Natural Bridges Utah

Natural Bridges Utah is a National Monument off the UT 275. The two vast canyons and 3 large bridges sit 6,500 feet high and where created by an ancient sea millions of years ago.

You can enter the park through a scenic 9 mile loop with many interesting short hiking stops. When visiting there are a few things that you must see.

Sipapu Bridge

This bridge is the largest in the park and on a world scale it is second only to the rainbow bridge. In Hopi mythology the bridge was a place where souls passed back and forth through the human world and the spirit world. The Sipapu bridge is named after the Hopi word Sipapu meaning “place of emergence”

This is considered the youngest of all of the bridges due to the thickness of the rock and its small opening when compared to the other bridges in the park. It is named after the Hopi Kachina Spirit which displayed a lightning snake symbol on their bodies. The bottom of the rock has many ancient carving of snakes to celebrate this spirit.

This large structure is truly a site to see. Owachomo means “Rock mountain” in Hopi. The rocks thin layers and wide whole suggest that the Owachomo Bridge has either eroded faster or is older than the other bridges.

This ancient village was inhabited by the Anasazi people between the years of 1050 and 1300 AD. One of the most amazing part is that there are both round and square Kiva’s (or ancient Cement Buildings) in the same cities.

Square Kivas are associated with Northern Arizona while round Kivas are associated with western Colorado and western Utah. It is truly amazing to find them built together.

Camping is allowed for a first come first serve bases. There are only 13 spots available so showing up early is normally a wise idea.

Here is some more information on the park.

Natural Bridges National Monument
HC 60 Box 1
Lake Powell, UT 84533
(435) 692-1234

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