Natural Bridges National Monument

Natural Bridges National Monument – 09/16/11 – This was another cool location, up on a mesa at 6,500’ with deep canyons and three bridges in sandstone formed from what was once an ancient sea.

After hiking to Kachina Bridge (1.4m with 400’ climb/descent) I set off for a run on the Mesa.  The ranger recommended staying off the canyon trails which were muddy and slick from rain the day before.  I decided it was best to be a bit cautious.  It worked out well as the trail from Kachina Bridge to the north trail junction and then from the Sipapu Bridge view and back south to Owachomo Bridge was a lot of fun.  There was plenty of up/down and some great sections of trail to run on.  I ran 4.5 miles on the Mesa trails (46:52) including a visit to Owachomo Bridge.