In the heart of the southern Utah desert stands a great barrier. From south of the San Rafael swell to the northern shores of Lake Powell, this great barrier towers 1700 feet above the desert floor for a length of 150 miles. This barrier is made up of a variety of sandstone buttes and bluffs packed so tightly together that breaching the barrier appears impossible. From the east, the morning sun illuminates the domes, spires and pinnacles, casting long, dark and sharp shadows between the gnarled rock formations. Your urge to explore is met with hesitance as you wonder about the mysteries that await you beyond the narrow canyon openings that beckon to you.

Capitol Reef National Park

Such is the feeling first encountered by Mormon explorers commissioned to establish Mormon settlements in the harsh desert environs so long ago. The impassable barrier, likened unto a coral reef, capped in its buff colored domes became known as Capitol Reef. At first only known to the Freemont Native People, explorers and outlaws, Capitol Reef became home for Mormon settlers, and later, one of America�s best kept secrets in the National Park system.

By Presidential proclamation, 37,000 acres encompassing most of the barrier became Capitol Reef National Monument on August 2, 1937. Two subsequent additions in 1958 and 1969 increased the monument�s size to 254, 241 acres, expanding the narrow attraction to seven times its original size. On December of 1971, an act of Congress gave the monument National Park status but reduced the size to 241, 904 acres. No matter how you divvy it up, that is a tremendous amount of exciting and alluring desert wilderness to explore. Capitol Reef is brimming with hiking and climbing opportunities.

Capitol Reef�s middle-of-nowhere location has actually become a boon over the years since its beginning with changes that have influenced the area�s recreational activities. With the creation of Lake Powell to the south, opportunities for recreation increased and in recent years, the tiny hamlet of Torrey, on the west side of the Park has seen some growth without forfeiting its rustic small town charm. Other attractions nearby are Boulder and Thousand Lakes Mountains, and to the northeast is Goblin Valley State Park. But the showpiece of the area is Capitol Reef.

Even in these modern times, that same mysterious allure beckons hikers and climbers to explore the endless possibilities for new adventures in the unforgettable place known as Capitol Reef.

Getting There & Red Tape

From the town of Green River, Utah, head west on Interstate 70 to the interchange with Utah Highway 24. Take Highway 24 south to Hanksville and the junction with Highway 95. Stay to your right in tiny Hanksville, proceeding west on Highway 24 to Capitol Reef National Park.

As you enter the Park, you�ll notice no ranger booth. One of the best things about Capitol Reef is, unlike the other national parks, admission is free! Try not to crane your neck or run your vehicle off the road as you drive through the Fremont River Canyon. You may wish to stop at the excellent Visitor Center to get acquainted with the lay of the land (highly recommended), which is a left turn off the highway, or you may wish to proceed to Torrey if you�re staying there and get settled in, which is about another 11 miles beyond the Park�s west border.

There is a fee of $5.00 to drive the Scenic Drive in the Park. The fee is good for 7 days and it's worth it if you plan on executing any of the hikes off of this road.

When to Visit Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef is open year round, 8:00-4:30, with extended hours in the summer, except Christmas Day. Hiking and climbing can be done any time, but during the mid summer, temperatures can get incredibly hot, increasing your need for water. It is recommended that you visit Capitol Reef in the spring or fall (see details below), although winter isn�t bad providing you�re dressed for the cold.

SUMMER
Thunderstorms are common and flash floods in Capitol Reef�s narrow canyons could become hazardous. Shade is rare, and your need for water will be considerable.

SPRING AND FALL
The weather is generally mild. Cold rains are possible in the fall. This is the best time to visit the Park as your need for water won�t be acute. Flash floods are still possible.

WINTER
Cool and dry with an occasional storm, great for hiking and climbing, but cooler temps may dictate warmer clothing.

Camping & Lodging

There are a limited number of lodging and bed and breakfast options in Torrey that will suit your needs. (Include Links) There are several fine restaurants in Torrey as well, along with limited services and a gas station.

Capitol Reef NP Travel Guide Loads of link information!

Torrey Pines B&B

Fee camping is available at the wonderful Fruita Campground near the Visitor�s Center. Picnic tables, restrooms and water are available. First come, first served. Cathedral Valley and Cedar Mesa primitive sites have pit toilets, picnic tables and fire grates, and charge no fee.

You can camp in Capitol Reef�s stunning back country for free as well, but you must secure a free permit at the Visitor�s Center.

Fruita Campground Info

Essential Gear

Your hiking boots should be in good shape. Sunscreen is strongly recommended, as well as a wide brimmed hat. Layered clothing is a good idea to keep the sunburn off your arms. Jackets are essential after sundown or during the cooler parts of the year. Dayhike gear and food is adequate for most outings in the park. A 4WD vehicle is recommended if you intend on visiting the north or south districts of the Park. If you�re blazing your own trail, a map, GPS and/or compass are a must. Supplemental Map Downloads

The need to carry plenty of water cannot be emphasized enough. Carry lots-double what you would normally carry if you visit the Park in the summer.

Other Activities

South Desert, Capitol Reef National Park

Attend amphitheater presentations at the Fruita Campground; tour the Fruita Historic District; go horseback riding or mountain biking; see ancient petroglyphs of the Fremont Indians; pick fruit from the Fruita orchards; take a scenic drive; take a 4WD excusion through the north district of the Park; visit the Ripple Rock Nature Center, .75 mile from the Visitor�s Center; or do some technical climbing!

CANYONEERING
Capitol Reef is home to some of the best canyoneering in the region, and a number of the Reef's canyons have yet to be fully traveled. Be sure to inquire with the Park rangers about conditions and come prepared with ample gear and technical ability before proceeding. Submission of canyoneering routes and photos as attachments to this page are welcome and encouraged.

History & Geology

THE HUMAN HISTORY OF CAPITOL REEF

The prehistoric Fremont Indians inhabited Capitol Reef approximately 700 to 1300 A.D. The primary cause for these early natives to call Capitol Reef home was water. When flows ebbed, people moved on, but many left behind a record of their presence in the forms of petroglyphs, which are abundant in the Park. From roughly the 1600s, the Southern Piaute Indians were in the region, migrating from the nearby mountain plateaus to the lower and warmer Capitol Reef during the winter.

Capitol Reef was one of the last areas to be explored during the taming of the West. Around the mid 1800s, explorers were passing by but only viewed the area from afar. John C. Fremont passed through the area in 1853, encountering difficult winter conditions. His party had to cache supplies near the river that would later bear his name. John Wesley Powell�s exploration via the Colorado River previewed Capitol Reef�s edges and the Unknown Mountains, later to become the Henry Mountains. Powell�s discovery of Fremont�s cache led to the naming of the river.

Almon Thompson and a party of Powell expedition members descended Pleasant Creek from Boulder Mountain in 1872. They were the first party to map and photograph the Reef. Geologist E.E. Howell made the first geological record of the region in 1875. Many travelers would follow, some of which are evidenced by the Pioneer Register in Capitol Gorge, which dates back to 1871.

A group from the Mormon Church was commissioned to settle the area in 1873. Nels Johnson settled in the area in 1880 at the location that is now the picnic area near the Visitor�s Center. He started some orchards and furnished lodging for travelers passing through. Eph Hanks followed in 1881, settling in a box canyon in nearby Pleasant Creek.

It has been suggested that the people that settled in the Reef were polygamists. Given the remote location, people pursuing such practices could do so without being disturbed by law officers. If the law were to visit, lookouts could spot them coming and warn the settlers, who would hide out in the canyons, such as the �invisible� Cohab Canyon The name Cohab is also another term for polygamists.

Capitol Reef was reportedly popular with outlaws and for good reason. The possibilities for hide outs in the Reef are endless. Famed outlaw Butch Cassidy and his gang reportedly used the Reef as a hideout nearby the spectacular Cassidy Arch.

As time passed, the land was overused. With a wet season and devastating floods, most settlementsalong the Fremont were swept away. Fruita, Caineville and Hanksville survived. Fruita, located within the Park, supported about ten families. A school was built, which stands today, and class was held there as late as 1941.

The Reef became a National Monument in 1937, with additions made in 1958 and 1969.

The Burr Trail was just that at first, crossing the narrow Reef in the southern region by winding up a draw. The trail was used for moving cattle. It was not widened into a road until the 1950s to facilitate vehicle travel. Uranium mining was big at the time and much damage to the environs resulted. A paved road was finally built through the Reef in 1962, when the State of Utah built Highway 24.

The Reef earned National Park status in 1972.

Cathedral Valley, Capitol Reef National Park

THE GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF CAPITOL REEF

Water is the main force that formed Capitol Reef. Ancient seas and rivers played long and involved roles in forming this incredible phenomenon. Ancient ice fields carved and pulverized the stratified rock, rains whittled away the surfaces, floods accelerated the erosion cycle. The amazing thing about Capitol Reef is the visible geologic record. Like the Grand Canyon, eons of earth history are exposed in and around the Reef.

Going back 250 million years, a shallow sea covered the region. The land tilted northward during the Triassic era, becoming a flood plain, a tidal flat and then again a shallow sea. The deep red and soft Moenkopi Formation was deposited at this time. The Chinle Formation followed, with the Shinarump Member sandstone (deposited in streambeds and not found in continuous layers). These harder layers sit atop the easily eroded Moenkopi, which results in balanced rocks. Vegetation was lush at the time, so near these layers petrified wood may be found. It is the wood in the Shinarump which percolated through the layer to become the uranium the government would eagerly seek eons later.

190 million years ago, an uplift drained the shallow sea, the area became a desert and huge dunes were formed. Three sandstone layers were deposited, the first being the Wingate Sandstone, which would later result in the red cliffed buttes so typical of the American West. As the area tilted yet again, streams deposited the Kayenta onto top of the Wingate. These layers are very similar and hard to differentiate. The last formidable layer to be laid down was the 800 foot thick, buff-colored Navajo Sandstone, which at first was sand dunes.

The land then tilted toward the south. Shallow seas advanced and retreated. Deposits of limestone, gypsum and various clays created the Carmel Formation. Land locked basins became filled with the soft Entrada Sandstone and the hard and gray Curtis Sandstone. The area was a wide flood plain yet again when the multicolored Morrison Formation was laid down approximately 140 million years ago. Fossil remains from the Jurassic Era have been found in this layer at Capitol Reef.

80 million years ago, the Dakota Sandstone layer was deposited, followed by the Mancos Shale and Mesa Verde Sandstone with the subsequent advance and retreat of seas. 60 million years ago, as the Rockies were uplifted to the east, the Earth�s crust wrinkled into huge stair steps known today as the Waterpocket Fold. Exposed to the elements, the Colorado Plateau, which extends from Thousand Lake Mountain to the Colorado River, began its spectacular legacy of erosion.

Volcanic activity entered the picture 20 million years ago, with Boulder and Thousand Lake Mountains producing great lava flows. During recent ice ages that followed, glaciers covered the flows and carried the stones great distances as they flowed over the region. Subsequent melting and grinding not only carried the resulting lava stones great distances, but wore them into rounded shapes. The curious round black lava stones that seem so out of place in Capitol Reef are the result of this geologic activity. Volcanic dikes and sills intruded into the South Desert and Cathedral Valleys during this time and are evident today as well. It is also believed that the Navajo layers exposed to the ice as sand was hardened and sculpted by the tremendous pressures it was subjected to beneath the glaciers.

Following the volcanic era, erosion accelerated. Pleasant Creek and the Freemont River flowed east to Capitol Reef as they do today. Eons of thunderstorms, floods and river course changes went on to create the amazing Capitol Reef phenomenon we know today.

SOURCES
Capitol Reef: The History Behind the Scenery by Virgil & Helen Olson
Utah�s National Parks by Ron Adkison
Explore Capitol Reef Trails by Marjorie Miller and John Foster
Capitol Reef National Park

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