Day Eight – Capitol Reef

Imagine being an early settler heading west and you successfully made it across the Rocky Mountains only to be confronted with towering golden cliffs that are almost one hundred miles with no break in sight? Well, that is what they encountered when they came to what is now call Capitol Reef National Park.


Evidently, the pioneers thought the giant white sandstone dome looked like the “Capitol Building” and the steep ridges of sheer rock looked like an impenetrable “ocean reef” – thus they named it Capitol Reef. 

The geology of the area is very interesting since numerous forces created it over millions of years. What had been a seabed with lava flows encroaching on the shoreline was tilted upward in what scientists call a “waterpocket fold”. It kind of wrinkled the landscape. 

As you drive through the north end of the park you can see many holes that have been eroded into the golden sandstone that was once a seabed. 

Scattered across this part of the country are basalt boulders and other volcanic rocks. The combination of sedimentary and igneous rocks makes for interesting hikes with a lot of variety. 

One popular hike is to an arch that is called Hickman Bridge. Although, it was a relatively short hike, parts of it were challenging. Seeing the giant 125-foot high arch stretch 133 feet across the valley was definitely worth the effort. Several smaller arches are still in the process of being eroded, so millions of years from now there may be as many geologic arches in Capitol Reef as there are in nearby Arches National Park.


Numerous other hikes and formations greet travelers. Some have names like “the Castle”, but others are unnamed.




What would you call this one? 


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