Kachina Bridge
{{Short description|Natural rock arch in Utah, US}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox landform
| name = Kachina Bridge
| type = Rock arch
| photo = Kachina-Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument - panoramio.jpg
| photo_caption = View of the arch
| map = Utah#USA
| map_image =
| map_size =
| map_caption = Location in Utah##Location in Utah
| coordinates = {{Coord|37|36|0|N|110|1|51|W|display=inline,title}}
| label = Kachina Bridge
| relief =
| location = Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, United States
| coords_ref = {{cite web|publisher=National Park Service|title=Kachina Bridge|url=https://www.nps.gov/nabr/planyourvisit/kachinabridge.htm}}
| length = {{cvt|210|ft|m}}
| length_km =
| width = {{cvt|44|ft|m}}
| area_ref =
| height = {{cvt|210|ft|m}}
| elevation = {{cvt|5781|ft|m}}
| elevation_ref = {{cite gnis|id=1455883|name=Kachina Bridge}}
}}
Kachina Bridge is a large natural arch located in Natural Bridges National Monument near Blanding, Utah.
Background
The bridge has a width of 44 feet and a span of 210 feet, making it the widest girth in the park and one of the longest natural arches in the United States. It can be reached via a 1.4 mile round trip hike.
History
The area was first settled by early Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi) cliff dwellers as early as early as 7500 BCE.{{cite encyclopedia|entry=Natural Bridges National Monument|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=June 28, 2023|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Natural-Bridges-National-Monument#ref103745}}
The current name of the arch was given by government surveyor William Douglas. He based the name off the petroglyphs and pictographs depicted on the base of the bridge, believing that the carved figures represented Kachina dancers.{{cite web|title=Kachina Bridge Trail At Natural Bridges National Monument|website=Poppin Up USA|access-date=29 June 2023|url=https://poppinupusa.com/2021/06/26/kachina-bridge-trail-at-natural-bridges-national-monument/}}{{cite web|title=Kachina Bridge Overlook|website=Hikearizona.com|url=https://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=1294}}
In July 1992, Approximately 4,000 tons of sandstone fell from the inside of the Kachina bridge, enlarging the opening considerably.{{cite web|title=Natural Bridges National Monument, Horsecollar Ruin Site|url=https://www.desertusa.com/natbridges/du_brid_vvc.html|website=DesertUSA}}
File:Prehistoric structures at Kachina Bridge (9474795694).jpg at Kachina Bridge]]
