Horse Collar Ruin

Horse Collar Ruins is the largest ancient site at Natural Bridges National Monument. It is the most often viewed as well but most see it from the cliffs high above where there is an overlook trail. Far less hike down to see them at eye level. You can hike from either the Kachina or Sipapu Bridge trail heads, or make a large loop between the two. If you are super adventurous you could make the large loop to all 3 bridges and see the ruins as part of it. To get to Horse Collar Ruins you walk through Kachina Bridge and take the canyon to your left. From here it's a couple miles through a pretty and deep canyon with a lot of plant life. Eventually you will see a large arch on your right and you can see a viewing platform high up on it. When you see this the ruins are directly across the canyon from the arch. They are not visible from the canyon bottom. To get to the ruins requires a short but very steep scramble up a rock ledge. It's only 30 feet high but you could really get injured easily if you fell. The ruins are awesome. There are several different things to see. The park service says these ruins were abandoned 700 years ago and have not been improved like many in the area. These are totally authentic right down to the original roof on the kiva. Remember to not climb on any of the structures and they ask to not have any food because the crumbs attract rodents. Once you are done exploring the ruins, traverse back down the ledge and continue back up canyon. A large canyon will eventually meet up on your left. Stay straight here. Before long the absolutely massive Sipapu Bridge will come into view. After the bridge, you'll come to the Sipapu Bridge Trailhead. From here you can cross the road and take the Mesa Trail back, set up a shuttle to bring you back to the Kachina Bridge Trailhead, or simply head back the way you came.