Rainbow Bridge National Monument

Credit: NPS
1.  The American West is a land of spectacular landscapes and unique geological formations.  Views like  Oxbow Bend, shown above, from Dead Horse Point State Park near Canyonlands National Park, Utah, are easy to access by modern, paved roads.  But some of The West’s most spectacular formations, require a little more effort to reach but the experience and the views are well worth the effort.  One such remote vista is Rainbow Bridge National Monument along the shores of Lake Powell in the State of Utah.  

 Credit: Linda & Dr,  Dick Buscher
2.   Rainbow Bridge National Monument is small in size, only 160 square acres (65 ha) and is under the protection of the rangers of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.  Due to its remoteness, Rainbow Bridge National Monument is currently accessible only by two, 14+ mile (23 km) hiking trails leading from Navajo Mountain or a two-hour boat ride from one of three marinas located on Lake Powell and then a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) hike.  The natural rock bridge rises 290 feet (88 m) above Bridge Creek and has a span over Bridge Creek of 275 feet (84 m).  The top of the arch is 42 feet (13 m) thick and 33 feet (10 m) wide.

Credit: USGS
3.  Rainbow Bridge National Monument is located in the Four Corners area on the massive Colorado Plateau, a 240,000 square mile (386,242 sq km) region of spectacular geological formations and natural beauty.  It is hidden away in Bridge Canyon, one of the many isolated canyons at the base of Navajo Mountain and one of nearly 100 named canyons that surround Lake Powell.  Long known by Native American tribes, Rainbow Bridge is called by the Navajo People Nonnezoshe, which translates to means “rainbow turned to stone.”

 Credit: NPS
4.  The genesis of Rainbow Bridge began in the late Triassic Period and continues through the Jurassic Period between 187 sf 200 million years ago.  During this span of time the whole Colorado Plateau region alternated between shallow seas and desert regions similar to today’s Sahara Desert.  This ebb and flow of water resulted in the grains of ancient sand dunes being dispersed into thick layers of sediment ultimately forming sandstone with different degrees of hardness.  Modern geologist acknowledge that Rainbow Bridge is made up entirely of Navajo Sandstone which overlies the thick layers of sandstone, shale and limestone known as the Kayenta Formation which is exposed underneath the bridge. 

Credit: NPS
5.  During the last great ice age, multiple regional creeks flowed from the surrounding mountains, seeking their way to the ancestral Colorado River.  Bridge Creek was one such stream.  Its waters slowly carved through the softer rocks flowing away from the harder Navajo Sandstone of Rainbow Bridge.  These waters created a wide, hairpin curve that flowed around the solid geological fin of sandstone ( see picture above).  But running water is a constant abrasive upon rock and over time, the sediment in Bridge Creek broke away the softer layers of sandstone while leaving the harder layers of Navajo Sandstone behind in the shape of Rainbow Bridge.

 Credit: NPS
6.  In the world of geology, a natural bridge differs from a natural arch by the way it is formed.  Natural bridges, like Rainbow Bridge, are created by the erosive forces of flowing water and span ravines and/or valleys.  Arches, like those commonly found at Arches National Park, do not span ravines and/or valleys and are formed by the forces of weathering and rockfalls along fractures and joints.  

Credit: NPS
7.  Diversity is the usual description for the plants and animals that are found in and round Rainbow Bridge National Monument.  Grassland and shrubland are the two dominate plant communities found within the monument.  In addition some 7 species of amphibians, 311 species of birds, 27 species of fish, 64 species of mammals and 28 species of reptiles can be found within the monuments boundary.  Life giving fresh water is provided not only by Lake Powell but also by Bridge Creek, shown above, which is one of several local creeks that drain the rain and snow that fall upon Navajo Mountain. 

Credit: NPS
8.  A unique plant community found along the trail leading to Rainbow Bridge is that known as a hanging garden.  Hanging gardens are surprisingly common in the canyons of the Colorado Plateau.  The hanging garden of Rainbow Bridge is composed of a diverse water loving plants such as orchids, lilies, sedges and ferns.  The hanging garden is teeming with life as upwards to 35 species of endemic plants as well as terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, birds, mammals and amphibians all take advantage of the seeping water from the sandstone rock to carrying on their life activities.  Shown above are species of Helleborine orchids and maidenhair ferns, both found in the hanging garden of Rainbow Bridge National Monument.

Credit: NPS
9.  Of the 311 species of birds that visit the national monument, the Southwestern Willow Catcher, Empidonax traillii extimus, shown above, is one of the more interesting.  Placed on the Endangered Species list in 1995, these little flycatchers have a large impart on a regions insect population.  It commonly nests within arid region riparian areas, taking advantage of all the insect life that comes to the fresh water. Southwestern Willow Catchers are insectivores dining on a variety of both flying and terrestrial insects such as gnats, flies, beetles, butterflies and caterpillars.  They employ a “sit and wait” strategy, locating their prey by sight before speeding out to capture it.  Loss of habitat, livestock grazing and invasive species all pose a threat to their survival as a species. 

  
Credit: NPS
10. Kangaroo rats, Microdipodops pallidus, shown above, are a common mammal found within Rainbow Bridge National Monument.  With their long tails, big four-toed hind feet, small ears and big brown eyes, they are perfectly adapted to this high desert region.  Even though plenty of fresh water is available here, kangaroo rats have evolved to surviving without drinking water, acquiring their needed moisture from the seeds that they eat.  In some regions they are known as kangaroo mice and are represented by some 23 different species within their family classification.  They have excellent hearing even appearing to be able to hear the muffled sound of an approaching owl.  Their large back legs can propel them upwards to 9 feet (2.75m) when startled and escaping a predator.

Credit: NPS
11.  Rainbow Bridge has a long tradition in the history of the Native American people who have long called these desert lands their home.  Within the Hopi tradition, the Snake Clan People of Navajo Mountain were the first Hopi clan to arrive at the Hopi mesas in northern Arizona.  The sandstone bridge is credited in Hopi legend as the a source of aboriginal knowledge.  The region of Rainbow Bridge was a sanctuary for the Hopi people during the Great Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Within the Navajo tradition, Rainbow Bridge plays an integral part of their origin story which explains their emergence into this world.  Rainbow Bridge is also the place for the Navajo people where Monster Slayer and Born for Water return to the sacred Navajo land after their journey to Father Sun.

Credit: Linda & Dr,  Dick Buscher
12. At times since the completing of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963, the waters of Lake Powell have risen so high that they flow under Rainbow Bridge, as seen above.  The last time this event occurred was in 1999 when the waters of Lake Powell rose to a level of 3,696 feet (1,127 m).  The waters that backed-up under Rainbow Bridge rose to a depth of 43 feet (13 m).  At such lake depth, visiting Rainbow Bridge is an easier adventure with no hiking involved.  Currently, September 14, 2019, the depth of Lake Powell is at 3,617 feet (1,102 m) and is holding 4,381,991,363,935 gallons of water. 

Credit: NPS
13.  Like all geological formations, Rainbow Bridge will someday fall to the forces of erosion and weathering.  Current National Park geologists insist that the bridge is currently strong and stable.  And even though the bridge naturally expands upwards to 1 inch. (2.57 cm) in diameter due to the normal summer heat patterns, this expansion and contraction has been going on for thousands of years and will likely continue to do so.  Rainbow Bridge is just another of the many amazing natural wonders located on the Colorado Plateau.  For all who love to marvel at the spectacle of natural creation, it is an awesome place to experience.