There are places we haven’t been in the Southwest that call to us from time to time. Rainbow Bridge, located in a remote part of the Navajo Reservation, is one of those places. When I stay in Four Corners I often gaze out north and west and vow to get there some day. Rainbow Bridge is best accessed by Lake Powell, and is a standard stop on the boat rides one can get as a tourist. The eminent anthropologist Clyde Kluckhohn wrote a travel account in 1927, To the Foot of the Rainbow, which was reprinted by the Rio Grande Press. Author Zane Grey, who knew and loved this part of the world, honored the bridge in his western The Rainbow Trail (1915).
For those who’d love a wilderness trail challenge, get a Navajo guide, and plan an expedition: Rainbow Bridge lies half-way between Glen Canyon Dam and Navajo Mountain. The rest of us will get there by boat one day, and Page is a rather nice destination in itself.