June 2022 – Our first stop on our summer RV travels this year was at Navajo Bridge in Arizona. We’d made it to red rock country. Woo hoo!
Navajo Bridge is a wonderful roadside stop for travelers in northeastern Arizona.
The parking area at this site is tiny, but we arrived early in the morning on a weekday so we were able to tuck in for 30 minutes before the parking lot got busy.
In our RV travels in northeastern Arizona we’ve enjoyed several visits to Navajo Bridge.
Navajo Bridge is a historic bridge that crosses the Colorado River near Lees Ferry. It is situated smack dab in the middle of some of the best red rock scenery on the very scenic Route 89A in northern Arizona.
The red rocks were resplendent in the morning light.
There’s a lovely stone picnic area, and as we walked around, our cameras started humming.
The picnic area is beautiful!
Buddy checks out the view as Mark snaps a pic
The early June sun was strong and the shadows of the slatted roof in the picnic area were very cool.
We loved the shadows in the picnic area…!
Peek-a-boo (that’s me walking by)
You can picnic with a view of the Navajo Bridge
Long before scenic US-89A was even a twinkle in anyone’s eye, the only way to cross the Colorado River on the eastern side of the Grand Canyon was by taking Lees Ferry. It was a cable ferry with a barge that moved across the fast moving water by way of a cable that spanned the river rather than by having someone row. The ferry, named for operator John Doyle Lee, began operation in 1871.
Lees Ferry was a cable ferry that crossed the Colorado River from 1871 to 1928
In 1929 Navajo Bridge was built between the canyon walls to replace the ferry. In 1995 a second bridge was built to support the weight of modern cars and trucks. Today, pedestrians can walk on the old bridge to view the new one — and to admire the spectacular views in every direction!
The two halves of the Navajo Bridge are almost ready to join in 1928
The original Navajo Bridge is now a pedestrian bridge next to the truck-friendly new one.
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All this was because the Grand Canyon made it impossible to cross this river! As W. C. Lefebvre said in 1926, “Nowhere in North America, and in very few localities in the world, are there any such barriers to road building as the Grand Canyon of the Colorado.”
Now, our sweet pup Buddy was unaware any of this history. He’s not much of a history buff. He’s more into the here and now. And when he sees a trail, he likes to find out where it goes. So, he waited patiently ahead of us while we took lots of photos. He did look over the edge once, though.
Our trail scout patiently waits for us slow-pokes with cameras.
“Are there any rabbits down there?”
It is astonishing how the bridge is anchored into the rock cliffs.
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The bridge is anchored into the cliff face.
But even more astonishing are the magnificent views.
The stunning Colorado River is a vivid blue ribbon between the red rock cliff walls.
The little beach and green oasis looked so inviting!
Another tourist looking out at these views and down at the river far below said to me, “Imagine floating down that river…I mean, being the first ones to do it.” It is astonishing to ponder. John Wesley Powell and all those early explorers were incredibly courageous and brave people.
This beach is inviting too!
Before Lees Ferry and, later, the Navajo Bridge were available, crossing the Colorado River to get between modern day Arizona and Utah was extremely difficult.
A travel trailer goes over the Navajo Bridge
Gorgeous!
When we reached the other side of the bridge we turned and started back. The red rocks backing the bridge were beautifully lit by the morning sun.
Turning back at the end, we faced a wall of red rocks.
Not every day is sunny here, though. On the trip back we noticed a sign warning about not staying out on the bridge in a lightning storm.
Metal bridge railings and lightning don’t mix well with people.
And we also noticed a bunch of padlocks between the railings. Some were dated from just days or weeks before, in May, 2022. Others lower down looked to have been there a while.
Interesting padlocks, many with dates and initials on them.
This little stop was a great place to stretch our legs and get our creative juices flowing. It felt so good to have our cameras in hand again and to be taking lots of photos of America’s beautiful places!
What a fun stop!
We got back in the truck and started singing On The Road Again!!
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- Navajo Bridge – National Park Service website
Other cool roadside attractions we’ve bumped into:
- “Cliff Dwellers” on Arizona’s Vermillion Cliffs Scenic Drive – A Fun Stop!
- Paria Rimrocks “Toadstools” Hike to A Hidden Canyon!
- Arizona, Here We Come – Space Aliens of All Kinds!
More stories from our travels in northeastern Arizona:
- Canyon Country Highlights – Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend & More!
- Canyon de Chelly – Breathtaking Views Under Vibrant Skies
- Blue Mesa Trail – Lavender Beauty in Petrified Forest National Park
- Petrified Forest National Park RV Trip – Magic in Jasper Forest
- Getting Our Kicks on Route 66 by RV in AZ – Cool Springs, Winslow & Holbrook
- “Cliff Dwellers” on Arizona’s Vermillion Cliffs Scenic Drive – A Fun Stop!
- Navajo National Monument, Monument Valley and Bears Ears
- Lees Ferry & Marble Canyon AZ + Pretty Paria River Hike
- Horseshoe Bend Overlook – Page, Arizona – Stunning!
- A Glimpse of the Navajo (or “Diné” as they call themselves)
- Mysteries in the Navajo Nation, Arizona
- Wire Pass Trail – Slot Canyon Hiking!
- Canyon de Chelly, AZ – A Canyon of Indian Cliff Dwellings
Our most recent posts:
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