{{Short description|Natural bridge in Natural Bridges in San Juan County, Utah, United States}} {{Infobox landform | name = Sipapu Bridge | type = [[Rock arch]] | iucn_category = | iucn_ref = | image = Sipapu Natural Bridge (15263758943).jpg | caption = View of Sipapu Bridge | pushpin_map = Utah#USA | map_image = | pushpin_mapsize = | map_caption = Location in Utah | coordinates = {{coord|37.6249934|-110.0173552|type:landmark_region:US-UT|format=dms|display=it}} | coordinates_ref = <ref name=gnis>{{cite gnis|id=1432493|name=Sipapu Bridge}}</ref> | pushpin_label = Sipapu Bridge | pushpin_relief = | location = [[San Juan County, Utah]] | length = {{cvt|255|ft|m}} | length_km = | width = {{cvt|77|ft|m}} | width_km = | area_ref = | height = {{cvt|220|ft|m}} | elevation = {{cvt|6027|ft|m}} | elevation_ref = <ref name=gnis/> }}
'''Sipapu Bridge''' is a natural bridge or [[natural arch|arch]] located in the [[Natural Bridges National Monument]] in central [[San Juan County, Utah]], United States.<ref name=gnis/> The bridge spans [[White Canyon (San Juan County, Utah)|White Canyon]].
==Description== Sipapu was long reported to have a span of {{convert|268|ft|m}} by the [[National Park Service]], ranking it as the fourth [[List of longest natural arches|longest natural arch in the world]]. A more accurate measurement obtained by laser survey in 2007 revealed the measurement to be a significant overstatement. The [[Natural Arch and Bridge Society]] has published a revised span of {{convert|255|ft|m}}, demoting the arch to a thirteenth-place ranking.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naturalarches.org/big9-4.htm|title=Sipapu Natural Bridge|accessdate=19 May 2008|publisher=Natural Arch and Bridge Society}}</ref><ref name=NABS>{{cite web|url=http://www.naturalarches.org/big9.htm|title=A tour of the Big 19: Photos and information on the world's giant natural arches|date=1 Oct 2015|accessdate=12 Mar 2017|website=naturalarches.org|publisher=Natural Arch and Bridge Society|first=David|last=Brandt-Erichsen|first2=Jay|last2=Wilbur}}</ref>
Based on specific criteria that separate natural arches from natural bridges, Sipapu is the sixth longest natural bridge after the more well-known [[Rainbow Bridge National Monument|Rainbow Bridge]] also located in Utah, and four Chinese natural bridges—all longer than Rainbow Bridge—which were measured and documented by NABS between 2010 and 2015.<ref name=NABS/> ==Access== Sipapu can be viewed from a roadside viewpoint, but more fully viewed from a short hiking trail that leads down to its base from the canyon rim. Since the closure of the trail leading under [[Landscape Arch]] due to safety concerns, and the voluntary prohibition placed on passing under Rainbow Bridge in deference to [[Navajo Nation|Navajo]] and [[Hopi]] spiritual beliefs, Sipapu is now the longest natural arch in the world to have an active trail beneath it that visitors may pass under, affording views of the underside of the arch. ==Name== The name of the arch comes from the Hopi word ''[[sipapu]]'', a word for a symbolic portal from which the first human ancestors emerged. Earlier names, which still were in use until the mid 20th century, were "President", "Augusta" and "Great Augusta".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sipapu Bridge - Natural Bridges National Monument|website=U.S. National Park Service|date=2018-03-31|url=https://www.nps.gov/nabr/planyourvisit/sipapubridge.htm|access-date=2020-08-27|language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{commons-inline}}
[[Category:Natural arches of San Juan County, Utah]]