Hickman Bridge

Hickman Bridge is the introductory hike for the Mighty 5 — a 1.7-mile out-and-back that climbs 416 feet through a sandstone bench and frames a 133-foot natural bridge spanning a side wash. The trailhead sits at mile 2 on Highway 24, immediately east of the Fruita Historic District orchards, and the parking lot holds 25 cars with no RV pull-throughs. Capitol Reef's Fruita Campground (71 sites, 36-foot rig cap, dry-only) is the rig-friendly basecamp two miles west — its location among the historic Mormon orchards means you can pick apples or peaches at the campsite during harvest seasons (June peaches, August apples, October pears, all per the park's published harvest calendar). The trail surface is graveled-and-stepped through the climb and the bridge approach itself is loose sand, accessible to most ages and fitness levels — Capitol Reef rangers cite it as the highest-throughput trail in the park for first-time desert hikers.