Hickman Bridge in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

About this photograph

Creator

Margery H. Freeman

Date created

Unknown

Location

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

License

This photograph copyright ©2008. All Rights Reserved

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• Search LEARN NC for Capitol Reef National Park, Hickman Bridge, monocline, national parks, natural arch, Utah, and Waterpocket Fold.

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This is Hickman Bridge in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. It is a natural arch in a canyon above the Fremont River gorge. Through the arch, a steep cliff of red sandstone is visible as well as the canyon bottom, which is dotted with shrubs and trees. In the background, there are massive domes of rock. In the foreground to the right, there is a scraggly evergreen tree.

Capitol Reef National Park encompasses over 75 miles of the 100 mile long Waterpocket Fold. Waterpocket Fold is a steep rift in the landscape known as a monocline, a fold in the Earth’s crust usually resulting from an underlying fault. It is known as Waterpocket Fold for the basins that form in the rift as water erodes the formations. The park itself is named after one of its most magnificent features, Capitol Reef. Capitol Reef is named for the large domes of white Navajo sandstone that resemble the domes of capitol buildings, and also the tall cliffs that surround the area and impede travel.