Condors at Navajo Bridge
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After camping at Lees Ferry, not far from the entrance of the Grand Canyon, we were heading out when I saw a sign for Navajo Bridge and decided to make a quick stop. We walked out onto the pedestrian bridge, which gives you a stunning view of the Colorado River winding through sheer cliffs. I spotted what I thought was a turkey vulture perched on the trusses of the vehicle bridge across the way and casually snapped a photo. Then a woman nearby pointed out a group of birds on the rock ledge just below us. I zoomed in for a better look—and that’s when I noticed something unexpected: wing tags.
View from Navajo Bridge
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Hold up. No one’s tagging turkey vultures.
That could only mean one thing... California Condors.
There were 10 of them right there at the bridge. Later, I learned that this is actually a known hangout spot for condors. There are only about 330 California Condors in the wild. So yeah, we were looking at 3% of the entire wild population in one spot.
These birds were nearly extinct in the 1980s. Just 27 individuals remained, and all of them were brought into captivity in a desperate attempt to save the species. Thanks to conservation efforts, they’ve been reintroduced into parts of California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja Mexico—but their comeback has been anything but easy.
They have a 10-foot wingspan, live up to 60 years, and only lay one egg every other year. Their biggest threat is lead poisoning from eating carcasses shot with lead bullets. Every bird is tracked, monitored, and often recaptured for health checks. Even in the wild, they’re not out there entirely on their own.
What started as a random roadside stop turned into one of the most memorable wildlife sightings of our trip.
From there, we continued on toward Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. We had a campsite at The View Campground. No hookups. No frills. Just wide-open desert and front-row seats to the buttes. As the sun dropped that evening, it cast a warm orange light onto the buttes. The day started with condors soaring over the Colorado River, and ended with glowing sandstone giants.
That could only mean one thing... California Condors.
There were 10 of them right there at the bridge. Later, I learned that this is actually a known hangout spot for condors. There are only about 330 California Condors in the wild. So yeah, we were looking at 3% of the entire wild population in one spot.
These birds were nearly extinct in the 1980s. Just 27 individuals remained, and all of them were brought into captivity in a desperate attempt to save the species. Thanks to conservation efforts, they’ve been reintroduced into parts of California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja Mexico—but their comeback has been anything but easy.
They have a 10-foot wingspan, live up to 60 years, and only lay one egg every other year. Their biggest threat is lead poisoning from eating carcasses shot with lead bullets. Every bird is tracked, monitored, and often recaptured for health checks. Even in the wild, they’re not out there entirely on their own.
What started as a random roadside stop turned into one of the most memorable wildlife sightings of our trip.
From there, we continued on toward Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. We had a campsite at The View Campground. No hookups. No frills. Just wide-open desert and front-row seats to the buttes. As the sun dropped that evening, it cast a warm orange light onto the buttes. The day started with condors soaring over the Colorado River, and ended with glowing sandstone giants.