Capitol Reef National Park

July 05, 2018

West Entrance

The west entrance to Capitol Reef National Park is along Utah Hwy. 24. Entering the park from this direction you will soon come to parking areas for the Chimney Rock Trail, as well as access to the Sunset Point and Panorama Point overlook area. Prior to arriving at these areas you will will come across other pullouts. The first of these is for:

Twin Rocks

The Twin Rocks, found along Highway 24, are boulders of Shinarump sandstone (characteristic of the Chinle Formation found throughout the park) perched on top of more-eroded bases of softer Moenkopi Formation shale and sandstone.

Under Pressure Turnout

The Waterpocket Fold is the result of pressure caused by tectonic plates pressing together about 60 million years ago. At the site of a fault in the earth’s crust, more than 9,000 feet of rock layers were slowly warped and folded — bending rather than breaking, owing to the great weight of the rock. This huge wrinkle is what we call the Waterpocket Fold, the defining natural feature of Capitol Reef National Park.

Chimney Rock

Chimney Rock stands as an impressive sentinel over the desert below. An eroded pillar of layered Moenkopi shale and sandstone, Chimney Rock was once part of the same sediment bed as the surrounding mesa, which has eroded over time but has proven more resistant over time to the ravages of the local weather.

Goosnecks Train and Point

Not a hike but a stroll, the Goosenecks Trail leads just 600 feet from the parking lot to Goosenecks Point, to the 800-foot views of Sulphur Creek and the eroding landscape of Capitol Reef.

Sunset Trail and Point

The very short, easy Sunset Point Trail is a mere 4/10 of a mile from the parking area to the scenic Sunset Point overlook, over mostly level ground, so hikers earn a great view from 800 feet up with minimal effort. The view after the short walk is of a desert river valley and distant buttes striped with layers of eroded sedimentary rock. The colors on these come vividly to life during the sunsets that give this trail its name.

Sunset Point shares the same parking area as nearby Gooseneck Point, and much the same vantage, as well. Your view is of a desert river valley and, notably, more distant buttes striped with layer upon layer of eroded sedimentary rock. The colors on these come vividly to life du

Panorama Point Parking Lot and Point

It’s just a short walk from the Panorama Point parking lot to Panorama Point itself where dramatic views await at the aptly named Panorama Point

The Fluted Wall

Composed mostly of red sandstone, the Fluted Wall is a prominent rock formation striped with eroded vertical grooves that inspire its musical name. This is an excellent place to view and comprehend the various rock layers of Capitol Reef: The brick-red Moenkopi Sandstone on the bottom (dating back 245 million years), the grey-green and purple Chinle Formation in the middle (225 million years old), and the heavily eroded Wingate Sandstone on top (200 million years), of which only a remnant tower of rock remains here.

The Castle

Visible on the north side of Highway 24, and sitting behind the park Visitor Center, the Castle is an impressive geological formation much resembling its name. The craggy chunk of ochre-colored Wingate Sandstone sits like a monument atop a mesa, and its blocky facade seems to be made of towers and spires. Hikers on the Rim Overlook/Navajo Knobs Trail will pass behind it on the way to Navajo Knobs.

Capitol Reef Visitor Center

The Capitol Reef Visitor Center is open daily, except for some major holidays, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and offers extended hours in the spring through the fall. It’s located at the junction of the park’s Scenic Drive and Utah Highway 24.

Capitol Reef Scenic Drive

Capitol Reef’s main road is called Scenic Drive, and it certainly lives up to its name. The road is 7.8 miles long, and it begins at the Capitol Reef Visitor Center, veering south from Highway 24 and into the Waterpocket Fold. It costs $10 to drive the road from the visitor center on to its ending point at the junction of Capitol Gorge and Pleasant Creek Roads. The road features many pull-outs along the way.

The pavement ends at the intersection of Pleasant Creek Road and Capitol Gorge Road, where you can choose to turn around or continue exploring the southern section of the park on the unpaved 2.4-mile Capitol Gorge Road.

Creation of Waterpocket Fold

As far as landscape features go, the name of the Waterpocket Fold is pretty descriptive. Known as a monocline, this really is a 100-mile-long fold in the Earth’s crust, caused by compression that pushed many layers of sedimentary rock up, sideways, and folded in on themselves. Later, these layers eroded at different rates through the action of water and wind, creating the valley you are now in.

Slick Rock Divide

A “divide” (the most famous being the Continental Divide) is the term for a place where water drains in two different directions. Here, the Slickrock Divide shows the power that even infrequent rainfall can have on a place like Capitol Reef: the bare rock absorbs little rainwater, so thunderstorms result in powerful deluges in the canyons below — another reminder that the park’s canyons are no place to be when a storm is imminent.

Old Wagon Trail

Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef park began as a wagon trail in the late 1800s, serving as a passage through the rugged Waterpocket Fold. This pullout serves as the trailhead for the 3.8-mile Old Wagon Trail Loop, a strenuous hike through pinyon-juniper forest with views of sheer sandstone cliffs and the Henry Mountains. If you want to do the loop hike, park here.

EPH Hanks Tower

Capitol Gorge

At the south end of Scenic Drive, and at the further end of the unpaved 2.4-mile Capitol Gorge Road, is Capitol Gorge, a small, deep canyon carved out of the Waterpocket Fold. It took Mormon pioneers eight days in 1884 to clear the first road through the gorge, which extended to Caineville and Hanksville. Called the Blue Dugway, the road connected these tiny settlements until after World War II. V

Tapestry Wall

Navajo Sandstone

Stop on the Capitol Gorge Road shoulder for a look at Capitol Reef’s Najavo Sandstone, which caps the rock formations to the east (look for the white rock on top). Softer than the Wingate Sandstone, the Navajo Sandstone is more prone to weathering into rounded shapes, giving the park its famous Capitol Dome and other landmarks.

Golden Throne

Egyptian Temple

The rock formation known as the Egyptian Temple is composed of soft Moenkopi Sandstone protected harder Shinarump Sandstone. The Egyptian Temple butte is part of the Waterpocket Fold.

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