Natural Bridges National Monument

National monument, southeastern Utah, U.S. Comprising three large natural bridges carved by two winding streams, it was established in 1908.

The largest bridge, Sipapu, is 222 ft (68 m) high and spans 261 ft (80 m). Pictographs were carved on another of the bridges, Kachina, by early cliff dwellers.

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▪ monument, Utah, United States

      scenic area in southeastern Utah, U.S., containing three natural sandstone bridges (natural bridge). The bridges were carved by two winding streams that formed on the western slopes of Elk Ridge, a formation of the northwestern Colorado Plateau. Established in 1908, the monument lies 42 miles (68 km) west of Blanding and occupies a 12-square-mile (31-square-km) site.

      The largest bridge, Sipapu, rises 220 feet (67 metres) above the streambed and has a span of 268 feet (82 metres). The Kachina and Owachomo bridges are, respectively, 210 and 106 feet (64 and 32 metres) high with spans of 204 and 180 feet (62 and 55 metres). There are many Native American ruins in the vicinity, and pictographs are found on the abutments of Kachina, carved by early Ancestral Pueblo (Ancestral Pueblo culture) (Anasazi) cliff dwellers. Piñon pine and juniper forests are the common vegetation in the vicinity.

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