Capitol Reef National Park—a long, skinny unit comprising 378 square miles in the heart of Utah’s canyon country—can be divided conceptually into three separate districts, each with a unique flavor. Around 95 percent of visitors flock to the central Fremont River District, which includes the Highway 24 corridor and the Scenic Drive. Ambitious day hikers, …
Continue reading Cathedral Valley Loop Drive (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
The 60-mile Cathedral Valley loop drive serves as the departure point for six short hiking trails in Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park. When completed in a clockwise direction, the sixth and final hike reached along the way is the 1.1-mile Cathedrals Trail, a well-defined and scenic jaunt through some of the park’s (and country’s) most …
Continue reading Cathedrals Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Throughout much of the 20th century, cattle rancher Lesley Morrell owned some of the finest real estate in the West. Though a modest and solitary—comprising just one small room—the cabin was nestled next to stream in the heart of Cathedral Valley, a delightfully remote nirvana of fluted cliffs and striking monoliths now protected as part …
Continue reading Morrell Cabin Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Overlooking a spectacularly colorful basin in Capitol Reef National Park’s northwest corner, the Cathedral Valley Overlook Trail leads to one of the finest viewpoints in the park. From a vantage point 400 feet above the basin floor, this brief hike affords a bird’s eye look over Upper Cathedral Valley, fluted cliffs, and a line of …
Continue reading Cathedral Valley Overlook Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Situated 27 miles up the unpaved Hartnet Road from Utah Highway 24, the Upper South Desert Overlook is a remote viewpoint in the northwest reaches of Capitol Reef National Park. For those completing the 60-mile Cathedral Valley loop drive, Upper South Desert is often the second or third stop (after quick jaunts to the Lower …
Continue reading Upper South Desert Overlook Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park is usually divided into three districts: the Fremont River District, home to more than a dozen maintained trails and the bulk of visitor traffic; the wild, southern Waterpocket District, home to slot canyons and the park’s best overnight hikes; and the remote and pristine Cathedral Valley District. Less than 1% …
Continue reading Lower South Desert Overlook (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
For the geologically-minded, the Hole-in-the-Rock Road in Utah’s vast Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument provides access to extraordinary cuts and sluices in the Navajo sandstone (e.g., Peekaboo & Spooky slot canyons, Coyote Gulch), dating to the early Jurassic Period. These canyons—tributaries of the mighty Escalante River—are situated principally to the east of the dusty, 62-mile access …
Continue reading Devil’s Garden (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
Hundreds of thousands flock to southwestern Utah’s Zion National Park each year to witness the famed Zion Narrows, where the majestic Virgin River has sculpted a 16-mile stretch of cavernous bends and twists seemingly unique in their beauty. Midway across the state, however, Capitol Reef National Park boasts a comparably spectacular alternative in the remote …
Continue reading Halls Creek Narrows via “airport route” (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
This sinuous slot canyon may not be the deepest, the longest, or the prettiest in central Utah. Visible from Bullfrog Visitor Center near the shores of Lake Powell, however, it may be one of the most accessible—and, for the non-boating types, the highlight of a visit to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area’s Bullfrog district. Though …
Continue reading Bullfrog Bay slot canyon (Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, UT)
Surprise Canyon and Headquarters Canyon (see my previous post)—Surprise’s nearby, more-frequented cousin—share a number of common traits. For one, they both cut deeply through the Waterpocket Fold, the 100-mile uplift in the earth’s crust that is the signature feature of Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park. Both can be hiked in less than 1 ½-2 hours …
Continue reading Surprise Canyon (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Live and Let Hike 