There are three incredible natural rock bridges to see at Natural Bridges National Monument, I love them all, but Kachina Bridge holds a special place in my heart as the spot where I witnessed the most amazing sunset of my life. But no matter what time you are there it is sure to be an incredible sight.
How to Get to Kachina Bridge
Like the Owachomo and Sipapu bridges, Kachina Bridge is accessed from the loop road. Since this is the only road in this very small park it is pretty easy to find what you are looking for. That is one of the nice things about National Monuments generally, they are often pretty small in geographic scope when compared to their big brothers the National Parks. That is not always true, but often is which means they are often appropriate for shorter visits.
Kachina Bridge is the second bridge on the one-way loop. Since the road is one-way you want to keep your eye out for it so you don’t miss it and have to drive all the way around again. It is probably the easiest parking area to miss out of the three bridges because it is located at the end of a series of switchbacks. The parking is located as you come around the 5th switch back.
Like Owachomo bridge the overlook and the trail down to the bridge are located at the same parking lot. There are also pit toilets located at the trailhead.
Seeing and Hiking to Kachina Bridge
Bridge View
You are not actually required to hike to see Kachina Bridge. Just like the other two bridges it can be viewed from the overlook that is just a short walk from your car, down a paved and accessible path. This is what makes Natural Bridges one of the best parks for using a wheelchair or stroller, you can easily see the main attractions of the park without a problem.
Kachina Bridge is the most western bridge of the park and when you view it you are looking to the west, this is what makes it one of the best places to see a sunset in Natural Bridges. My brother and I went down about half an hour before the sunset and it was pretty cloudy, so we were worried that we would not see much. This seemed to be the case until the sun actually dropped below the horizon and set the whole sky on fire. We were truly blessed to see this amazing sight.
Viewing Kachina Bridge can take as long as you want, but the walk down to the viewpoint only takes about two to three minutes.
Hike
The hike to Kachina Bridge is not long, but like Sipapu Bridge it is a steep descent to the canyon floor. The parks service does classify this hike as strenuous, as there is nearly 500 feet of elevation change in less than a mile.
We were able to do this hike with a baby in a carrier, but it was a difficult hike. You do need to traverse steps and ladders on this hike as part of your descent, and at one point you go down a steep incline with the help of a pipe handrail.
Make sure that you bring plenty of water with you. Also remember that you should not hike into this canyon, or any canyon if there is rain in the forecast. One of the major reasons we did not hike Sipapu or Kachina Bridge the first time we went to Natural Bridges was because it was a rainy weekend and these areas can experience flash flooding.
Even when it is not raining there will be water under Kachina Bridge since the river that carved the canyon runs under it. While the hike down to the bridge is pretty exposed to the sun, once you are down under it you get some wonderful shade.
Sum Up
Kachina Bridge is a very impressive thing to see. The hike while steep is not extremely difficult, so I would recommend that you do it if you are physically able and the weather is good. There are not that many hikes in Natural Bridges, so you really should do them all while you are there unless you are just passing through doing the overlooks and scenic drive.
