A Reef in the Desert (Capitol Reef NP, Utah)
Capitol Reef National Park Visitor Information and Map
Visiting Capitol Reef National Park felt a little like stepping right off the map. There were no crowds. In fact, when we first arrived in the late afternoon, the park office had already closed for the day. But there was a posted park map, so we filled out a permit form, dropped our envelope and park fee into a lockbox, double-checked that posted map and did our preliminary explorations along the main drive.
The Navajo aptly named the Capitol Reef area: “Land of the Sleeping Rainbow.” And the land does look as if someone got a little wild with the watercolors, splashing and spilling vibrant hues out to the next horizon…
Giant chunks of tinted earth look as though they were squeezed in the fist of an over-sized toddler and then casually dropped in the wilderness. The abrupt variations in color, texture and formation tell geologic stories of ancient rivers and swamps, forests, a Saharan-type desert, and a one-time shallow ocean.
Capitol Reef is the stand-out attraction of The Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long buckling of the Earth’s crust.
Domes, arches, cliffs and narrow canyons are the main draw, but Capitol Reef also includes the Fruita 
Historic District. This preserved Morman settlement is a splash of green within the rocky landscape and has a working pick-your-own orchard. A cold snap had prematurely ended the apricot harvest when we visited leaving no fruit to pick, but a park ranger –eager for us to sample Fruita’s fruits- readily gave to us from her own stash of early apricots.
The weather and season ultimately steer one’s hiking decisions at Capitol Reef. The intense summer 
sun and exposed trails made it essential to begin our hikes early in the day and to avoid some trails entirely: the hike to Cassidy (as in “Butch Cassidy”) Arch was tempting, but its access trail, the “Frying Pan,” sounded like a better choice for a cooler season. Distant rainstorms were a factor as well when choosing slot canyon hikes.
While we didn’t get to Cassidy Arch, we were fortunate to see Hickman Natural Bridge. That hike will be “next up” in this Utah series…
Capitol Reef NP: Visitor Information and Map
Capitol Reef National Park (Torrey, Utah)
378 miles of colorful canyons and ridges…
Slot canyons, rock arches and monoliths
Pick-your-own fruit (June - Oct)
HC 70 Box 15; Torrey, UT 84775
435-425-3791 x 111
Park Website
Park Hours: Open year-round; see website for details
Entrance Fee: $3.00/individuals or $5.00/private vehicle
Valid for 7 days. Annual pass available.
More on Capitol Reef National Park
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I’ve heard of high areas in New Mexico where the ground is littered with shells from some ocean many millions of years ago. Fascinating.
You are the expert Utah tour guide!
Suzanne: It’s hard to fathom such dramatic differences. ~Similar to imagining a parent or grandparent as a newborn, I suppose…
Jean-Luc: I learned a lot during our week there last July. ~But would love to learn (travel!) more through that area…
The orangish red hues are magnificently splattered by nature , excellent pictures.
Thanks Sadia,
I like your use of those same colors in your fire series! Nice stuff!