Out and About: Sheep's Bridge at the Verde River, AZ

The desert has many interesting treasures. Some of them take more looking to find than others. Sheep's Bridge at the Verde River is definitely off the beaten path, but once you find it, you know exactly where you are. It is, after all, hard to miss out in the middle of nowhere.


The original foundation on the west bank of the river.

Sheep's Bridge is a river crossing that was used by sheep-herders for years. Tired of seeing their flocks washed downstream in high-water years, the sheep-herders used salvaged metal and wood from nearby train tracks and built a bridge in the 1940's. The bridge spanned part of the Verde River, and allowed sheep (and their tenders) to safely cross the waters below.

In 1978, the bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately, the bridge was also in bad shape by then. The original bridge was removed, and an updated bridge was built right next to the original foundations. The new bridge is just a foot bridge, and serves as a reminder of the original bridge's purpose.

It sure seems like a long way across.

Nowadays, the Bridge is an interesting landmark. Its a huge 700 foot suspension iron suspension bridge... in the middle of the desert.

See? The middle of nowhere.

And nestled deep in the reeds at its base? Oh yeah, there's a natural hot spring.

You have to go through there first.

My pictures of the spring aren't very good. I was trying not to slip and fall in the slick mud, and also not drop the camera into the water. I'm not very coordinated to begin with, so I'm sure it was amusing to watch. Result: shaky dark pictures. At least I didn't fall in the mud!

A few hours drive into the desert, and its better to have a 4x4 vehicle with good clearance... and its totally worth it to see and experience not just a quirly bit of Arizona's history but also an amazing view of the Mazatal Mountains and surrounding desert wilderness.