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"capitol Reef"

Aug

2020

Roadside View of Capitol Reef National Park: One Day at This Utah Attraction

Do you know where Capital Reef National Park is? We found it by chance more than two decades ago and we’ve been going back since then.

Capital Reef is a small National Park located in southern Utah. It’s in the neighborhood of the Grand Escalante National Recreation Area, Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park. The closest town is called Torrey. Not much there except a small grocery store and a handful of restaurants, cafes and hotels.

The area has grown significantly over the years, but we think it’s still one of the best kept secrets in southern Utah.

Here’s a video we made from a recent trip through Capitol Reef. We hesitate to say that it was our destination, but rather, it was a diversion as we traveled from one place to another. Next time we’ll want to spend more time and explore some of the backcountry.

We spent just a single day ambling around Capitol Reef National Park in southern Utah. Here’s what we found by observing from the roadside.

We spent about six weeks in this area a few years ago when we were RVing full time and came away with a few stories. Here are a few:

Capitol Reef National Park – Our introductory piece from a couple of years ago when we visited this the Park.

Capitol Reef national Park – Image gallery – Some of our first images from Capitol Reef National Park. They’re still relevant since nothing has changed over the years.

Capitol Reef – Waterpocket Fold – We dive into the fascinating geology of the area around Capitol Reef called The Waterpocket Fold. By visiting Capitol Reef national Park, it’s no mystery that the area has been very geologically active and this article explains a little about how it all took place.

Capital Reef National Park – Wayne Wonderland – Here we dive into a bit of the recent history of Wayne County and who the first Mormon settlers were.

Goblin Valley – Utah’s Weirdest Rocks – This should have been listed first. If you visit Capitol Reef National Park and you come from I-70, you pass by Goblin Valley State Park near Hanksville. This place has the weirdest rocks we’ve seen anywhere and it’s worth a visit, especially if it’s on your way.

Sep

2018

Capitol Reef National Park

One of the least known national parks in southeast Utah, in our opinion, is Capital Reef National Park. Located along Utah Highway 24, north of Bryce Canyon and the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, this park could be the best example of exposed geology anywhere on the Colorado Plateau, short of an exhausting trip into the interior of the Grand Canyon.

We just visited Capital Reef National Park for a couple of days along with side trips into the Dixie National Forest, the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, and Bryce Canyon National Park. There’ll be more on these parks later.

The easiest way to get to Capital Reef National Park is to head out I-70 in Utah, east from I-15 or west from Grand Junction, Colorado. Follow signs to Hanksville and turn right at Hanksville. You can’t miss it.

While we were here, we stayed at the Capital Reef Resort, which is a hotel just outside the park, near the town of Torrey. Capital Reef Resort is worth mentioning on its own. It features the usual rooms with great views, but also has Tee Pees in case you want to sleep in a tent, and even covered wagons if you’re more in a western mood. There’s a restaurant, which is important around these parts, and horse and llama stables for western riding and guided hikes into the wilderness.

Here are a few of the images we have from our brief stay at Capital Reef. These are from the park itself. We’ll post others from our trips up into the Dixie National Forest, the Escalante Grand Staircase, and Bryce Canyon as soon as time permits.

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Petroglyphs
Petroglyphs left by the Fremont Indians. The Fremont indians were in the area from1 ad to 1300 ad.

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Don's camera and go-pro taking a picture.

petroglyphs
Petroglyphs left by the Fremont Indians. The Fremont indians were in the area from1 ad to 1300 ad.

We wrote about Capital Reef and the area once before on a more extended visit. You can see some of the articles we posted here:

Jun

2017

Capitol Reef National Park – Image Gallery

Capitol Reef National Park is one of the most interesting places in the southwest. The Waterpocket Fold opens up several hundred million years worth of geology in breathtaking sandstone layers. The wind sand, and rain have sculpted the landscape into a place worth seeing.

Petroglyphs
Petroglyphs, or rock art, were often left by the Anasazi and Fremont people. many of these examples are over 2,000 years old.

Chukar Partridge
A beautiful Chukar Partridge decided to pose.

Red Rock formation near Capitol Reef National Park
Red Rock formation with sage brush

Capital Reef National Park
A sandy trail at Capital Reef National Park

Southwest
Red rocks and blue sky with a green plant in front

Capital Reef National Park
Red sand hiking trail in Capitol Reef National Park

Hiking Trail in the Red Rocks
A hiking trail in the red rocks of Utah

Cactus in Rocks
The white appearing rock formation in the background is known as Navajo Sandstone.

Red rocks in Capitol Reef
Capital Reef National Park, Utah. Scenic Drive to Grand Wash and Capital Gorge.

Thrust Fault
Capital Reef got its name, in part, because of a huge thrust fault jutting up from the landscape, forming a "reef", or barrier to travelers.

Drilling rig, Cathedral Wash, Capital Reef National Park
An abandoned water drilling rig sits rusting along the roadway in Cathedral Wash, Capital Reef National Park

Cathedral Wash
Cathedral Wash, Capital Reef National Park, Utah

Red rocks and blue sky
Red rock formations in Cathedral Wash, Capitol Reef National park

Cathedral Wash
Entrada Sandstone spires at Cathedral Wash, Capital Reef National Park.

Fruit Trees
The early pioneers planted fruit trees

Capitol Reef National Park
Red and Pink Rock Formation in Capitol Reef National Park

Red rock formations
Incredible red rock formations against the blue sky of the southwest

Hiking trail
A sandy trail

View overlooking the National Park
View overlooking the road and park lands

Hiking trail
Hiking trail thru the red rocks

Red Rock Formations
Everywhere you look at Capitol Reef National Park, there is beauty

May

2013

Capitol Reef National Park – Wayne Wonderland

Capitol Reef National Park may not be the best known national park in the US, but this little park is possibly one of the most interesting. It is in the middle of a geologic feature called “The Waterpocket Fold”, and possibly demonstrates one of the finest examples of geologic progression in the entire Colorado Plateau. While not the originally proposed name for this park, Capitol Reef got its name from the locals, who believed the large dome shaped white colored sandstone rocks in the area resembled the nation’s capitol building. They also referred to the Waterpocket fold as a Reef, indicating that it represented a natural barrier. It’s said that the two expressions combined, creating the name Capitol Reef. Continue reading →

May

2013

Capitol Reef – The Waterpocket Fold

To walk among the red rocks in Utah is an experience that’s well worth the effort. From Moab where several great parks exist, including Arches and Canyonlands to the Grand Canyon (which is actually in northern Arizona) where, if you’re stout enough you can walk to the bottom and witness layers of rocks that were laid down almost at the beginning of the earth itself. Well, not quite, but you can still see layers that were formed as far back a 2.6 billion years. That’s a really long time! Continue reading →

Jul

2022

The North Rim of The Grand Canyon

Many of us have been to the Grand Canyon. We’ve fought with the hordes of people, competing for a non-existent parking place so we could ride a crowded bus to the various viewing areas along the south rim. To be clear, with all our complaining it’s worth the effort. Nothing can adequately describe the sensation of standing on the rim of one of the largest and most picturesque canyons on earth. We’re not only impressed by the majesty of the view, but by the utter silence as we gaze out into the void.

On rare occasions, we’ve been gifted with another, better view of the Grand Canyon, from the north side. The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is harder to visit, and therefore has far fewer guests. There’s only one campground and the only hotel within 40 miles is the lodge, which is very expensive. It’s only open during the summer because it’s about 1,000 feet higher than the south rim, and therefore receives more snow.

Another consideration when visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is that it is in very close proximity to some of the best National Parks and other recreation available in southern Utah. Close-by parks include Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Capitol Reef National Park. There’s the famous Escalante National Recreation Area, and more.

Still, it’s more than worth the effort if you have the time and means.

Here are a few of the images we made this summer:

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon may not have as many viewing spots, and it may not attract as many guests, but the drive over to the north side is well worth the effort.

Dining Room
Dining room at the lodge, North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Lounge
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Timelapse
Making a timelapse from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

North Rim Cabins
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The River
The Colorado River as sen from Angel's Window

Wild Flowers
Wildflowers at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

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Bright Angel Point
One of the most spectacular viewing areas along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is a short, 1/4 mile walk from the main lodge. It's called Bright Angel Point.

Indian Paint Brush
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Timelapse at Bright Angel Point
A smoky timelapes at Bright Angel Point.

Bright Angel Point
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Angels Window
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Angels Window
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North Rim Lodge
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Lightning Damage?
Possible lightning damage at the lodge, North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

North Rim Lodge
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Lodge Overlooking the Canyon
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Lodge Overlooking the Canyon
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Lodge
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Chipmunk
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The Lodge
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Feb

2014

Goblin Valley – Utah’s Weirdest Rocks

If you were blindfolded, taken to Goblin Valley and told that you had just walked through a Stargate and were now on the mysterious red planet Entrada Prime, it might just be believable. Goblin Valley State Park near Hanksville, Utah, is just that kind of place. Just a little imagination, and you can easily pretend that you’re not on Earth any longer. In fact, portions of the space comedy “Galaxy Quest” were filmed here because of the unusual shapes of the rocks. In the movie, some of the rocks were alive and attacked Tim Allen!

Continue reading →