Rim Overlook and Navajo Knob Trail Capitol Reef

 We drove up to Capitol Reef to hike the Rim Overlook and Navajo Knob Trail. This is a 9.4 mile round trip hike with 1,640 ft of gain.
This is at the same trailhead as the Hickman Bridge Trail.

 We started in the morning as the sun was rising over the large rock formations in the east.

 After 0.3 miles, the trails split, and we headed up along the Rim Overlook and Navajo Knob Trail.











There were lots of wildflowers in bloom along the lower sections of the trail.

 a nice variety of huge rock formations along this trail












 A short ways up the trail we stopped at the Hickman Bridge Overlook (we had hiked to Hickman Bridge 5 days ago). In the morning light, the Bridge looks more like a cave, than a bridge.

We stopped at this overlook again in the early afternoon and there was a nice shadow under Hickman Bridge to help define where it was.

We continued up the trail as it wound its way around the large rock walls and formations. Here the shallow pools in the slick rock reflect the rock walls.

 I enjoy walking around this large rocky walls

 The Rim Overlook is about 2.3 miles from the trailhead.












Pano from the Rim Overlook to the west:

 From the Rim Overlook, the trail travels along the rim towards the north for quite a ways.
Further up along this rim I took a pano to the northwest where you can see "the Castle" the Navajo Knobs off to the right of center.

 more shallow pools where rain has collected in the rim trail, we are getting closer to the Navajo Knobs. The trail will eventually take us up the last knob on the far left.

 further along the trail











After the trail turns westward along the south side of the Navajo Knobs, I looked back and took this pano looking at the rim we had hiked along with the large towering rock wall.

 Continuing up alongside the Navajo Knobs, we saw a small rock arch on the left side of the trail.

 Part of the Navajo Knobs

 wavy patterns in the sandstone along the rim

 another small rock arch along the trail

 The trail leads up to the top of these rocks

 It is a bit of a steep route up.

















We had fabulous views a top this knob, we spent quite a while here enjoying these views. Our backs are to the west.

 View to the north

 view to the south











Pano looking east with the other Navajo Knobs directly in front of us

 Hiking back down the trail, you can see how irregular the rim around the Navajo Knobs is.
Henry Mtns in the far distance.

 Looking back, we could see other hikers up on the knob at the end of this trail.

 There are a couple of places along the rim, where going down trail is going up along this irregular lift. This area is so slanted, it is very difficult to find a flat horizon.

 Nice view of the Henry Mountains as we continue down the rim trail

 The views are stunning both going up and coming back down the trail

 bright red flowers

 In the early afternoon light, we had a great view down to Fruita and where we started our hike on Tuesday going up to the Cohab Canyons and across The Frying Pan Trail.








Beautiful bright red claret cups on Mojave mounds brightened up the trail.

 Mormon tea bush in bloom at the foot of this tree

 I think this rock formation may be the Capitol Dome










Getting close to the trail junction near the start of the trail.

















some of the many wildflowers we saw in bloom along the trail today: