Page Updated: May 18, 2023
Natural Bridges
National Monument
Sipapu Bridge - Natural Bridges Monument UT
Even after a long travel day with multiple stops - and especially since we were driving right by it - we had to squeeze in a late day stop to Utah’s first National Parks Service area - Natural Bridges National Monument. Designated a national monument in 1908, Natural Bridges has just three bridges total, as well as ancestral cliff dwellings, pictographs, and white sandstone canyons to explore. Since our time was short, we skipped exploring by foot and stuck to driving the park loop; stopping only at designated view points to see what the monument was all about.
In a land renowned for some of the world’s most amazing arches, I wondered why the features of the monument were called bridges. The answer is how they’re created. Natural rock arches are formed through natural forces such as water and ice. Natural bridges are created through erosion by flowing water moving through the rock; creating a “natural bridge.”
The bridges of the monument each have Hopi Indian names. Sipapu, meaning “place of emergence,” is the first bridge for visitors to view off the 9-mile long, one-way loop known as Bridge View Drive. And, it’s one of the largest natural bridges in the world.
Each bridge also has it’s own short trail for visitors to get a closer look at geological layers and actual size. More adventurous hikers can choose to traverse the 8.2mile Under the Natural Bridges Loop linking all three bridges together while weaving through the canyon.
In another nod to being “the first,” Natural Bridges National Monument holds the honor of being the world’s first International Dark Sky Park. Certified in 2007, trails are open 24/7 allowing for exploring and stargazing throughout the night. Ranger led stargazing programs occur in the spring and summer.
With it’s Dark Sky designation and 24hr trail access, Natural Bridges seems the perfect place for camping. The monument has a single campground - open year-round - with just 13 sites that are first-come, first-served.
scenes from Natural Bridges
-b&b
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