feet.
Hiking in the park is strenuous for the average person. But offers great vies of the bridges that you can’t see from the road. Hiking to Sipapu Bridge is 1.2 miles and your elevation gain / loss is around 500ft. On average this should take you an hour but count on more in the summer as the trails in this park are exposed. Sipapu Bridge is the 2nd largest bridge in the USA.
What is the difference between an arch and a bridge?
A natural arch is a rock that has a hole formed by a natural occurrence leaving an intact frame. A natural arch must be made of rock. If it’s made of compacted soil, ice, a fallen tree it does not qualify as a natural arch. Unless that tree is petrified and well, that makes it a rock.
A natural bridge is a type of natural arch. it is distinguished from other types of natural arches by having either one of the following. A current of water being the acting agent in the formation of the hole or is currently flowing through the hole. Or is being used by a man as a bridge of supporting a portion of a road, or has the general appearance of being a man made bridge.
In actuality an bridge is a type of arch.
In Natural Bridges National Monument you will see all different ages of bridges. The classification of bridges is simple, Young, Adult and Old. You can tell the stages of each bridge type just by looking at the rock formations. These classifications also apply to arches.
