Traveling America By Van: Bridges And Arches
John Kumiski
Southeast Utah contains the most exotic real estate on the continent. In some places you'll find natural stone bridges, carved over thousands of years by the action of running water, enormous structures whose very size boggles the mind. In other places you'll find natural arches, carved over thousands of years by the action of wind and water, enormous structures whose very size boggles the mind. Finally, you'll find canyons, carved over millions of years by the action of the Colorado and Green Rivers, enormous structures whose very size boggles the mind. Prepare to be impressed if you visit this area!
At Natural Bridges National Monument, a motivated hiker can walk a ten-mile loop trail that takes in the three largest bridges in the park, as well as several smaller ones. Susan and I were not that motivated! We drove the nine-mile loop trail, stopping to get out and take short hikes at two of the bridges. Spectacular scenery rewards the tourist on this road!
At Owachomo Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument.
Our first hike was to an overlook, a cliff that looks down on Sipapu Natural Bridge. This viewpoint provides scenic views of the second largest natural bridge in the United States and the largest bridge in the park. This spot is just a few minutes drive from the visitor center. The walk, although steep in spots, only takes ten or fifteen minutes.
We got there and Susan scared me by getting too close (in my opinion) to the edge. In her defense, she did not fall off, so I may have been a tad overprotective. At any rate, the breathtaking views soon diverted my attention. Although we did not, one can hike all the way to the bottom of the canyon and get a snake's-eye view of the bridge. We were content to stay on the ledge.
Susan on the viewpoint for Sipapu Natural Bridge. The bridge is in the lower left of the frame.
Back in the car, we drove to the parking lot for Owachomo Bridge, the smallest, and perhaps oldest, bridge in the park. This time we did walk a mile to get down under the bridge, which was magnificent. I borderline went crazy with the camera, shooting way more bridge picture than anyone might need. I did capture a few good images, though.
The campground at Natural Bridges Park is small, with sites available only on a first-come first-served basis. We drove through, hoping to find a site, without success. We ended up camping south of Monticello in the Devil's Canyon campground for two chilly nights.
Our next stop was Arches National Park. This visit was fairly quick, a half-day, and much less time than this place deserves. Again, it was mostly an automobile tour with some short walks at selected points.
Over and over again, the views were simply stunning.
Massive arches, spires, pinnacles, and impossibly balanced boulders compete for the viewer's attention in this fairy-tale landscape. Had we more time here, we might have taken some longer hikes, or even gotten a campsite so we could better explore the park.
An arch at Arches National Park. People under this structure give one a feel for its enormous size.
The park's longest hike is the Devil's Garden Trail, an almost-eight-mile loop, a difficult, full-day adventure. Bring plenty of water if you choose to attempt this one- temperatures climb quickly when the sun shines.
Geologic forces at work for over 65 million years created both these incredible landscapes. Deposition, faulting, and erosion by wind, water, and ice slowly shaped, and continues to shape, the landforms in both of these parks. A visitor today who returns in 1000 years will likely see different versions of the same places, not that any of my readers are likely to do that!
The town of Moab lies between the two parks. All kinds of outfitters offer all kinds of adventures from here- white-water rafting on the Colorado River, fly fishing in the Green River, rock-climbing lessons, Jeep tours, off-road vehicle tours, helicopter tours, and more. There's plenty to do around here!
Newspaper Rock, a petroglyph panel on the way to the Needles entrance to Canyonlands National Park.
We drove to the Needles Overlook, which looks over the Colorado River Canyon. It's not called Grand here, but it well could be. It's the same river, and the same canyon, and is simply amazing. From there we went to the Islands in the Sky portion of Canyonlands National Park, a wilderness of rock and sky where the Green and Colorado Rivers converge. We got a view of the same canyon from the other side of the river- by a distance of about fifty miles.
Once again, this was primarily an automobile tour- no long hikes, no off-roading. We simply got out at designated stops and tried to understand what we were seeing, incredible landscapes on a scale that defies comprehension. Anyone who has visited Grand Canyon will understand. This is the same river, and the same canyon, upstream from the Grand Canyon by several hundred miles.
Susan on an overlook at Canyonlands National Park.
I cannot recommend a visit to this area highly enough. Unless you get on a backcountry trail you're unlikely to find any solitude. But amazing views practically smack you at every turn. You won't be sorry you visited, I promise!
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