I think I begged (maybe asked, haha) my friend to stop by Hickman Bridge after Goosenecks Overlook and Panorama Point. Even though we already did a hike at Capitol Gorge, I wanted to squeeze in another before leaving the beautiful Capitol Reef.




And our last view of Capitol Reef! :(







Hickman Natural Bridge Trail (out-and-back)
Start: from parking lot off highway 24
Duration: 1 hour
Difficulty: moderate (climb in the beginning and mild climbing over rocks and walking through sand)
Length: 2 miles
Danger: passing under sheer cliffs with possible rock drops
Exposure: mostly exposed with some shade (depending on time of day)

Happy travels!
Cat

We passed by Panorama Point on the way to Goosenecks Overlook. It's an easy pull-over from the road and there's no entrance fee needed for both spots.



Happy travels!
Cat

We awoke fresh and energized, ready for our jampacked day to Canyonlands and Arches. Before finishing up the last leg or so, we decided to check out a couple short stops to take in a little more of Capitol Reef.

We arrived at Capitol Reef fairly late, so we decided to sneak in a hike at the relatively easy Capitol Gorge trail. The rangers at the visitor center recommended this hike for a casual glimpse into what Capitol Reef offers.



Part 1 of the hike are some petroglyphs, drawn by Fremont Indians, some inscriptions by pioneers who found this area much later, and some random vandalism.





I had recently learned what tanks were from my hike earlier in the week at Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas, Nevada. Tanks are naturally formed reservoirs that capture rain or snow melt. This is the part of the hike that's not particularly easy to find looking up, but after some scrambling, we accidentally found it. Of course, there is an obvious trail on the descent, looking down towards the wash.




Throughout the entire trek, we were surrounded by beautiful towering gorge walls. In California, we don't have reddish stone. The colors were so stunning!




Part 3 is.... just kidding. I mistakenly thought there was another section. Take my word and head back to the trailhead after visiting the tanks. I thought there was an end to the trail so we kept walking further into the gorge. The landscape changes at each turn, but can look the same to some. After another hour and the sun steadily creeping toward the horizon and not finding anything, we decided to walk back. Walking on soft sand is not easy; it's a workout in itself. Try walking on the beach in the soft sandy section for a mile and compare it to walking along the sand close to the ocean where the sand is much more compact. The compact sand is a lot easier to walk on, right?

On the way back, I started noticing more details on the trail, which made me fall more and more for the beauty of Capitol Reef.



As we neared the trailhead, I started to drag my feet because I was oh so tired! To get me going and not thinking about how far I still had to walk, I started to look up at the sky, and noticed the blue glow of the gorge at dusk. The red sienna browns and yellows that were so vivid earlier in the day had transitioned to their silent blue and pale yellow tones.












I think I can sufficiently say that I've been to Mars! heheh

Capitol Gorge Trail (out-and-back)
Start: from parking lot
Duration: 1 hour
Difficulty: easy (some climbing to find the tanks)
Length: 2 miles (round trip) (+ 1 or 2 more miles for us haha)
Danger: be weary of summer flash floods

Happy travels!
Cat

You know when you're getting close to Capitol Reef National Park when all the landscape changes from pale yellow to deep red and orange hues. There's so much beauty in the variations of all the sandstone! Capitol Reef is one of those spots where few people visit (probably because it's so far away from everything and there are few amenities), yet one of those gems where it is an incredible privilege to catch a glimpse of history in the making.








Happy travels,
Cat