A week ago, I hiked the Hickman Bridge Trail in Capitol Reef National Park.
Capitol Reef is the least visited of Utah's Mighty 5 National Parks.
A short relatively easy 1.7 mile out and back trail leads to impressive views of Hickman Natural Bridge - a 133 feet span!
High desert terrain is stark but beautiful on the hike in.
The scale of this landscape is difficult to comprehend.
The trail enters a canyon and the walls get higher plus there is evidence of water erosion lower on the walls.
A small bridge offers a preview about mid-way through the hike.
Even this small bridge was high enough to walk under.
The dry river bed narrowed as we approached the main canyon.
The payoff for this hike is the Hickman Bridge.
Interesting trivia about this park is its association with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Butch Cassidy grew up in Utah and brought his "Wild Bunch" gang back to Utah to hideout between heists.
One final look at the bridge before starting the return hike.
The trail reaches the rim of the main canyon before looping back.
Another plus to visiting Utah's National Parks in the fall (besides the cooler weather) is that the cottonwood trees that grow in many of the canyons along the streams are a nice yellow. The bright color is unexpected in the desert terrain.
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