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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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, …
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The purpose of the Golden Throne Trail is to provide fine views of the trail’s namesake, a 7,042-foot sandstone dome that shines a deep yellow in the sun. However, visitors hoping to summit Golden Throne—or even to touch it—are likely to be disappointed: the 2-mile trek ends abruptly at a rock outcropping a good distance …
Continue reading Golden Throne Trail and Golden Throne Canyon (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
The half-day out-and-back to Lower Calf Creek Falls is the most popular hike in the Escalante Canyons area, and with good reason. Not only does the colorful and beautifully-framed 126-foot chute make for a blissful destination, but the journey itself is an experience: the trail meanders through a fantastic stretch of canyon, complete with varying …
Continue reading Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
Less frequented than its national park neighbors (e.g., Bryce Canyon, Zion, Capitol Reef), Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM)—managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)—is an enormous, 1.9-million-acre maze of cliffs, sinuous slots, and sandstone canyons in the heart of southern Utah. The park’s most popular spot in the Escalante Canyons area is undoubtedly Lower …
Continue reading Upper Calf Creek Falls Trail (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
Peering down at Highway 24 or the Visitor Center from Rim Overlook or atop Navajo Knobs will give you a very different perspective of Capitol Reef National Park than the average visitor. The predominant view in the park is to look up—up at canyon walls, up at ancient petroglyphs, up at the Wingate sandstone cliffs …
Continue reading Rim Overlook and Navajo Knobs Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
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 …
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Live and Let Hike 