Hartman Natural Bridge
This great looking Natural Bridge is located in Grand Canyon National
Park. Just to give a general idea of its location, if one were to take the
North Rim Road which leads to Cape Royal and drive about a mile and
three quarter south of the Roosevelt Point Trailhead, and then throw a
ball east about a mile and a half, it might just hit Hartman Natural Bridge.
It is shown on the National Geographic/Trails Illustrated Map No. 207,
Grand Canyon National Park. Unfortunately, it is not readily accessible
from the road because of the tortuous nature of the terrain. Instead, one
must boat the Colorado River about 4 and a quarter miles south from the
confluence of the Little Colorado River to the mouth of Lava Canyon.
Hike up Lava Creek for about 4 hours until Lava Canyon takes a major
turn to the north. Continue north about two more hours until you are
well into the Bright Angel Shale and almost into the Redwall Limestone.
Look for a large un-named side canyon coming in from the left of the
main drainage. At the junction of this side canyon and the main drainage
of Lava Canyon, the canyon gets brushier than before, and you will see
a large talus slope in front of you that leads up to a shelf on the left side
of the main drainage, and about halfway up the Redwall. Climb up the
talus slope to this shelf, and continue along the shelf, still moving north
up the main drainage of Lava Canyon. After about 15 minutes of travel
along this shelf, you will find yourself practically underneath Hartman
Natural Bridge. The Bridge has a span of 130 ft. making it the second
longest in the Grand Canyon.
This is a long and strenuous hike and is recommended only for experienced canyoneers who are well-acquainted with the hazards of hiking in the Grand Canyon. Mr. Petty says there are lots of ways to get into trouble in this part of the canyon. Routes from the rim either take many days or involve lots of extremely difficult route-finding and climbing. |
|
Natural Arch and Bridge Society Home Page |
|
About Bob |
|
Return to Bob's Arches Home Page |
|
Return to Arizona Arches |