The Trail to Utah's Rainbow Bridge - Retracing a Historic Journey

Rainbow Bridge is the largest known natural bridge in the world, with a span of 278 feet and a height of 309 feet, roughly the same as the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The bridge was once one of America's most remote and mysterious wonders. However with the completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 and the subsequent creation of Lake Powell, it suddenly became readily accessible. Today, thousands of tourists visit Rainbow Bridge every year, many by luxury tour boats from Wahweap Marina.

(Top, beautiful Rainbow Bridge from the Lake Powell side. Left, overlooking the Rainbow Plateau from the slopes of Navajo Mountain, right background: the bridge is hidden in a maze of sandstone canyons; left background, a lava flow which covers much of the area.)

(Right, an aerial view of Rainbow Bridge, courtesy of the National Park Service. Note the absence of water or a water ring in the channel, indicating the photo was taken before the creation of Lake Powell.)

It is still possible to capture the romanticism and adventure of visiting Rainbow Bridge by hiking overland, following the footsteps of the early adventurers. Now, as then, it is not easy, but it is a still a great adventure.

John Wesley Powell originally explored the canyons of the Colorado River, during his famous 1869 expedition. He did not find Rainbow Bridge, which is hidden several miles up Forbidding Canyon, then Bridge Canyon, both side canyons in the Glen Canyon section. While local Indians and prospectors probably saw the bridge earlier, it was first documented by the Douglass-Cummings expedition in 1909. The well-known explorer and (self-taught) archaeologist, John Wetherill, led the group.

Until Lake Powell was created, the bridge could be accessed only by the extremely remote and rough overland route documented by Wetherill, or by rafting the Colorado River through Glen Canyon. Rafting in those days was uncommon. The only entry and exit points for rafts were hundreds of miles apart, at Hite and Lee's Ferry, both many hard miles from civilization. (Right, the ruins of Rainbow Lodge at one of the two present day trailheads to Rainbow Bridge. The lodge was an early and unsuccesful attempt to bring tourists to the bridge.)

One Glen Canyon rafter to visit Rainbow Bridge in the early '60s was famed environmental author Edward Abbey. In his classic book, Desert Solitaire, he recollects signing the visitor register as number 14,468! That's 14,468 visitors in the first 50+ years! That is perhaps a summer month's visitation today. He had the following most appropriate sentiment:

"(Lake Powell) will back water to within sight of the Bridge, transforming what was formerly an adventure into a routine motorboat excursion. Those who see it then will not understand that half the beauty of Rainbow Bridge lay in its remoteness, its relative difficulty of access, and in the wilderness surrounding it, of which it was an integral part. When these aspects are removed the Bridge will be no more than an isolated geological oddity..."

Present-day backpackers can select one of two trails to reach Rainbow Bridge. One skirts the south slopes of massive Navajo Mountain, the other, the mountain's north slope. Both trails meet in the complex maze of sandstone canyons west of Navajo Mountain. Our choice was the south trail starting at the Rainbow Lodge ruins. Both trailheads are located at the end of a long network of dirt roads. The roads get progressively rougher approaching the trailheads. Our pickup truck had to stop two miles short of the ruins. (Left, the steep slopes of Navajo Mountain, the 10,000 foot peak just barely visible, center).

After skirting the mountain, the trail climbs to Yabut ("Sunset") Pass before dropping precipitously (1,600 feet in 2 miles) into the sandstone canyon system. Right, the view from Yabut Pass. The trail proceeds into Cliff Canyon (dead center of photo). Note that Lake Powell is just barely visible (blue patch in right background.)

The remainder of the trail follows narrow sandstone canyons. Cliff Canyon is connected to Redbud Creek by "Redbud Pass" which is actually a climbable rock pile blasted out by John Wetherill in 1922 as a trail "improvement". The creek flows into Bridge Canyon, the final destination.

(Left, a forming arch high in the wall of Bridge Canyon. Arches are formed by erosion due to wind and weather. Bridges are formed by erosion due to a stream or river. Navajo sandstone does not support arch formation well, and this arch will likely collapse before it is completed. Most arches occur in Entrada sandstone as seen at Arches National Park in Utah.)

The final part of the trail follows sinuous Bridge Canyon (shown right) reaching Rainbow Bridge in about three more miles. The canyon walls mostly obscure the bridge, until you are almost there. (Below, note bridge is just barely visible in dead center.)

The waters of Lake Powell just barely reach the bridge. The courtesy boat dock is located a short distance downstream. On our trip we arranged to be met by a boat to avoid the long uphill return hike.

It was an unforgettable feeling to experience Rainbow Bridge the wilderness way instead of the tourist way!

Note. The trails are located on the Navajo Reservation. For current access and usage regulations, visit the Navajo Parks and Recreation Hiking Permits web page. Also, you are asked to refrain from walking on or under the bridge.