I made a brief visit to Natural Bridges National Monument while I was in southern Utah last month. My intention was to hike down to Sipapu Bridge but the trail was on the north side of the canyon, which meant it was slickrock covered in ice. No thank you. I know my limits.
I drove around to the south side of the park and hiked down to Owachomo Bridge instead. There were only a few icy areas, all of which were easily avoided. It was a nice short hike which ended at approximately the lower right of the photo above. I thought, “Dang! I’m on the shady side. I want to be on the sunny side.”
There was a rather steep drop-off under the bridge, which I didn’t think I’d be able to negotiate safely. I wondered if perhaps there was another way I could get down and past the drop-off. I’m almost always up for a little bushwhacking so I started looking around.
As you can see, I was successful in finding another route. The photo above ended up being my favorite.
Owachomo Bridge is 106 feet high and spans 180 feet. It’s 27 feet wide and has a thickness of 9 feet. You can learn more about Natural Bridges National Monument by clicking here.
Quite wonderful!