The Geology of Rainbow Bridge

The Grand Canyon offers visitors the unique opportunity to see the majesty of nature.

Over hundreds of millions of years, the Grand Canyon has evolved, deepened and

produced new land formations that inspire and attract countless visitors each year.

According to the U.S. National Park Service, the Grand Canyon is 277 river miles long,

up to 18 miles wide, and one mile deep. One such geologic formation that draws people

to tour the Grand Canyon is Rainbow Bridge, a natural bridge cut out of sandstone

located on the Colorado Plateau

Forming Rainbow Bridge

Rainbow Bridge is relatively young when it comes to the history of the Earth, as it is only

about 200 million years old. It was created when sand dunes were deposited into the

canyon and hardened over the following 100 million years or so. A geologic shift in the

land around the Four Corners section of the United States (the intersection of Colorado,

Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico) resulted in an uplift that is now the Colorado Plateau.

When the rapid upshift occurred, river gradients, especially the Colorado River’s, were

drastically steepened. As a result, these rivers combined to carve deep canyons into the

plateau. During this process, Rainbow Bridge was created when the river dissolved away

the bonds of the sandstone and cut its way through the formation. As the river continued

to flow through the hole it created, the space became wider and created the beautiful

bridge we see today.

Best Time to Visit Rainbow Bridge

Visiting Rainbow Bridge is on the list of nature lovers and adventurous people around the

world. The summer months are the busiest times of the year at Grand Canyon National

Park, when most families and tourists take vacation time in order to make the journey.

Those wanting to see Rainbow Bridge by boat or raft will find that the best window of

opportunity is from Mid-May to Mid-September each year. If you’d like to hike to

Rainbow Bridge or take a guided tour, the best weather can be found in the late spring

and fall seasons. Various types of tours are available from Papillon 364 days a year, with

the exception being Christmas Day.

How to Get to Rainbow Bridge

Rainbow Bridge is located near Lake Powell in Southern Utah. To reach the bridge,

visitors can rent a boat to get within a mile and a half of the monument before walking to

it from the dock, or by embarking on a multi-day backpacking trip. It is important to

contact officials at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which manages Rainbow

Bridge and Lake Powell, to inquire about required permits.

In addition, visitors can take a Grand Canyon tour by airplane or helicopter in order to get

a birds-eye view of Rainbow Bridge. Leaving from Page Municipal Airport, Papillon

offers a plane tour that gives you astounding aerial views of Rainbow Bridge and Lake

Powell, which boasts more shoreline than the entire east coast of the United States. To

learn more about Grand Canyon plane tours and Rainbow Bridge, visit

www.papillon.com.