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)
The remote Trachyte Creek drainage system—just east of Utah’s Henry Mountains and north of Lake Powell—comprises a flurry of narrow canyons, many thin enough to form slender slots. One of the area’s best day hikes is Lower Maidenwater Canyon, easily accessible from Utah Highway 276 to Bullfrog Marina. The road roughly bisects the canyon into …
Continue reading Lower Maidenwater Canyon (North Lake Powell area, 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)
As far as non-technical slot canyons go, Little Wild Horse Canyon in Utah’s San Rafael Swell is among the best of the best. Tight, picturesque narrows, sweeping sandstone domes, and honeycombed walls make Little Wild Horse the most popular hike in the area. Visit in winter or early in the morning to avoid crowds, and …
Continue reading Little Wild Horse Canyon and Bell Canyon (San Rafael Swell, UT)
According to historical accounts, it was Almon Harris Thompson’s central Utah expedition in 1872 that gave the name to Pleasant Creek, a beautiful perennial stream now running through 242,000-acre Capitol Reef National Park. Upon discovering the rivulet on a trek to the yet-to-be-mapped Henry Mountains, Thompson’s photographer Jack Hillers wrote of a “beautiful creek flowing …
Continue reading Pleasant Creek (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Sheets Gulch constitutes one of Capitol Reef National Park’s three major slot canyon hikes on the east side of the Waterpocket Fold. Less strenuous and more diverse than its northern cousins up the road—Burro Wash and Cottonwood Wash—Sheets boasts three lengthy slot sections, an excellent stretch of deep narrows, an arch, and a wide variety …
Continue reading Sheets Gulch (Capitol Reef National Park, 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)
If I were to guess, I’d say upwards of 90-95 percent of visitors at Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park spend their entire stay along the main arteries running through the central district—Highway 24 and the Scenic Drive. But the southern portion of the park—a long tongue known as the Waterpocket District—is equally, if not more, …
Continue reading Headquarters Canyon (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Stair Canyon is an isolated place in an already sparsely-visited area. The area known collectively as North Wash—between Hanksville, UT and the upper reaches of Lake Powell—is often frequented by the canyoneering types with their ropes and belays and fancy footwork, but there is very little advertised in the way of non-technical day hikes. This …
Connecting Highway 24 and the Fremont River with the Scenic Drive, Grand Wash is one of only six drainages cutting east-west through the 100-mile Waterpocket Fold. It also happens to be one of the flattest and easiest hikes in Capitol Reef National Park. The scenic walk, a great option for children or those looking for …
Continue reading Grand Wash Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Live and Let Hike 