April 7th – 9th, 2018
Capitol Reef National Park
Wayne County, Utah
On The Map: Capitol Reef National Park
A long skinny park cutting through the southern Utah landscape.
Overview
Leaving the Grand Staircase area we enter a new type of landscape. The land starts off fairly flat with lots of sand and short desert plants, but then in the distance is a ridge that soars upwards and cuts through the desert for miles.
Capitol Reef got it’s name from the geological formations that can be found here. Capitol is from the sandstone features that resemble capitol building domes and Reef for the rock walls that created a barrier for travelers.
Geologists know these rock formations are apart of the Waterpocket Fold. Some 50 million years ago an old fault line was reactivated and tectonic forces started moving the earth’s crust. With this formation,
The park is 60 miles long, but averages 6 miles wide.
A Very Brief History
The rock formations have created an almost impassible barrier to cross, but the Fremont River that flows through the area has allowed people to live here in an otherwise isolated landscape for thousands of years. Native Americans of the Fremont culture had permanent settlements near the river around 1,000 AD. Setting up irrigation they grew several crops and then stored grain in stone structures in nearby rock dwellings. Very Similar to the structures we viewed at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in New Mexico.
Like most of Utah, after the American Civil
President Franklin D Roosevelt designated the area as a National Monument in 1937 to protect the geologically unique landscape. Although, it wasn’t until 1950 that the land became accessible to the public. The rugged landscape and the Reef formation made this area hard to navigate. So, in 1962 State Route 24 cut through the land to improve access to everyone. Capitol Reef didn’t become a National Park until 1971.
Day 1
We arrived the night before from Grand Staircase Escalante. There is plenty of free camping within five miles of the park, but we wanted to be as close as possible. In this photo we’re about 1 mile outside of the park.
Lots of neighbors… little privacy.
This is the view from our campsite!!! Reef on the left and then “regular” mountains in the distance.
Sign Time!
Our ubiquitous photo with a park sign. 🙂
Apple Pie in Fruita
A detail of the Northern section of the park. We spent the first day in the Fruita area and the Scenic Drive.
Fruit orchards against a backdrop drop of red cliff walls. Park staff and volunteers continue to keep the orchards going. Living history.
Spring is near! Cherry tree blossoms!
Rebirth and regrowth!
Remnants of the Mormon settlers can still be seen sitting around the museum.
The Gifford House Museum and bakery. They still make fresh pies daily to sell to visitors passing through the park. They can sell out fast during the busy months
Inside the store.
Camrin enjoys her apple pie next to the Fremont River. 10 am on a cool day is a great time to enjoy pie. Look at that happy face!
HUGE Cottonwood Tree!
Wandering around the historic Fruita area for a little bit.
Scenic Drive
Driving through the heart of the park. We can’t imagine how people once navigated through this area before established maps and GPS.
Capitol Gorge Hike
First hike in the park. Capitol Gorge Trail.
Pretty prairie grass.
Along the trail look for Native American petroglyphs.
Before Rt 24 was built one of the only ways to get through this area was through this canyon.
Pioneer Register
The canyon walls are lined with graffiti from early settlers, visitors, and park tourists. This section of rock is aptly named, Pioneer Register. In hindsight, it’s neat to see the old dates, but as people who practice “leave no trace” values, please do not degrade the rock walls more.
Some pretty old dates can be seen.
Hiking up to a lookout. It’s a bit of scramble.
Hiking up to the viewpoint is a great way to see the layers in the rocks and erosion formations up close.
Water Tanks! These natural formations can fill up with water after the rainy season and becomes a valuable source of water in this otherwise dry area.
Nice view of the canyon and trail below.
Beautiful IndianPaintbrush wildflower. Seen on our way back to the trailhead.
Interesting rock formation along the Scenic drive on our way back out.
Waterpocket Fold!
A bunch of photos that show off the Waterpocket Fold.
West to East. Two photos put side by side to make a panoramic.
Amazing landscape!
Settling In For The Night.
We camped a little further away from the park entrance this night. A little more privacy and little larger space to explore before nightfall.
The Reef in the distance. You might be able to see the camper trailer on the far right side of the photo. That is where we camped the previous night and a good way to see the scale of this place.
This is about as tall as trees get out here. About 4 to 6 feet tall.
Watching the sunset!
Goodnight!
Day 2
Starting off with a day hike. We’re hiking to Cassidy Arch.
Like we said, “Don’t write on the rocks!”
Like yesterday’s hike this one starts by hiking through a canyon and then scrambling up the side of a rock wall.
A clearly marked trail! We love it!
Hiking up and enjoying the views.
Cassidy Arch from afar.
On the way to Cassidy Arch, the hiking trail turns to a
Cassidy Arch. Also a great spot to eat lunch and sit on the sun warmed rocks.
Laura even ventured out on top of the arch. The top of the arch is about 15 feet wide.
Hiking back down to the trail head and enjoying the views.
Petroglyph Pullout
Making our way to our next trail head we passed by Petroglyh Pullout. A great opportunity to see lifesized petroglyphs.
They’re kept at a distance to ensure their protection. Not much is known about these huge drawings. They were most likely created by the Fremont people around 1300 AD. Several drawings look like human figures wearing headdresses. Some believe they could be depictions of dream spirits.
Hickman Bridge Trail
A short but steep 1 mile hike to a 125 foot high Natural Bridge.
Don’t forget to grab a trail guide to learn more about both the human and geological history of this area.
A much more crowded trail than the last couple. Shout out to all the dad’s carrying their kids!
A classic example of how this park was named. Looks like a capitol building’s dome.
Hickman Bridge. 125 high. 133 feet long.
View from underneath.
Another small bridge nearby. Most likely used as a dwelling in the past.
Driving East
After a few hikes we were ready to find our next campsite for the night. This time heading to the Eastern side of the park.
For our third
Settling In For The Night
Not to shabby of a spot.
Goodnight!
Day 4
Today we will drive a mostly dirt road along the eastern boundary of the park and
Headquarters Canyon
Day Hike!
The hike starts by walking through a flat field and walking towards a ridge of rock.
Beautiful colors in the rock on this side. This is actually the backside of the Waterpocket Fold.
Found the entrance to the canyon. Its pretty much invisible until you’re right in front of it.
Nice and narrow.
Interesting crack formations. Almost looks like a lighting bolt.
A cool rock Camrin found.
Hey! One of Laura. After passing through the slot canyon the space opens up more. Lots of green plants living here.
Springtime leaves adding a nice pop of color in a brown landscape.
And a little lizard!
Just admiring the rocks here.
Camrin was so tempted to take this rock home. Laura persuaded her to let it be. It was a beautiful rock.
This is where we decided to turn around. At this point, the canyon becomes blocked by an old rock slide. Virtually impossible without rock climbing equipment.
Back through the slot canyon.
Aww… both of us.
Back to open land. Last look at the canyon.
Nottom -Bullfrog Road
Driving south for miles and miles. We passed by one car. No towns, no gas stations. Just wide open spaces and amazing views.
In the distance on the right is Lake Powell. Where we are headed to catch a ferry, but more about that in our next post.
Thanks for reading our blog! Up next… Natural Bridges National Monument!
I love what you two are doing and the commentaries are so much fun to read. On my next time around I want to be just like you! Thank you so much for showing me what is right next door; I would never see it otherwise (I live in eastern WY).