Park Details
Maps!
Trails Illustrated Map 7 - Dark Canyon/Natural Bridges
At an elevation of 6,500 feet above sea level, the Monument is home to a wide variety of plants and animals. Plants range from the fragile cryptobiotic soil crusts to remnant stands of Douglas Fir and ponderosa pine. It includes hanging gardens in moist canyon seep springs, large cottonwoods on the canyon floors, and a wide variety of flowering species in the spring. Animals range from a variety of lizards, toads, and an occasional rattlesnake, to peregrine falcons, mountain lions, bobcat and black bear.
These relatively abundant resources made this an ideal home for ancient people as well. Over 200 archaeological sites are known in the park, including cliff dwellings of early Puebloan people, mesa top habitations, and remnants of corrals left by more recent cowboys.
Park Details
Location Information
Location:
San Juan County, Utah.
Address:
Natural Bridges National Monument
P.O. Box 1
Lake Powell, UT 84533
Telephone:
(801) 692-1234
Directions:
From the north/east, take Highway 191 to Blanding, Utah. Travel west 35 miles on Utah Highway 95,
then north 4 miles on Utah Highway 275, which ends at the Monument.
From the north/west take Highway 95 east from Hanksville, Utah, 93 miles to Highway 275, then 4 miles north to the Monument.
From the south, take Highway 163 to Mexican Hat, Utah. Travel north on Highway 261, 38 miles to Highway 95. Turn west on Highway 95, proceed 1.5 miles to Highway 275, then north 4 miles to the Monument. (NOTE: three miles of highway 261 is unpaved and narrow, with a 10% grade and is not recommended for motorcycles, oversize vehicles, or vehicles pulling trailers.)
Transportation:
There is no public transportation to or from Natural Bridges. Commercial air service is available to
Moab, Utah; Cortez, Durango, and Grand Junction, Colorado; Farmington, New Mexico; and
Flagstaff, Arizona. Bus service is available in Durango, Colorado; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Grand
Junction, Colorado. Amtrak serves Thompson, Utah, located about 150 miles from Natural Bridges,
but there is no connecting public transportation from the train station.
Operating Hours/Seasons
The Monument is open every day of the year. The visitor center closes for major holidays during winter months. The nine mile scenic drive is open every day from early morning until about 30 minutes past sunset.
Visitor center hours, summer: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; early spring and late fall: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; winter: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Reservations/Permits/Fees
Fees:
$4.00 per vehicle and $2.00 per individual. Golden Eagle, Age, and Access passes accepted and
available. Annual passes for Natural Bridges, Canyonlands, and Arches are accepted and available
for $10.00. Educational groups requesting a fee waiver should contact:
Fee Waiver Request
Arches National Park
P.O. Box 907
Moab, Utah 84532
That office handles fee waivers for Natural Bridges, Canyonlands, and Arches National Parks.
Climate, Recommended Clothing
Summer: highs 85 degrees to 90 degrees, lows 50 degrees to 60 degrees, thunderstorms possible.
Fall: highs 60 degrees to 75 degrees, lows 40 degrees to 50 degrees, usually mild, snow in late fall.
Winter: highs 40 degrees to 50 degrees, lows 10 degrees to 30 degrees, snow likely.
Spring: highs 50 degrees to 70 degrees, lows 20 degrees to 40 degrees, usually mild, snow possible until June.
Clothing should be varied throughout the year. Mild winter days may make hiking in light clothing possible, but below zero temperatures are not unusual in the winter. Rain is a possibility at any time, but especially in spring and late summer, so rain gear is recommended.
Facilities and Opportunities
Visitor Center/Exhibits:
Visitor center has exhibits, an audiovisual program, books, maps and videos for sale. Rangers are
on duty to answer questions and collect entry fees. Informal interpretive programs may be given on
the patio during peak season. Rest rooms and water are available 24 hours a day.
Trails, Roads:
The nine mile long Bridge View Drive is a one-way scenic loop starting and ending near the visitor
center. Overlooks for each of the three bridges and one cliff
dwelling are reached by short walks from parking areas along the drive. A trail head for each
bridge is also located along the drive, as is a small picnic area. The road is plowed in the winter.
An 8.2 mile loop trail connects all three bridges. It follows
the canyon bottom stream for most of its length, then exits the canyon and ends on the relatively
flat mesa top. It is a one mile hike and requires about six to eight hours to complete. The 8.2 mile loop
can be split into two shorter loops, each taking in two of the three bridges. Each requires three to
four hours, and ranges from five to six miles in length, depending on the loop taken.
Hikers with less time, simply hike down to the base of one bridge and back to the trail head. Round trip mileages are: Sipapu, 1.2 miles, 500 foot elevation change, 1 hour. Kachina: 1.5 miles, 400 foot elevation change, 1.25 hours. Owachomo: .6 miles, 180 foot elevation change, half an hour. A .5 mile round trip trail leads from a trail head on the Bridge View Drive to an overlook of Horsecollar Ruin, an early Puebloan site. The hike is relatively flat and takes about 30 minutes. NOTE: All of these trails are subject to closure during winter months when snow and ice make hiking extremely hazardous.
Programs/Activities:
Spring, summer and fall: evening ranger programs may be presented in the campground
amphitheater, one or more nights each week with varying schedules and topics. Guided walks and
visitor center patio talks may be offered.
Winter: due to limited staffing and visitation, no special programs are presented during the winter months. A six minute slide program is shown at the visitor center throughout the year.
A Junior Ranger Program is available, with an eight page "Kids Newspaper" full of stories, puzzles, games, and activities. Badges are awarded to children who finish the required number of activities for their age group.
Lodging and camping facilities:
There is no lodging in the park. Lodging is available in Fry Canyon, Blanding, Bluff, Mexican Hat,
and Monticello, Utah. Contact the San Juan County Travel Council at 1-800-574-4386 for further
information on lodging, dining, and area attractions.
The Monument's 13 site campground is open year-round, but it is not cleared of snow in the winter. No reservations are accepted and there is no group site available. Wood fires are permitted, but no wood gathering is allowed inside the Monument. Vehicles over 26 feet long are not allowed in the campground. All sites fill by early afternoon from early March through late October. Rangers at the visitor center can give directions to nearby camping areas in either case.
Food/supplies:
None are available at the Monument.
Accessibility:
The visitor center and rest rooms are accessible to all persons. The campground has no designated
site for disabled persons but has several sites and one rest room accessible. The three bridge
overlook trails are accessible via a concrete sidewalk, however the sidewalk to the Kachina Bridge
viewpoint may not be accessible with a standard wheelchair, due to its slope.
Visitation
Basic Visit Recommendations:
Plan to spend at least two to three hours to see the bridges and hike to at least one. Bring all
required food, gasoline, and other supplies with you, as none is available at the Monument. Pets
and bikes are not permitted on any trail or off-road area. Plan accordingly. Arrive by noon to claim a
campsite for the night.
Visitor Impacts:
Hiking is restricted to trails, wash bottoms, and slick rock areas. Travel in other areas destroys the
fragile cryptobiotic soil crusts that is critical to all other life in the region. Careless and uninformed
hikers, bikers, and drivers do tremendous damage to the area's ecosystem through off-road or
off-trail travel. Fragile archaeological sites are often damaged by people entering them and sitting,
standing, or climbing on walls. Others remove artifacts, and some touch rock art panels. Each of
these acts damages these fragile and irreplaceable sites. Though wood collecting for campfires is
prohibited, many people still break limbs from trees for firewood.
Walking or climbing on the bridges is prohibited. It is dangerous, and it detracts from the experiences of many other visitors who wish to view them without interference.
Adjacent Visitor Attractions
The best source of general information is:
San Juan County Travel Council
117 S. Main
Monticello, UT 84535
1-800-574-4386
Additional Information
Natural Bridges does not have adequate staffing or equipment to answer large numbers of electronic
mail information requests. The best way to request additional information is to use the mailing
address:
Natural Bridges National Monument
Attention Information Request
P.O. Box 1
Lake Powell, UT 84533.
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