Natural Bridges National Monument

Sipapu Bridge, 220 ft. tall and 268 ft. span

We rushed out of Capitol Reef NP on a Sunday afternoon so we could beat the snowy weather headed our way. We don’t have a heater in the van so anything under 20-ish degrees is quite chilly! As we drove toward our BLM camp spot near Natural Bridges National Monument we could feel the temps drop. We braved the cold night awoke to snowy & icy conditions the next morning. While the temps were below freezing, it was a clear and sunny day so we headed for Natural Bridges National Monument. We were the only ones at the visitor center when we arrived and after grabbing a map and getting our passport stamp, we hit the scenic loop drive around the park. It was pretty awesome to have the park to our selves and with the proper gear on the freezing weather wasn’t so bad!

Kachina Bridge, 210 ft. tall and 204 ft. span

As its name implies, this park is home to some of the largest natural bridges in the world. While there are numerous bridges in the park, the main attractions are Sipapu, Kachina, and Owachomo bridges whose names give homage to the Puebloan people who once lived in the area. We had originally planned to hike the ten mile loop from bridge to bridge but, because of the cold, we decided to stick to the loop drive and hop to each bridge in the van then take the short hikes to them once at the parking lot.

Owachomo Bridge, 106 ft. tall and 180 ft. span

Takeaways

This small national monument has much to offer and made for a great day trip in between Capitol Reef and Canyonlands. My favorite natural bridge was Sipapu and Alan’s favorite was Owachomo.

Thanks for reading!

-Alan & Ashby