NPS Website
WHAT IS IT?Three towering natural bridges, topographic anomalies caused by the erosive powers of swift moving rivers. Teddy Roosevelt named Natural Bridges Utah’s first National Park Site in 1908, a notable honor of distinction in a state so replete with geographic wonders.
BEAUTY (9/10)
Standing directly under Sipapu Bridge allows one to truly comprehend what it means to be the second largest natural bridge in the world. It is enormous. Sipapu stretches across the White Canyon separating the deep blue sky from the groves of Gambel’s oaks and canyon-cutting river below it. Its oranges and browns change hues according to the time of day.
The remaining bridges, Kachina and Owachomo, are equally impressive, particularly if you are in the Canyon looking up. Walls of hanging gardens, willows and cottonwoods, and a few ruins tucked underneath canyon overhangs almost make one forget the purpose of the hike. Until the next natural bridge appears towering above. They are always surprising, always awe-inspiring.
HISTORICAL INTEREST (2/10)
There are a few ruins and petroglyphs at the Site. The three bridges bear Hopi names but those names were actually bestowed by the U.S. government and bear no known connection to Ancestral Puebloan tribes who may have inhabited the area.
CROWDS (5/10)
Natural Bridges NM did not have a lot of visitors, just too many for its inadequately-sized campground. The few people that we met along the trail were lovely.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (1/5)
Natural Bridges NM is 40 miles west of the teeming metropolis of Blanding Utah via Utah Route 95. All restaurants and grocery stores in Blanding close at 9:00pm, as in lights off, nobody else in. We hate that place. The nearest Interstate to Natural Bridges, I-70, is 150 miles away; the nearest city of over 100,000 people is Provo, 240 miles to the northwest.
The Site’s desolation would not be so bad if there were more than 13 campsites. We arrived at 2:30pm and all the campsites were taken. You can probably see how this story is going to turn out. We ambled into Blanding at 8:55pm, just missing a few herds of mule deer along Rte. 95 and the town’s narrow food option window.
Other than that, the Park’s accessibility is tremendous. The 9-mile long, one-way Bridge View Drive stops at 10 natural bridge overlooks. All three bridges are visible from the overlooks and located within a nice compact space. For the more adventurous, a cairn-marked 8.6 mile long loop trail descends into White Canyon, follows the precarious creek bed and passes under all three awesome bridges. It is a wonderful hike and the only trail in the Park.
The moral to this story is get to Natural Bridges NM early in the morning. That ensures that all of your travel options remain open.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (4/5)We got about a 30-second glance of the bookstore in our rush to get out onto the loop trail and finish before dark. Our cursory take was a nice array of posters, puzzles and assorted things adorned with pictures of the Natural Bridges, nothing to knock off our smelly socks. The books looked to be an identical selection to those stocked at other southwestern Utah parks. Because of our haste, our score gives the bookstore the benefit of the doubt.
COSTS (3/5)
Entry is $6 per vehicle, free with the National Parks Pass.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (2/5)
We are still slightly mad at the one Ranger on duty. She told us that a) there were campsites left and b) that the overflow camping was easily accessible. We understand a) but the unpaved dirt road to the overflow camping was downright perilous to the Nissan Altima. The road bottomed out so much in places that we are thankful we still have an undercarriage. The overflow area, located in Bureau of Land Management land, is frighteningly isolated. We found it populated by one ancient and disheveled RV. That apparent danger coupled with threatening skies (no way out, no way out) motivated us to turn around and try our luck on the dark mountain road and in Blanding.
There are no Ranger talks at Natural Bridges NM.
TOURS/CLASSES (7/10)
Did not have a lot of time looking at the Museum panels either. We did notice that they were new and probably very informative, especially the one with the larger than life Teddy Roosevelt photograph. Again, benefit of the doubt.
FUN (8/10)
Even with our silly travel woes, we loved this place. The hike down into the canyon and under the bridges was so enjoyable and so much fun that it transformed us from arguing worriers into giddy and astounded hikers. The hike also transported us into that indescribable wonderland of southern Utah parklands. Is this the most beautiful part of the United States? If not, it certainly is the weirdest, the most mind boggling and the most amazing.
Hiking in between narrow steeped-walled canyons and crossing shallow riverbeds is a lot of fun. Each bend in the river brings a more astonishing view, a fantastically colored rock face and an easily conquered hiking challenge. Nothing though is more startling than turning a corner and seeing a 200-foot high natural bridge overhead, a bridge that you are about to walk under, a formation that feels both familiar (because of its man-made imitators) and wholly unnatural.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (9/10)Michael cites Natural Bridges NM as one of the many inspirations for our two-year trip. How does he feel now that we finally arrived? Are the bridges everything he thought they would be? Was the hike through the canyon worth it? Gab would have asked him on the hike, had he not been speechless - gazing up wide eyed and open-mouthed as we scrambled over the rocks and under each of the impressive spans.
The 8.6 mile loop trail ranks as one of our favorites on the trip. Shorter hikes and accessible overlooks mean there are ways for everyone to appreciate these natural wonders. Enjoying the Site shouldn’t take more than a day if you arrive a little sooner than we did. We were sorely disappointed at not getting a campsite, only because the nearest town of Blanding was so bland.
We recommend getting an early start and making Natural Bridges NM a mandatory stop on your excursion to any Park within the Grand Circle.
TOTAL 50/80
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