Back in 2006, on our first trip to the Southwest USA national parks, we made a three-hour stop at Natural Bridges National Monument. We wanted to see the three natural bridges in the park. Luckily, a scenic drive took us to all three natural bridges. It was summertime and very hot. We did not have the energy to endure the hot weather.
On April 16, 1908, Utah‘s first national monument was established by President Theodore Roosevelt. It was named Natural Bridges National Monument in honor of the three magnificent bridges sculpted by wind and water erosion. Although several names had been considered for these bridges, in 1909, the General Land Office named them Sipapu, Kachina, and Owachomo in honor of the Hopi culture.
Sipapu Bridge
Sipapu means “the place of emergence,” which is reflected by the arch formed by the bridge. The National Park Service (NPS) explains that the Hopi believed “their ancestors came into this world” via this entryway. Sipapu is the largest of the three bridges and is considered middle-aged.
In terms of years, Sipapu is “older than Kachina but younger than Owachomo,” according to the NPS. To give you some perspective of its size, the opening of that bridge could almost house the dome of the US Capitol. Here are Sipapu’s dimensions:
Thickness: 53 ft (16 m)
Height: 220 ft (67 m)
Span: 268 ft (82 m)
Width: 31 ft (9.5 m)
Kachina Bridge
The National Park Service (NPS) website describes this bridge as “the middle bridge” because it is equidistant from the other two bridges in that canyon. As with the other bridges, Kachina is also changing. Just as recently as June 1992, NPS reported that “approximately 4,000 tons of sandstone fell from the inside of the Kachina bridge opening.” In the photo above, you should be able to spot some people hiking in the canyon. They are at the bottom of the image, near center, in the open area between the trees lining the trail.
Kachina was named because of rock art resembling symbols the Hopi commonly used on kachina dolls. One notable feature of Natural Bridges National Monument is that on March 6, 2007, the International Dark-Sky Association certified the park as the first International Dark Sky Park. This bridge’s dimensions are:
Height: 210 ft (64 m)
Span: 204 ft (62 m)
Width: 44 ft (13 m)
Thickness: 93 ft (28 m)
Owachomo Bridge
We finally reach the last bridge: Owachomo. Owachomo (“rock mound” in Hopi) is the thinnest of the three and is believed to be the oldest. Because of its span, age, and thickness, Owachomo is in very precarious conditions. With continuous erosion, this bridge may one day collapse. At the park visitor center, there is an old photo of travelers on horseback crossing this bridge. These are the bridge dimensions:
Height: 106 ft (32 m)
Span: 180 ft (55 m)
Width: 27 ft (8 m)
Thickness: 9 ft (3 m)
If you are traveling around the US Four Corners area, Natural Bridges NM is approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest of the Four Corners. It is definitely worth a stop.
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nesfelicio
Beautiful natural bridges beautifully photographed.
This post makes me want to see them while they’re in this condition.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Nes. It’s been so long I went there. I would love to revisit them, too, and spend more time on a hike.
Vicki
These bridges are amazing and your photos just perfect to illustrate them.
Clever use of the clear blue sky to highlight the shape.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you so much, Vicki. I would love to go back again and reshoot those bridges with a better camera and wide angle lens.
margaret21
How fabulous. I’d never heard of these. Apart from the last one, now too weathered, are they actually used as bridges?
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Margaret. No, they’re not used as bridges. In fact, the National Park System prohibits people from using them as bridges.
margaret21
Just as well!
Leanne Cole
They are amazing, wow, what a great place to explore. I would be worried about that last one, looks like it might fall down soon.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Leanne. They are all dangerous to walk under. Rocks fall from these places from time to time.
Writing to Freedom
Thanks for the tour Egidio. The southwest has so many interesting features carved from wind, water, and time.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you for the feedback, Brad. Yes, the SW is full of great scenes.
Anne Sandler
What a beautiful park Egidio. Your photographs are stunning.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks so much, Anne.