Under a clear, bright sky, the naturally pink stone appeared dark lavender; in the late afternoon sun it is splashed with streaks of russet red and brown.
The largest and most perfect natural rock formation of its kind, the graceful 94m long sandstone bridge spans a canyon 85m wide, almost the length of four tennis courts placed end to end. Its height of 88m from the base to the top of the arch exceeds that of Nelson's London by 32m; the stone is 13m thich and 10m across, wide enough to accommodate two lanes of traffic.
The Rainbow Bridge is a sacred place, and archaeological evidence found at the site indicates that it may once have been used as a place of worship. But access to the area, hidden away in a narrow canyon, is so difficult that when the first party of white man arrived there they understood why so few local Indians knew its exact whereabouts.
The bridge was declared a national monument in 1910, but only became generally accessible in 1963, following the completion of Glen Canyon Dam. Another of the park's majestic structures is Delecate Arch, Know locally for its shape as Old Maid's Bloomers.
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