Tour Capital Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park
PO Box 15, Torrey, UT 84775; (435) 425-3791.
NPS Weblink;
Nearest Lodging: Torrey, Utah
Campsites Available.

Capitol Reef has gone undiscovered until only recently due to its isolation and difficulty of access. First given monument status in 1937, then national park status in 1971, today it has been enlarged to 241,865 acres.

Named for large reef like cliffs that are capped by a white sandstone formation that resembles the US Capitol. Contains massive gorges as well as indian artifacts and petroglyphs that predate the time of Columbus. Also interspersed are fruit orchards started by early Mormon pioneers.

Utah SR-24 provides the main access to the park connecting from near Green River and Salina.
Waterpocket Fold - Predominant geological feature is almost 100 miles long (72 miles lie with the national park) of layer of colorful rock that has buckled within the Earth's crust.
Cathedral Valley - Northern end of the park where are 400 to 700 foot high red sandstone monoliths.
Capitol Reef - 20 mile long uplift portion of the Waterpocket Fold.
Old Fruita School House - part of old settlement dating back to the 1870's, today it is part of the park headquarters
Chimney Rock - scenic viewpoint on west
Panorama Point - scenic viewpoint on west
Goosenecks - scenic viewpoint on west
Visitors Center - located six miles from west entrance Open Daily: 8AM-4:30PM.
Cassidy Arch - Named for outlaw Butch Cassidy
Capitol Gorge - many pothole pockets in the rock and site of many Indian ancient petroglyphs.
Golden Throne - major overlook of the area.
Anasazi State Park - located outside of park boundaries is a 1,000 year old Anasazi Indian Ruins near Boulder.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area - Lake Powell borders the southern edge of the park.