natural story bridges

After the ascent through Moki Dugway, continuing further north through UT 261 and west along UT 95 brings you to Natural Bridges National Monument.  It is a well-maintained, 9 mile loop with walkways through rock and vegetation to Sipapu, Horse Collar House, Kachina, and Owachomo.

The first stop is Sipapu (place of emergence).  The information board detailed the Permian Layer the Natural Bridges formed from, preceding Arches, Bears Ears, and Monument Valley.

Horsecollar House is at the end of a lightly guard-railed path.  The dwellings are designated by a “south unit”, which contains a round and square kiva structure, and a “north unit”.

The pathway to Kachina starts as an overlook, leading to a trail that provides a ground view up to the formation.  Unfortunately I was unable to hike the full trail, but managed to get a top view of Armstrong and White Canyons.

Owachomo (rock mound) is unique from Sipapu and Kachina as the only bridge which no longer spans the streams that carved it, so it has the appearance of an arch.

The last stop and bonus was a view of Bears Ears.  The Navajo, Ute, and Pueblo people consider the area sacred and include it in their oral traditions.  One Navajo story about the buttes is that of Ataed' diy ini, or Changing-Bear-Maiden.

Naming and anthropomorphizing landforms has a way of imprinting more deeply in our memory.  Empathy level correlates to the number of stories we choose to experience, understand, and pass on through time.