There were a bunch of photo locations on the punch list today along UT Highway 95, but we had thunderstorms in the forecast, so we made a prudent decision to visit this one park an hour way. We sure are glad we did as it was a gem.

Natural Bridges was the first National Monument in Utah, established in 1908. It is located an hour northwest of Bluff and two hours south of Moab. There are three bridges and a Puebloan ruin here along a nine mile one-way loop road. The hearty can hike to each bridge, or you can see all of them from lookouts along the canyon rim.

The bridges are created by flash floods through White Canyon and Armstrong Canyon. As opposed to arches, bridges are formed by the erosive action of moving water.

Owachomo is the highest and oldest of the bridges. Flash floods can no longer reach this high bridge, but rain and frost still erode it. Sipapu bridge is middle-aged and is no longer eroded by the stream. Finally, Kachina bridge is the youngest and is still being eroded by flood waters.

We spent about two hours making the drive and taking shorts hikes to get the views of all the bridges and the ruin.

As you are hiking around you will see evidence of the gradual erosion all around you. There are little tiny arches everywhere.