The circuitous hike through Capitol Reef National Park’s Lower Muley Twist Canyon extends for close to 12 miles from the Burr Trail Road to its southern mouth at the Halls Creek drainage. Highlights along the backcountry route include 1,000-foot cliffs and countless, varnished alcoves of immeasurable length. A short detour to Hamburger Rocks—a collection of …
Continue reading Lower Muley Twist Canyon and Hamburger Rocks (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
With sweeping alcoves and towering walls, Lower Muley Twist Canyon has become one of Capitol Reef National Park’s most popular backpacking destinations. To the ambitious, it can also be conquered in a couple of lengthy day hikes—though an overnight is likely to be more enjoyable. Live and Let Hike will dissect the route into two …
Continue reading Lower Muley Twist Canyon – Upper Section (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Of Capitol Reef National Park’s three strenuous slot canyons off the Notom-Bullfrog Road (Sheets Gulch and Burro Wash being the others), Cottonwood Wash is, to many, the most frustrating. The culprit is a deep, chilly pool—frequently over head high—encountered just as the canyon begins to narrow significantly. Even if swimming is not in the cards, …
Continue reading Cottonwood Wash (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Spring Canyon—a winding gorge that cuts roughly east-west through Capitol Reef National Park—is traditionally segmented into two parts: a lengthy upper section beginning outside the park’s western boundary and a shorter, narrower lower portion that spits out at the Fremont River. Visitors with limited time should prioritize Lower Spring Canyon, which boasts some of the …
Continue reading Upper Spring Canyon (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Recording roughly 700,000 visitors per year—many of whom had never heard of the place before stumbling upon it—Capitol Reef National Park is much less touted that in its famous neighbors: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, and Zion. The reward of Capitol Reef? A much higher likelihood of solitude. Visiting during the winter months almost guarantees such …
Spring Canyon—a popular overnight destination in Capitol Reef National Park—is often considered in two separate parts: a lengthy upper canyon that begins outside the park’s western boundary and a roughly 7-mile lower portion. Chimney Rock Canyon, accessed by way of the well-maintained Chimney Rock Trail, provides the most popular access to both sections. At 9.9 …
Continue reading Lower Spring Canyon (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
To those who know Capitol Reef National Park well, the Old Wagon Trail is often considered the red-headed stepchild of the park’s front-country hikes. Though the 3.8-mile stem-and-loop—starting right off the Scenic Drive—features one excellent viewpoint, it comes at a price: a long and monotonous slog 1,080 feet up the dip slope of pinyon- and …
Continue reading Old Wagon Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
One of a half-dozen hikes taking off from Capitol Reef National Park’s north-south Notom-Bullfrog Road, the Red Canyon Trail leads to an impressive amphitheater of scarlet-colored Wingate sandstone walls. Rocky promontories in the Wingate, similar in appearance to the celebrated “Needles” of Canyonlands National Park, conceal impressive secrets, including an impressive double arch requiring a …
Continue reading Red Canyon Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
A long day hike or 2-day backpacking trip, the 9-mile lasso-loop at Upper Muley Twist Canyon in Capitol Reef National Park has it all: colorful, striated cliffs; sinuous slots; a half-dozen impressive arches; and spectacular views atop a beautiful section of the jagged Waterpocket Fold. Here the red-orange Wingate sandstone has eroded into a peculiar …
Continue reading Upper Muley Twist Canyon (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Capitol Reef National Park’s Fremont River Trail, named for the perennial stream it follows, ends atop a windswept hill providing sweeping views of the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long wrinkle in the Earth’s crust accented by a panoply of colors. The first third of the hike traverses a trail that is wide, flat, and accessible …
Continue reading Fremont River Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Live and Let Hike 