Rainbow Bridge: from sacred Native American site to Instagram hotspot

Rainbow Bridge’s Sacred Transformation into Tourist Destination

Rainbow Bridge stood tall for centuries as a sacred site to Navajo and Paiute tribes. They called it Nonnezoshe, “rainbow turned to stone.

Then in 1909, two Anglo teams “found” what Native Americans had known all along. Taft soon made it a national monument.

At first, only the hardy could trek days by horse to see it. Yet everything changed when Glen Canyon Dam filled Lake Powell in the 1960s.

Soon, boats brought up to 1,000 tourists daily. Navajo medicine men fought in court to save their holy site, but lost to water and power needs.

The story of Rainbow Bridge shows how a sacred space became just another stop on a boat tour.

Tribes Kept Rainbow Bridge Sacred for Centuries

Native Americans held Rainbow Bridge as a holy site long before white explorers came. Navajo people called it Nonnezoshe, meaning “rainbow turned to stone.”

The 290-foot natural arch held deep meaning for Navajo, Paiute, Hopi, Ute Mountain Ute, San Juan Southern Paiute, Zuni, and Kaibab Paiute tribes.

Nearby, workers found a 1,500-year-old hearth, showing how long people visited the area. Tribal members made trips to hold ceremonies, say prayers, and visit sacred springs around the bridge.

Two Competing Teams Raced to Find the Legendary Arch

In summer 1909, two rival groups formed to find the rumored natural wonder.

University of Utah Professor Byron Cummings led one team while Government Land Office surveyor William Douglass headed another.

Both hired trader John Wetherill as a guide, though Wetherill had never seen the bridge.

The real experts were Paiute guides Nasja Begay and Jim Mike, who actually knew where the massive arch stood. The competing groups finally joined forces for the final push through rough canyon country.

White Men Argued Over Who Saw It First

On August 14, 1909, the combined group reached Rainbow Bridge after a tough journey through harsh desert.

Among everyone there, only Paiute guide Nasja Begay had seen the towering arch before. Right away, Cummings and Douglass started fighting about which white man first spotted the bridge.

Newspapers across America soon ran stories about the “discovery,” putting Rainbow Bridge on modern maps despite Native Americans knowing about it for centuries.

President Taft Made It a National Monument in 1910

Less than a year after white explorers reached the bridge, President William Howard Taft signed papers making Rainbow Bridge a national monument on May 30, 1910.

He used the still-new 1906 Antiquities Act, which gave presidents power to protect important natural and cultural sites.

The monument covered 160 acres around what people then thought was the world’s largest natural bridge.

Getting there still meant a hard multi-day trip through remote wilderness.

Teddy Roosevelt Woke Up Just to Look at the Bridge

Former President Theodore Roosevelt visited in 1913 with his sons Archibald and Quentin.

Roosevelt found the bridge so amazing that he woke up several times during the night to look at the arch in the moonlight.

Western novelist Zane Grey made the trip that same year and later wrote a book called “Rainbow Bridge” based on what he saw.

Charles Bernheimer, a rich New York businessman, started writing articles about his visits for the New York Times and National Geographic.

A Trading Post Made the Journey Slightly Easier

S.I. and Hubert Richardson built Rainbow Lodge in 1924 on the west side of Navajo Mountain as a starting point for visitors.

They cut a 14-mile trail from their lodge to the bridge that travelers could cover in one day by horse or mule. Bill and Catherine Wilson ran the lodge from 1928 to 1951, except during World War II.

Future senator Barry Goldwater bought half-ownership in 1942, showing growing interest in the site. The lodge burned down in 1951.

Boats Created a New Path to the Sacred Arch

After World War II, bold travelers started using rivers through Glen Canyon to reach the bridge area.

By the early 1950s, jet boats could power upstream from Lee’s Ferry, getting closer to the monument than ever. Visitors still needed to walk six miles up a side canyon from the Colorado River to reach the bridge.

Though easier than the old horseback trek, this route still limited tourism to serious outdoor lovers willing to spend several days on the journey.

Congress Promised to Protect the Bridge While Building a Dam

The Colorado River Storage Project Act of 1956 gave the go-ahead to build Glen Canyon Dam, forever changing the area.

Congress added clear words requiring “adequate protective measures to preclude impairment of Rainbow Bridge National Monument.”

This legal protection was meant to keep the new lake from flooding the monument grounds. Workers started building the massive dam despite these written safeguards.

Lake Powell Waters Reached the Sacred Site Despite Promises

Dam gates closed in January 1963, and Lake Powell began filling the canyons behind Glen Canyon Dam.

By 1971, rising water reached and flooded sacred areas around Rainbow Bridge, breaking the legal protections Congress had written.

Boat access replaced the hard overland journey, bringing thousands of visitors yearly to the once-remote site.

The National Park Service built docks and walkways, turning a spiritual journey into an easy day trip for tourists.

Courts Ruled Tourism and Electricity Mattered More Than Religion

The Tenth Circuit Court handed down its final ruling in 1980, deciding that cheap electricity and tourism benefits outweighed Native American religious rights.

Judges determined that economic advantages from Lake Powell served the “public interest” more than protecting sacred sites.

The court claimed that accommodating Native ceremonies would turn Rainbow Bridge into a “government-managed shrine.

” This decision effectively gutted protections from the 1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act, completing the transformation from sacred site to tourist attraction.

Visiting Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Utah

You can reach Rainbow Bridge by boat from Wahweap Marina (50 miles to buoy 49) or hiking 14-17 miles with a Navajo Nation permit.

The boat dock has a 1-hour limit and vault toilets only. From there, walk 0.75-1.25 miles to the bridge depending on Lake Powell’s water level.

You’ll pay $30 for a 7-day Glen Canyon pass, and camping isn’t allowed within the monument’s 160 acres.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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