Today we planned to go back to Capitol Reef National Park. During our first visit, we wanted to hike a slot canyon and see the Hickman Natural Bridge, but it didn’t work out. We got a late start today, but it wasn’t a problem because our schedule was not packed full.
Our first stop was at Little Wild Horse Canyon. This canyon has a trail that splits and forms an 8-mile loop. We didn’t want to do the full loop, so we decided to take the branch to the right. We quickly left the dry wash and entered the slot. The slot wasn’t extremely deep, but it was very narrow in places. In some places, we could not place our feet side by side on the floor. In other places, it was impossible to stand up straight because the walls of the canyon leaned to one side.
| David hiking in the narrow slot canyon |
The information board claims that the trail is the most popular in the San Rafael Swell, and I don’t doubt it. In several places, we had to stop and wait for groups to pass us in the opposite direction. In one place another large group was made up of mostly young boys and the moms were not in control. I had to ask one of the boys to stop throwing rocks because people were on the trail. Really? Shaking my head.
In another spot, we discovered a crew making a video. They had a camera, sound guys, and an “actor”. I’m not sure what type of film it was, but the actor was dressed in a style reminiscent of Indiana Jones.
Andrew and I hiked nearly halfway through the canyon, to the point where it started to get wide again. Then we turned around and returned the way we came. The film crew was still there. The actor looked very hot in his leather jacket and fedora.
Our next stop was Capitol Reef National Park. We returned to the spot where we saw deer on the previous visit. We chose a picnic table and enjoyed our usual lunch under the trees. While there, we were joined by more deer. They didn’t seem to mind us being there at all.
| David, Andrew, and Susan standing at the park entrance |
After lunch, we drove to the Hickman Natural Bridge trailhead. Andrew and I started the hike, while Susan and Mom went back to Fruita to explore. The trail started in the valley near the Fremont River and climbed rapidly for the first half. Before long, we reached the bridge, took some pictures, then started back down. On the way back, we passed other small arches and had great views of the valley.
| Andrew and David standing near Hickman Natural Bridge |
Back in the parking lot, Susan was not there. We asked her to meet us at 5:30 and we were early. Andrew explored the area around the bridge crossing the Fremont River. At 5:29, Susan pulled into the parking lot, right on time.
As mentioned earlier, Hanksville has three popular places to eat. We had stopped at Stan’s Burger Shak twice already, so it was time for a change. Today, we stopped at Outlaw’s Roost for tacos. The place was not busy, and they took the extra time to describe all the menu options. We found a spot on the patio and waited for our tacos to arrive. They were small, but very good.
After eating, it was time to go back to Green River. We made it back before 8:00, so we did a little bit of grocery shopping. We all went to bed early in preparation for our early entry reservation into Arches the next day.
Click the image below to see all pictures from the trip.
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