Natural Bridges National Monument
June 17, 2010 -- Located in a remote section of southeast Utah off SR95, Natural Bridges National Monument is a breathtaking few explore. While not as ‘glamorous’ as other destinations in the southwest a visit to Natural Bridges still leaves one awestruck and impressed. Close to Cedar Mesa, Grand Gulch and the La Sal Mountains the monument contains three natural bridges, cliff dwellings, pictographs and white sandstone canyons.
Unlike arches, natural bridges are formed by running water are often deep within canyons.
We explored the monument via Bridge View Drive which is actually a paved loop with overlooks of Sipapu, Kachina and Owachomo Natural Bridges.
We made the short hike to the Horse Collar Ruins overlook which allowed us to see the ruins across the canyon.
For more information about Natural Bridges National Monument click here.
Of couse, often the best part of an adventure is the travel to and from the actual destination. As I mentioned, Natural Bridges is off the beaten path. For us traveling from Salt Lake City to Albuquerque we made our route intentional so we could see a corner of Utah most miss.
Hanksville to Blanding is an incredibly beautiful stretch of road with a couple of fun side stops and wonderful scenery.
From Natural Bridges it was on to Mexican Hat via the Moki Dugway. The dugway is located on UT-261 in southeast Utah, south of Natural Bridges National Monument. It is a series of sharp switchbacks down a steep gravel road over less than three miles. UT-261 is paved, except for the Dugway.
The route was built in 1958 by a mining company, to transport uranium ore from the "Happy Jack" mine in Fry Canyon, UT to the processing mill in Mexican Hat. The three miles of unpaved, but well graded, switchbacks descend 1100 feet from the top of Cedar Mesa.
According to a sign in Natural Bridges National Monument, the term "mokee" is derived from the Spanish word moqui, which was a general term used by the 18th century Spanish explorers and settlers in this region to describe the Pueblo Indians they encountered and the vanished culture which had left behind the numerous ruins they discovered during their travels. This term continued to be used by the Anglo pioneers, who moved into southern Utah during the 1800's, and their descendants.
