If you have traveled through Utah and have seen its unparalleled natural beauty, you may be surprised to learn that Natural Bridges was actually the first Utah park added to the National Park Service. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the area a national monument in 1908.
Natural Bridges National Monument is located in mesmerizing White Canyon. Its beauty is hard to describe and will take your breath away. The 3 bridges that you can visit are equally spectacular. The landscape reminded me of Capitol Reef, which is not that far away. Here are 5 amazing things to do at Natural Bridges National Monument.
5 amazing things to do at Natural Bridges National Monument
1. Drive the Bridge View Loop
The 9 mile drive with its many pullovers will introduce you to the beauty of this region. Stop at the viewpoints and take in the scenery of the White Canyon. You will also be able to see the 3 bridges from afar.
2. Hike to Sipapu Bridge
As I’ve mentioned above, there are 3 magnificent bridges you can hike to in the park. You can do it as one nine- mile loop or you can hike to them separately. We opted for the latter option, which created shorter hikes. We did, however, have to descend to the bottom of the canyon and then ascend to the rim 3 times. Nevertheless, we loved the hikes. The bridges were amazing and so was the scenery.
A round trip hike to Sipapu Bridge is about 1.5 miles long. It is rated as strenuous and requires you to use 3 wooden ladders and hand rails in several places. It’s a fairly short hike, though, so if you’re in good physical condition, you should be able to do it without issues. We loved the trail, the views of White Canyon, and the Sipapu Bridge. The bridge itself is one of the largest natural bridge in the world. We were the only ones at the bridge and were blown away by its massive structure.
3. Hike to Kachina Bridge
This is a slightly longer hike than the previous one and of similar degree of difficulty. However, the elevation loss and gain are smaller. The Kachina Bridge looks enormous as it is less eroded than the other bridges. Bring your lunch and have a picnic underneath this mammoth bridge.
4. Hike to Owachomo Brigde
The hike to Owachomo Bridge is shorter (0.5 mile) with a minor change in elevation. If you’re only going to do one hike, this would be a good one to do. The bridge is beautiful and quite significantly eroded, giving it its delicate thin shape.
5. Enjoy the views of Bears Ears
Bears Ears National Monument basically borders Natural Bridges. Interestingly enough, we weren’t able to get much information about the park from the rangers. Was it political? Who knows – but it seemed like no one was interested in talking about it. Nevertheless, you can definitely see the two buttes for which the newest national monument has been named.
Want something else to do? Camp in the park!
The campground at the Natural Bridges National Monument is lovely. We had a beautiful spot with lots of juniper trees and no neighbors in sight. We were initially going to stay for just one night but we liked it so much that we extended our stay for an additional night.
