One of the major points of interests at the Capitol Reef National Park is the Hickman Natural Bridge. The Hickman Natural Bridge is basically an arch formed from the erosion of the sandstone here at Capitol Reef National Park. While erosion doesn’t always produce an arch, depending on the materials mixed into the rock, the more soluble material can dissolve faster sometimes faster than what is above it. In these cases, sometimes an arch is formed by the remaining more durable rock. Hickman Bridge is one of the more prominent natural bridges here at Capitol Reef. I had to hike a mile to get to the viewing area and I thought that it wasn’t that great.

It turns out that I can go much closer to the natural bridge so I decided to do just that. The Hickman Bridge was named after Joseph Hickman, who was a local school administrator back then. It was actually a challenge to get to the natural arch. There wasn’t a clear trail to get there, so I challenged myself to find a way there. At times, I would be wondering if this was how it was meant to be visited but I like the how I have to figure out a way to approach the bridge. I know that this one shouldn’t take too long but I don’t think I can afford to visit every place like this since I have a schedule to keep. Eventually after a bit of clambering over rocks, I managed to reach the foot of the bridge only to realize how large the thing actually is. It rises several stories above the ground and the main span of the arch is quite thick as well. Theoretically, it should be possible to support the weight of a person but it is strictly forbidden to step on the natural arch.

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