• Distance: 1 mile one-way
• Duration: 1.5 hours
• Elevation gain: 380 feet
• Effort: easy–moderate
• Trailhead: 2 miles east of the visitors center on the north side of Highway 24

The trailhead is two miles east of the [node{51100 link visitors center] on the north side of the highway. The graceful Hickman Natural Bridge spans 133 feet across a small streambed. Numbered stops along the self-guided trail correspond to descriptions in a pamphlet available at the trailhead or visitors center.

Starting from the parking area (elev. 5,320 feet), the trail follows the Fremont River’s green banks a short distance before gaining 380 feet in the climb to the bridge. The last section of trail follows a dry wash shaded by cottonwood, juniper, and piñon pine trees.

You’ll pass under the bridge (eroded from the Kayenta Formation) at trail’s end. Capitol Dome and other sculptured features of the Navajo sandstone surround the site. The two-mile round-trip hike takes about 90 minutes.

Joseph Hickman served as principal of Wayne County High School and later in the state legislature during the 1920s; he and another local man, Ephraim Pectol, led efforts to promote Capitol Reef.