one day it will collapse
the Waterpocket Fold with the Fremont river deep down
a water pocket
there are many nice views like this one
we pass a flowering cactus
It is a
very colorful landscape of canyons, waterpockets, butts, natural arched and rugged ridges.
The park's name refers to the
many white domes that resemble Capitol Hill building in Washington DC.
The region was home to the people of the
Fremont Culture,
from 500 AD. They left many petroglyphs carved in the rocks.
In the 19h century Mormons settled in and planted orchards of fruit trees.
There
are several
hiking trails, a favorite one is the Hickman trail that leads to an imposing natural arch which goes by
the name Hickman Bridge.
On this trail there is another small arch called the Jens Johnson Natural Bridge.
We
visited Capitol Reef first in 1990 and returned in May 1994.
at the visitor center
on the trail we look back at Route 24 and the domes behind it
under the Jens Johnson Natural Bridge
the imposing arch of Hickman Bridge