Tag: Natural Bridges National Monument

Exploring Sipapu Bridge: A Scenic Descent

Experience the thrill of descending into Utah’s White Canyon—slickrock trails, driftwood ladders, and stunning views await at Sipapu Bridge in Natural Bridges Monument.

MichaelStephenWills6 Comments
The final descent into White Canyon to view Sipapu Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument near Blanding, Utah

Final Step

Here is a photograph of the final stage of our descent into White Canyon. Here the trail traverseed a type of sandstone called “Slickrock.” For Pam and I the surface was like sandpaper and, for the right type of shoes, provides great traction.

That day I wore Lowe hiking boots with a harder sole and these could slip at times. I’d recommend a different shoe for the trail, but my boots come over the ankle and provide great support. Plus, the canyon bottom is sandy, so high boots prevent sand from falling into the shoe. A perfect choice for this trip is a high boot that provides support, with a softer sole on a hard and light shank (to protect you against sharp rocks).

What is Slickrock?

Slickrock was named by the first settlers and explorers who discovered their iron shod horses lost footing on the steep slopes of this sandstone.

This was another feature of Pam and my descent into White Canyon. The sandstone weathers in a way that produces steep slopes over which the trail must pass and the traveler navigate. I chose this image as a Fine Art print (part of a series featuring Natural Bridges National Monument) because this part of the trial is strange and beautiful.

The hard rock cliffs are resistant to wear and, in this climate, weather to provide rounded surfaces. The cliff face is scalloped and marked with desert varnish striations that “pop out” from the red rock. Then, there is the clear light and bright morning sky on a summer morning that promised thunderstorms.

Gratitude

Then, there are the personal memories of that iron railing drilled into the rock and that marvelous looking ladder created from driftwood found in the canyon.  That ladder is a work of art!!  The photograph does not reproduce the feeling Pam and I had at that point of the descent.  I needed to climb down the ladder backwards (facing out) and holding on .

We were both grateful to reach the sandy stream bed in White Canyon.

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Sipapu Bridge Up Close

MichaelStephenWills4 Comments

This post continues my story of Sipapu Bridge.

I created a series of fine art prints from a visit my wife Pam and I made to Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah.  Here are a few of these prints which grace fine homes around the world.  Click any of the photographs to visit the gallery.

We walked a narrow cliff patch climbed a series of weathered pine ladders  to  achieve these views of Sipapu Bridges National Monument.

While the sky is unchanged, below the canyon rim is another world.  The black stripes of the cliffs is desert varnish, a thin deposit of clay, iron and manganese oxides.  The rock supporting the varnish is resistant to wear and protected from direct precipitation (in this case by the overhanging cliff).

Eventually we came to a ledge with a view of Sipapu Bridge.  Pam took the opportunity to capture this amazing experience.

Mike at Sipapu Bridge
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A Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma). Historically, across the west, Native Americans used the wood in building their houses. They ate the berries; smoked the bark; made shoes, clothing, and rope from it.

Sipapu is a Hopi word for the small hole or indentation in the floor of kivas used by the Ancient Pueblo Peoples and modern-day Puebloans. It symbolizes the portal through which their ancient ancestors first emerged to enter the present world. A natural bridge is formed through erosion by water flowing in the stream bed of the canyon. Sipapu Bridge is 268 feet across and, standing in the stream bed, it is 220 feet above your head.

Here is a close up of the white Permian sandstone of the bridge arch.  The entire canyon is carved from this stone and named after it.

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World Portal

MichaelStephenWills15 Comments

Sipapu is one of the largest natural bridges known.

Part of the Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah, a place inaccessible until the “uranium boom” of the 1950’s and the road was only paved in 1976.

We visited on a July day of thunderstorms, which you see building here.  If you look closely at the base of the bridge, you can see the railings my wife and I used to climbed the steep sides of White Canyon.

We hiked a few miles along an unmaintained trail.  On the way we passed ancient cliff dwellings. The area is a maze of canyons throughout which these ruins are scattered.

Sipapu is a Hopi word for the small hole or indentation in the floor of kivas used by the Ancient Pueblo Peoples and modern-day Puebloans. It symbolizes the portal through which their ancient ancestors first emerged to enter the present world.

A natural bridge is formed through erosion by water flowing in the stream bed of the canyon.

Sipapu Bridge is 268 feet across and, standing in the stream bed, it is 220 feet above your head. That is white Permian sandstone, after which White Canyon is named.

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