Visit Capitol Reef National Park
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Nearby Communities; Bluff Nearby Attractions; Arches National Park
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Capitol Reef National Park is 378 square miles of spectacular colorful canyons, ridges, buttes, and monoliths
Capitol Reef is the name of a beautifully rugged and spectacular part of the Waterpocket Fold near the Fremont River. The Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long wrinkle in the earth's crust known as a monocline, extends from nearby Thousand Lakes Mountain to the Colorado River (now Lake Powell). Capitol Reef National Park was established to protect this grand and colorful geologic feature, as well as the unique natural and cultural history found in the area.
CATHEDRAL VALLEY
The scenery of the Entrada Sandstone temples of Cathedral Valley is complemented by evidence of other geologic processes at work. Flowage and dissolution of gypsum, a soluable mineral from the underlying Carmel Formation, created Glass Mountain and the Gypsum Sinkhole. Glass Mountain is an exposed plug of gypsum. The Gypsum Sinkhole formed when a gypsum plug dissolved. Dikes and sills, which are thin bodies of igneous rock and small volcanic plugs, are found in Upper Cathedral Valley. These features formed during volcanic activity 3 to 6 million years ago. Fruita Desert Bighorn Sheep
The Historic Gifford Homestead, 1 mile south on the Scenic Drive, is typical of rural Utah farm-houses of the early 1900s. Cultural demonstrations and handmade sales items are available. EARLY HISTORY The earliest traces of human activity date from the 9th century when Indian peoples occupied the flood plains and high ground near the few perennial watercourses. These people - called the Fremont Culture by archeologists - were contemporaries of the pueblo-building Anasazi of the Four Corners area but were less advanced. In the 13th century, all Indian cultures in this area underwent sudden change; the Fremont Indian settlements and fields were abandoned. No one is sure what happened to these Fremont hunter-farmers. Not for several centuries did significant human activity reappear. When the first white explorers traveled in the vicinity of the Waterpocket Fold, both Utes and Southern Paiute nomads were encountered. Despite the fact that numerous expeditions passed near Capitol Reef, none of them explored the Waterpocket Fold to any great extent. It was, as now, incredibly rugged and forbidding. Following the Civil War, Mormon church officials at Salt Lake City sought to establish "missions" in the remotest niches of the intermountain west. In 1866, a quasi-military expedition or Mormons in pursuit of marauding Indians penetrated the high valleys to the west. In the 1870s, settlers moved into these valleys, eventually establishing Loa, Fremont, Lyman, Bicknell, and Torrey. Meanwhile, men from the expeditions of Major John Wesley Powell had begun to explore the area. In the early 1880s, settlers moved into Capitol Reef country. Tiny communities sprung up along the life-sustaining Fremont River; Junction (later "Fruita"), Caineville and Aldridge were created. Fruita prospered, Caineville barely survived, Aldridge died. By 1920, the work was hard but the life in Fruita
was good. No more than ten families at one time were sustained by
the fertile flood plain of the Fremont River and the land changed
ownership over the years. The area remained isolated. CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL MONUMENT GEOLOGY The most scenic portion of the Waterpocket Fold, found near the Fremont River, is known as Capitol Reef: "capitol" for the white domes of Navajo Sandstone that resemble capitol building rotundas, and "reef" for the rocky cliffs which are a barrier to travel, like a coral reef. Nearly 10,000 feet of sedimentary strata are found in the Capitol Reef area. These rocks range in age from Permian (as old as 270 million years old) to Cretaceous (as young as 80 million years old.) The Waterpocket Fold has tilted this geologic layer cake down to the east. The older rocks are found in the western part of the park, and the younger rocks are found near the east boundary. This layer upon layer sequence of sedimentary rock
records nearly 200 million years of geologic history. Rock layers
in Capitol Reef reveal ancient climates as varied as rivers and swamps
(Chinle Formation), Sahara-like deserts (Navajo Sandstone), and shallow
ocean (Mancos Shale). EROSION Even in this desert climate, water is the erosional agent most responsible for the carving of the landscape. The pull of gravity, in the form of rock falls or rock creep, plays a major role in the shaping of the cliff lines. Wind is a minor agent of erosion here. The landforms are a result of different responses of the various rock layers to the forces of erosion. Hard sandstone layers, like the red Wingate and the white Navajo Sandstones, form cliffs. Softer, shale layers, like the Chinle Formation, form slopes and low hills. The barren slopes found in many areas are due in part to the presence of bentonitic clays in the shale which make an inhospitible environment for plants. The black boulders, found scattered throughout the Fremont River valley and along other drainages, are recent geologic arrivals to Capitol Reef. These volcanic rocks came from the 20 to 30 million year old lava flows which cap Boulder and Thousand Lake Mountains. The boulders made their way to Capitol Reef during the Ice Ages when the High Plateaus supported small mountain glaciers. Landslides, debris flows, and possibly heavy stream outwash from these glaciers carried the boulders to lower elevations in the park. Capitol Reef National Park was established because
of the scenic rock domes and narrow canyons found along the trace
of the Waterpocket Fold. Indeed, the park boundaries were drawn to
encompass most of the Fold. Capitol Reef is a place to enjoy the scenic
majesty formed by geologic processes, and also to appreciate the interrelationships
between the Earth and all life found in the varied environments within
the park - - from the forested slopes of Thousand Lake Mountain, to
the green oasis of Fruita, to the barren Bentonite Hills. |
ENTRANCE FEES There is an entrance fee of $5 per vehicle for traveling the park’s Scenic Drive beyond the Fruita campground. Entrance fees are good for seven days from date of purchase. Bicycles are restricted to maintained roads open to vehicular traffic. A handout available at the visitor center identifies and describes recommended routes. From May to September, the park offers a variety of ranger-guided programs at no charge. These include guided walks, talks, and evening programs at the campground amphitheater. Fishing is permitted in the Fremont River with a valid Utah fishing license. Slot Canyons of Capitol Reef Contact Info Phone Fax
Climate Directions to Capitol Reef National
Park Traveling on Interstate 15: Take US Highway 50 east at Scipio (exit 188) towards Salina for 30 miles. At the junction with Utah State Highway 89/259, turn right (south) and travel 8 miles. Turn left (east) onto Utah State Highway 24 towards Sigurd. Continue on Highway 24 for 82 miles to reach the park Visitor Center. A picnic area near the visitor center provides tables, fire grills, restrooms, drinking water and shade trees. |
Deep
erosion has carved Cathedral Valley's free-standing monoliths, or
temples, out of the soft reddish-orange Entrada Sandstone, which was
originally deposited as sandy mud on a tidal flat. Some of the cathedrals
are capped by thin, hard beds of a greenish gray marine sandstone,
the Curtis Formation.
