This is Utah’s first national park and it is beautiful. The monument is approximately 45 min- 1 hour away from the nearest town (Blanding) so be sure you have adequate gas, packed a picnic meal and lots of water! Upon arrival you will pay your entry fee or use your national park pass – America the Beautiful. Next up is the Visitor Center where you can talk to park rangers about the geology, find out hiking conditions or get a schedule of ranger events. Souvenirs, snacks and water are found here- as well as bathrooms! Natural Bridges is situated around a one way 9 mile paved road- so once you start- it’s onwards you go! The road is great condition so you don’t need to worry about rocks, potholes or anything else. Each bridge has its own parking lot. The overlook for the bridges is generally a 10 min (0.3) mile rock on a paved surface from the parking lot making it accessible for seniors, wheelchairs, and strollers! Each bridge also has its own hiking trial. The easiest bridge to access is Owachomo (the last one) which is 0.5 miles round trip. This is not a paved trail- but one of gravel, rocks, etc. It is rated an easy trail- if you are a seasoned hiker- it will not pose much of a challenge, if not- go slow to avoid injury, but you should have little difficulty in doing the hike. So- after leaving the visitor center- you come into the area of the Sipapu Bridge- the hike to this bridge is rated moderate- strenuous. It involves descending into the canyon (remember- what goes down has to come up)- along with metal ladders, and railing hand holds. The final part of the trail is a steep descent on slickrock. If you are not used to slickrock- it is somewhat daunting and many people opted to call this section their stopping point. The bridge is gorgeous- whether you see it from the overlook, on the trail or at the base. It is in the top 15 of the world’s longest natural bridges- adding a bit of a thrill. The hike takes around 2 hours- again less for seasoned, agile folks. The second stop is the Horse Collar Ruin overlook- and you’ll need binoculars or a camera long lens to be able to see the ruins across the canyon. Yes you can hike to these ruins – check with the park ranger to decide which trail length is best for you in terms of ability, time and what you want to see. Most of these trails will fall into the moderate/strenuous category. The third stop brings you to Kachina Bridge. We did the overlook since we chose to hike Sipapu and Owachomo. The final stop is Owachomo. This hike is relatively easy and brings you down to the base- so you can admire the bridge from a variety of perspectives. It really is something to sit and ponder the processes of rain and wind against the sandstone over millions of years- carving out the bridge- if the walls could talk- the stories they could tell. Some day the forces of erosion might become too much for the bridge to withstand, and it, too, will collapse into the canyon below. That is the marvel and majesty of Natural Bridges.