Dave & Dru Natural Bridges & Hovenweep
The only reason these two scenic locations are on the same page is we happened to visit them in the same day. The Natural Bridges are west of Blanding. The road to and from is quite scenic in itself and is well worth the drive. Below are two of the three bridges, Kachina on the left and Owachomo on the right. The photo of Kachina was taken from overlook nest to the parking lot. At Owachomo, Dave got a little more ambitious and hiked down the trail. It was only 0.4 mi with a 200 foot elevation drop. Tuwa Creek, which formed it, no longer flows under Owachomo like it did for thousands of years. The bridge's delicate form suggests that it has eroded more quickly than the other bridges.
From Natural Bridges it was back to Blanding and then east to Hovenweep, located almost right on the Colorado border. The towers of Hovenweep remain some of the most remarkable structures in the ancestral Puebloan world. Some were build as early as the mid 1100s, but most were constructed after 1230 AD. Most are perched on the rim of a small canyon, which must have been a remarkable sight to approaching travelers in that time. The hike around canyon is fairly easy. It's only 2.0 miles and can be done in a couple of hours, depending on how long you linger at each sight. We've included four scenes from the ruins. Below left is Twin Towers. On the right is Hovenweep Castle, seen from across the small canyon.
Confusion reigns in identifying the two pictures below. We are not certain about the picture on the left. However, we are fairly sure the one on the right is of Hovenweep House. You can see the Hovenweep Castle on the right in the background across the canyon.
Alas, there were no trees of interest at Hovenweep or Natural Bridges.
Go to Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Canyon de Chelly, Navajo Nat'l Monument, or Monument Valley
Go to the index for our Southern Utah travels
Back to Dave & Dru's Home Page