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Natural Bridges National Monument

In 1908 Theodore Roosevelt made the Natural Bridges area of Utah into a National Monument and access to the area was improved. Natural bridges are caused by the action of rivers as they change course and create meanders, or loops. It is well known that these meanders can become more extreme and in time the river may cut through a loop leaving an "oxbow lake". In a situation where a river runs between high cliffs the cutting through of a meander can leave a bridge of rock above.
Right: Kachina Bridge is 210 feet high and still has water flowing beneath. It is a young bridge (in geological terms) and still has a mass of rock above the opening.

Left: Desert Paintbrush Castilleja chromosa is just one of the many flowering plants and shrubs that can be found here in the early summer.

Right: Owachomo Bridge no longer has water flowing under it but has continued to erode in the wind, rain and frost and is now at the later stage of its existence. The bridge is now comparatively thin and could suffer a fatal crack soon or could stand for centuries. Beryl can be seen standing below the 106 feet high bridge.

Left: Taken with a 16mm extreme wide angle lens the whole of the wide span of Owachomo Bridge can be seen from below.

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All images and text are the copyright of Jim Shead if you wish to publish any material from the site please contact me.

	Left: Taken with a 16mm extreme wide angle lens the whole of the wide span of Owachomo Bridge can be seen from below.
To buy a wide range of photographs go to www.photo-sales.org.uk All images and text are the copyright of Jim Shead if you wish to publish any material from the site please contact me.