Natural Bridges National Monument

     On 9/29 we entered Canyonlands National Park at Needles, the southeastern corner.  Having previously explored the northern part of the park (the portion called Island in the Sky) as well as Arches National Park, we feel like we could have skipped Needles.  

      The excitement for the day was a nail-biting 6-mile round trip down a hilly, narrow, one lane dirt road with blind curves and limited spots to move over to allow oncoming cars to squeeze by.  The map indicated there was a picnic area, restrooms and hiking trails at the end of the road, but not the aforementioned details.   Seeing it was a dirt road, we asked another truck camper if our rig would do okay on it.  He said, "Sure, no problem!"  What was he thinking?!  There was no place to turn back until we got to the end and once we made it there Mark just wanted to turn around and make sure we made it back out.  We did encounter half a dozen oncoming vehicles.  At one point I got out of the truck to guide Mark while he backed up to a spot that was wide enough to let another pick-up inch past.  We wouldn't recommend taking a truck camper down Elephant Hill Road! :)  

       The following day (9/30) we explored Natural Bridges National Monument.  When we first arrived we secured a site at the campground because the ranger said they fill up every afternoon.   We drove the one-way loop around the park to the three natural bridges and ancient ruins of cliff dwellers.  For each natural bridge there is a shorter hiking trail to view the bridge from an overlook and a longer, more strenuous trail to the base of each bridge. The park brochure explains that bridges are different from arches in that they are "formed by the erosive action of moving water" over time.  Arches are formed by "other erosional forces - mainly frost action and seeping moisture".        Our first stop was Sipapu Bridge. We hiked down the side of the cliff to a second overlook about halfway down from the rim.  At an elevation change of 400 feet that was far enough for me to go.  Mark would have gone further but decided he would head back up for lunch:)  

Sipahu Bridge from the first Overlook

Hiking down to the second overlook

 

 

View of Sipahu Bridge from the second overlook

       Horse Collar Ruin - Looking across the canyon you can see horizontal crevasses eroded in the canyon walls.  Perched on the side of the cliff and nestled in some of those crevasses are the ruins of ancient cliff dwellers.  Horsecollar Ruin is said to have been inhabited by the Anasazi between A.D. 1050 and A.D 1300.  The crevasses offered natural protection from the weather and shade from the harsh summer sun, but it makes you wonder how they climbed up onto those ledges.  

View of a canyon wall where there are ruins of ancient cliff dwellers in the crevasses

 

Horse Collar Ruin

       Kachina Bridge - I viewed the bridge from the overlook but chose not to climb down to the base of Kachina Bridge.  It was a strenuous hike down and back up again.  I was still tired from the last hike so Mark went down without me.  He said the trail was mostly switchbacks cut into the canyon wall.  

My view of Kachina Bridge from the overlook

       Owachomo Bridge - We both hiked the more moderate trail to the base of this bridge.  It was pretty cool to stand below with this narrow expanse of rock stretching over your head.  

Owachomo Bridge

 

 

See Mark below Owachomo Bridge?

       It appears that this season is a popular one for camping in Utah, probably because of the cooler, milder temperatures at this time of year.  The campgrounds are often full.  Having secured a nice campsite early in the day in the Natural Bridges campground, we enjoyed a relaxing evening in a very pleasant spot.