Road Trip Post #11: Morning Glory Bridge, Moab Utah

   The cool thing about Moab is there are quite a few trails to explore outside of Arches & Canyonlands National Parks. One that we've done a few times is the trail to Morning Glory Bridge, called the Negro Bill Canyon Trail (there's talk of changing the name to the Granstaff Canyon Trail - named after Bill Granstaff, who ran cattle on this land in the late 1800s). It turns out the natural rock bridge at the end of the trail is the 6th largest natural rock span in America!

Amber sits at the bottom of the bridge…

   The Morning Glory Bridge (pictured above) is amazing and the 6 mile roundtrip trail to get there isn't too challenging. It starts just up from the Colorado River, only about 6 miles from Moab (driving map here). The trail starts out by following a stream through lots of green patches and towering rock walls. Some of the green patches are poison ivy…watch your step!

   The trail opens up about halfway to the bridge allowing the morning sun to creep in. We hiked the trail in the summer and started at sunrise to avoid the high temperatures of the afternoon. This part of the trail has a small elevation gain, but nothing too strenuous.

The bridge is tucked away in a tranquil little natural rock amphitheater. Water trickles out of the wall near the rock base. It's an awesome place - make sure to plan some chill time into your hiking plans to soak up the views (and try to get a picture of the entire bridge!). Watch the clock if it's summer however, you don't want to get caught hiking back in the heat of the day!
   ~Paul, Amber, Dad     ETC

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