Rim Overlook Navajo Knobs
The Rim Overlook and Navajo Knobs are extensions of the Hickman Bridge Trail in Capitol Reef National Park, both towering over the Fremont River below. The Hickman Bridge Trailhead services both of these overlooks.
Trail Head: 38.288867, -111.227975
Trail Type: Hiking
Length: 5 miles round trip
Difficulty: Strenuous
The Rim Overlook offers a great view of the historic town of Fruita and Highway 24 from a vantage point of 1,000 feet above the surrounding valley. The Navajo Knobs are another 500 feet higher in elevation and another 2.5 miles further west than the overlook, and give hikers an 360-degree view of the park and its surroundings, including the nearby Henry Mountains.
The listed mileage is for the Rim Overlook. Going all the way to the Navajo Knobs and back is a 10-mile roundtrip hike.
The parking lot along Highway 24 marks the trailhead to the Hickman Bridge Trail.
Just a little way past the switchbacks that climb up from the Fremont River below, the Rim Overlook and Navajo Knobs Trail breaks off from the Hickman Bridge Trail, heading farther north before swinging around to the west and crossing through small canyons on its way to the viewpoints.
The Rim Overlook rises 1,000 feet above Fruita below, jutting out over the orchards and roads. Though not as lofty as the Knobs, the Overlook still own some awe-inspiring views.
At an elevation of 6,980 feet, the Navajo Knobs command an impressive view of the Waterpocket Fold and its surroundings. The knobs are a pair of small hills that sit atop a jutting section of the Waterpocket Fold, between the Castle and the Mummy Cliff.
One of the better known sites of Capitol Reef, this natural bridge sits over 300 feet above the Fremont River and Highway 24, though still below the heights of the surrounding Waterpocket Fold.