Sipapu Bridge

Sipapu means "the place of emergence" in Hopi legends. Sipapu is the largest of the three bridges in the monument with a height of 220 feet (67 meters), span of 268 feet (82 meters), width of 31 feet (9.5 meters), and thickness of 53 feet (16 meters).

Print No. A03-9-1

Kachina Bridge and Petroglyphs

Kachina Bridge is the middle bridge in both location and size. It has a height of 210 feet (64 meters), span of 204 feet (62 meters), width of 44 feet (13 meters), and thickness of 93 feet (28 meters). In June of 1992, about 4,000 tons of sandstone collapsed from the inside of the Kachina bridge opening. Here is a close-up of the petroglyphs near the base of the bridge.

Print No. A03-9-3

Ancient Ruins at Kachina Bridge

William Douglas was a government surveyor who named the bridge "Kachina" when he found petroglyphs and pictographs of dancing figures at the base of the bridge. He assumed that the Ancient Puebloan rock artists were ancestors of the present day Hopi people, and that the painted and carved figures represented Kachina dancers. Here is a close-up of the ruins and pictographs.

Print No. A03-9-2

Owachomo Bridge

Owachomo means "rock mound" in Hopi and is named after the rock formation on top of the east end of the bridge. It is the most precariously narrow of the bridges, with a height of 106 feet, (32 meters), span of 180 feet (55 meters), width of 27 feet (8 meters), and thickness of only 9 feet (3 meters).

Print No. A03-9-8