Natural Bridges National Monument became Utah’s first National Monument in 1908. It protects three impressive natural bridges situated in White and Armstrong Canyons in the southeast part of the state. A natural bridge is geologically different from an arch in that a bridge is formed by running water whereas an arch is not. Utah has quite a few of both.
The human history of this area stretches back at least 9,000 years as archaeologists have found tools and other evidence dating to that time. Ruins in the park show that the Ancestral Puebloans inhabited the area from around 700AD to around 1270AD. In more recent times, Paiute and Navajo people have made their homes in and around these canyons. in 1883, a man named Chris Hite wandered up White Canyon in search of gold and brought word of these magnificent natural bridges to the outside world. National Geographic did a story on the bridges in 1904 and in 1908 Theodore Roosevelt designated them a part of a new National Monument. Very few visitors came in the early years of the park as it was a three day horseback ride from the nearest town. A uranium boom in the 1950s brought roads to the area and those roads were paved in 1976, allowing easier access to see the bridges.
Natural Bridges National Monument is a beautiful place. It’s quiet and remote and definitely off the beaten path. Unfortunately, I imagine most people visit on their way between one place and the next and only stop at the overlooks to get a look at the bridges. To really appreciate them, you need to hike down into the canyon and get a closer look. The trail to Sipapu Bridge is an adventure in its own right, descending several ladders on the way to the canyon floor. Getting down to Kachina and Owachomo Bridges is easier, and I even enjoyed hiking between these two along the canyon bottom. Like most of the Desert Southwest, the natural bridges are at their best at the edges of the day when the sun is low and the sandstone lights up. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Natural Bridges National Monument, well worth the detour if you’re ever in the area.