Picnicking

One picnic area along Bridge View Drive is located 2 miles west of the visitor center.

Auto Touring

The nine-mile long Bridge View Drive is a one-way scenic loop starting and ending near the visitor center. Overlooks for each of the three bridges and one cliff dwelling are reached by short walks from parking areas along the drive. A trail head for each bridge is also located along the drive, as is a small picnic area. The road is plowed in the winter. While you can see all three bridges and one canyon archeological site from viewpoints along or near the road, you really haven't experienced the hidden beauty of Natural Bridges until you take at least a short walk below the rim or out onto the mesa top away from the pavement.

Biking

Bikes are not permitted on any trail or off-road area within the Mounment.

Walking/Hiking

Loop Trail: A difficult 8.2 trail that connects all three bridges. It follows the canyon bottom stream for most of its length, then exits the canyon and ends on the relatively flat mesa top. It requires about six to eight hours to complete. The 8.2 mile loop can be split into two shorter loops, each taking in two of the three bridges. Each requires three to four hours and ranges from five to six miles in length, depending on the loop taken. Any of the loop hikes should be considered strenuous, since they require ascents and descents of up to 500 vertical feet. Monument elevations range from 6,000 to 6,500 feet above sea level.

• Sipapu to Kachina: 5.4 miles; 3-4 hours
• Sipapu to Owachomo: 8.2 miles 6 hours
• Kachina to Owachomo: 6.0 miles 4 hours

Hikers with less time, simply hike down to the base of one bridge and back to the trailhead. Round trip mileages are:

• Sipapu, 1.2 miles; 500 foot elevation change; 1 hour.
• Kachina: 1.5 miles; 400 foot elevation change; 1.25 hours.
• Owachomo: 0.6 miles; 180 foot elevation change; 0.5 hours.
• Overlook of Horsecollar Ruin: A .5-mile round trip trail leads from a trailhead on the Bridge View Drive to an early Puebloan site. The hike is relatively flat and takes about 30 minutes.

NOTE: All of these trails are subject to closure during winter months when snow and ice make hiking extremely hazardous.