Bridge Mountain (Utah)


Bridge Mountain is a mountain made of Navajo Sandstone in Zion National Park in northeastern Washington County, Utah, United States.

Description

Bridge Mountain is located east of the park headquarters near the south entrance to Zion Canyon. Bridge Mountain was once originally named Crawford Mountain after the Crawford family who were early Mormon settlers in the canyon. But the name was officially changed to Bridge Mountain in 1934 when a natural bridge was discovered on Bridge Mountain. However, it was not a bridge, but actually a natural arch. For years, rangers in Zion Park told visitors that this was a natural bridge, hence the mountain's name. A bridge is defined as a subtype of arch that is primarily water-formed. To avoid confusion, the National Park Service eventually named the span Crawford Arch. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the North Fork Virgin River.