Natural Bridges National Monument



Natural Bridges National Monument is located about 50 miles northwest of Four Corners. The park features 3 natural bridges with the Hopi names of Sipapu, Kachina, and Owachomo. President Theodore Roosevelt designated the area a national monument on April 16, 1908. It is Utah's first National Monument. In addition to the natural bridges, there is a well preserved Ancestral Puebloan site, the Horsecollar Ruin. The ruin has a rectangular kiva and 2 granaries with oval shaped doors roughly resembling horse collars which give the ruin its name. The park contains a nice visitor center, campground, and picnic areas. I visited the park in 1989 and again in 2009.



Park sign


Visitor Center

Might be a Plateau Lizard
Not sure


Horsecollar Ruin sign


Horsecollar Ruin - South Unit


Sipapu Bridge

Sipapu is the largest and most spectacular of the three bridges in the Monument. It is considered middle aged, older than Kachina but younger than Owachomo. Sipapu is the Hopi word for the opening beween worlds in acestral puebloan mythology.
Height: 220 ft - Span: 268 ft - Width: 31 ft - Thickness: 53 ft



Sipapu Bridge


Sipapu Bridge


Sipapu Bridge


Sipapu Bridge (1989)


Sipapu Bridge (2009)


Sipapu Bridge


Puebloan granary or storage room


Kachina Bridge

Kachina is the youngest of the 3 bridges and is situated about midway between Owachomo and Sipapu. It's smaller than Sipapu and larger than Owachomo. Kachina is the Hopi word for a spirit being in the mythology of Pueblo Indians.
Height: 210 ft - Span: 204 ft - Width: 44 ft - Thickness: 93 ft



Terrain near Kachina Bridge


Pool at Kachina Bridge


Kachina Bridge


Kachina Bridge


Kachina Bridge


Owachomo Bridge

Owachomo is the oldest of the 3 bridges. It's also the smallest and thinnest, and will probably be the first to collapse; it's only 9 ft thick at the center of its span. Owachomo means "rock mound" in Hopi.
Height: 106 ft - Span: 180 ft - Width: 27 ft - Thickness: 9 ft



Owachomo Bridge


Owachomo Bridge


Owachomo Bridge


Owachomo Bridge


Owachomo Bridge

Desert Spiny Lizard
(Sceloporus magister)


Wash near Owachomo Bridge


Source material obtained from the National Park Service.
Use the form on the Home Page to submit comments, questions, or suggestions.  TD Productions Copyright © 2019