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Rim Overlook in Capitol Reef National Park

Sight · Capitol Reef National Park

Rim Overlook

Go this far for a cliff-top look at Fruita's patchwork orchards.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Type
Sight
Nearest trail
0.4 mi
Audio stories
11 nearby
  • Scenic viewpoint
  • Trailhead
  • Parking
  • Restrooms
  • #22 of 45 sights
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Hickman Bridge

Overview

About Rim Overlook

Why stop

  • A natural stopping point before the longer Navajo Knobs climb.

Heads up

  • A strenuous, exposed 4.6-mile round trip with 1,110 feet of gain.
Rim Overlook is a cliff-top viewpoint above Fruita, reached by a steep, sustained hike from the shared Hickman Bridge trailhead. The NPS lists 2.3 miles one way and 1,110 feet of elevation gain, so plan for about 4.6 miles round trip. Go for the high panorama and a proper hike; skip it if you're after a quick roadside stop.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs the climb for you?

Map

Where it is

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Full map
SightRim Overlook38.29116, -111.24926
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your stop

Before you go

2 active Capitol Reef alerts

  • CautionE. coli advisory for Fremont River and Sulphur CreekMentions Fremont River, referenced in this guideDo not swim in the Fremont River or Sulphur Creek or get water in your mouth: NPS reports elevated E. coli in both waterways, and Utah DEQ has issued a warning advisory. - DEQ reports Sulphur Creek E.Official details
  • CautionFlash-flood hazard in canyons and washesHeavy rains can cause sudden flooding in Capitol Reef’s canyons and washes; do not hike or drive through floodwater.Official details
Capitol Reef alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Capitol Reef Tour Guide

Your drive to Rim Overlook, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Capitol Reef National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Capitol Reef audio tour

Recorded for this place

Hickman Bridge
0:00 / 0:23
“You're approaching the Hickman Bridge trailhead, where a rocky hike leads to a 133-foot sandstone span.”

Plays as you drive up to Rim Overlook in the Parkwolf Capitol Reef Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Fruita Schoolhouse
  • Fruita Blacksmith Shop
  • Fremont Petroglyphs
  • Gifford Homestead and Fruita Orchards
  • 116 audio storiesacross Capitol Reef’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Marmot, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 48 trails, 52 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
JMJamesApp Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Rim Overlook

Make the climb workStart at the signed Hickman Bridge, Rim Overlook and Navajo Knobs trailhead on UT-24, about two…

Start at the signed Hickman Bridge, Rim Overlook and Navajo Knobs trailhead on UT-24, about two miles east of the visitor center. The route is rated strenuous and has little shade. There’s no water or food on the trail, and a pit toilet is available at the shared trailhead. If you want a shorter outing, Hickman Bridge is a separate destination from the same lot. Pets aren't allowed on park hiking trails.

Look back over FruitaFrom the rim, Fruita's orchards and the Fremont River sit beneath the layered cliffs of the…

From the rim, Fruita's orchards and the Fremont River sit beneath the layered cliffs of the Waterpocket Fold. For a phone photo, keep some green valley and road at the bottom of the frame; they give the cliffs a sense of scale. This broad view comes after the climb, not from a roadside pullout.

A Fremont-era stop on the approachA short side trail near the approach leads to the remains of a Fremont pit house.

A short side trail near the approach leads to the remains of a Fremont pit house. Fremont people lived in this part of Utah about 300 to 1300 CE, growing corn, beans and squash near waterways. It adds a glimpse of everyday life in Fruita's landscape before the climb reaches the open rim.

viewpointhikingpanoramahistoric

Wildlife

Wildlife in Capitol Reef

All Capitol Reef wildlife maps
Bighorn Sheep50 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapMule Deer322 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapMarmot70 sightingsMarmotMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapCottontail Rabbit13 sightingsCottontail RabbitMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapTurkey33 sightingsTurkeyMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapRaven14 sightingsRavenMost seen around 9 AMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Capitol Reef. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Rim Overlook

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

EasyFremont Petroglyph Boardwalks0.4 mi · 20 min · 0.4 mi awayTwo wooden boardwalks reveal Fremont rock art.ChallengingFremont Gorge Overlook Trail4.6 mi · 3 hr · 0.4 mi awayA mesa climb ends above the Fremont River, 800 feet below.ModerateCohab Canyon Trail1.7 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.6 mi awayA steep Fruita climb opens into a sculpted sandstone canyon.ModerateFremont River Trail2 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayRiver walk, a steep climb, and broad views over Fruita.ModerateSulphur Creek Waterfall Hike1.4 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.8 mi awayFollow a desert creek upstream to a waterfall below red rock walls.ModerateHickman Bridge Trail1.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayA moderate climb to a 133-foot bridge and a loop beneath it.ChallengingRim Overlook Trail4.6 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayFruita and the Waterpocket Fold spread below this steep rim climb.ChallengingNavajo Knobs Trail9.4 mi · 7 hr · 1.2 mi awayA strenuous rim hike to a tiny summit and a huge panorama.

More stops nearby

Sight · 0.2 mi awayFruita SchoolhouseA restored classroom, seen through its windows, tells a small-town story.Sight · 0.3 mi awayRipple Rock Nature CenterA shaded Fruita stop; check for seasonal outdoor programsSight · 0.3 mi awayMerin Smith Implement ShedPeek through the open doors at Fruita's old farm machinery.Picnic area · 0.4 mi awayFruita Picnic AreaA shaded lawn makes a welcome pause in Fruita's red-rock valley.Sight · 0.4 mi awayFremont PetroglyphsFind tall human figures and geometric bighorns across the red wall.Sight · 0.5 mi awayFruita OrchardsAround 1,900 trees keep Fruita’s farming past alive.Sight · 0.5 mi awayGifford HomesteadFruita's pioneer farmhouse shares its history with the fruit-pie shop.Campground · 0.6 mi awayFruita CampgroundAn orchard campground under red cliffs beside the Fremont River.

Parkwolf’s Capitol Reef ranking

Top sights in Capitol Reef

All 52 places
  1. 1Hickman BridgeSight
  2. 2Gifford HomesteadSight
  3. 3Fremont PetroglyphsSight
  4. 4Cassidy ArchSight
  5. 5Temples of the Sun and MoonSight
  6. 6Fruita OrchardsSight

Take Parkwolf to Capitol Reef.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

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