The Navajo Knobs (6,979') are located 4.8 miles from Hickman Bridge Trailhead in Capitol Reef National Park. These sandstone knobs cap a high rim on the west side of the Waterpocket Fold with panoramic views across Spring Canyon, Whiskey Flat, Mummy Cliff, the Henry Mountains and Fruita Historic District. The route veers off the Hickman Bridge Trail and follows cairn-marked slickrock slabs and rims to the knobs.

The Navajo Knobs Trail runs across open slickrock rims up the obvious E-W tilt of the Waterpocket Fold

Pectols Pyramid is just one of many distinguished formations along the Navajo Knobs Trail, which is among the highest-reaching maintained trails in Capitol Reef

Utah juniper trees can exist under very harsh conditions; their roots reach deep underground and can extend many feet laterally to access water and stabilize the tree

Capitol Reef National Park derives its name in part from the rounded Navajo Sandstone domes which resemble the domes of capitol buildings throughout the US

Hickman Natural Bridge is a short excursion off the Rim Overlook - Navajo Knobs Trail

The Henry Mountains frame SE views, and rise from 3,700' along the shores of Lake Powell to 11,522' on the summit of Mt Ellen

The term 'Knob' can simply mean an isolated mound or hill that stands out prominently in the landscape

The Rim Overlook (6,408'), about half way up the trail, offers comparable views and is a fine turnaround point if not aiming for the knobs

Volcanic boulders formed 20-30M years ago from lava flows on mountains west of the park, and were carried here as the last Ice Age retreated and sent landslides and debris flows to lower elevations

The trail is well-marked by cairns, but easy to lose and hard to regain in this open environment with many repetitive terrestrial features

Views from Navajo Knobs extend far across the high west-side of the Waterpocket Fold, and NE across Spring Canyon

Snow may conceal cairns and make travel over steep slickrock treacherous on the Navajo Knobs Trail

The Waterpocket Fold is a nearly 100 mile long monocline - or wrinkle - in the Earth's crust that tilts steeply from west to east

Desert Bighorn Sheep were largely absent from the Capitol Reef area by the late 20th century, but were successfully re-introduced in the 1990s

Navajo Sandstone is comprised of thick layers of cross-bedded sandstone formed by windblown sand dunes deposited here 180M years ago