Capitol Reef National Park Guide: Hiking and Backpacking
Capitol Reef National Park Highlights
- Fifteen day-hiking trails begin within a short drive of the visitor center. Four of these are easy—Grand Wash, Capitol Gorge, Sunset Point, and Goosenecks. The other trails have strenuous climbs or sections of irregular slickrock.
- Muley Twist Canyon and Halls Creek in the park’s south offer many places to explore on both day-hike and backpack trips. These are cairned routes, requiring a map and compass for navigation.
- You can ascend 1,600 feet for a spectacular panorama of Capitol Reef and southeastern Utah by combining the Hickman Natural Bridge, Rim Overlook, and Navajo Knob Trails in about nine miles roundtrip.
- Five canyons cut completely through Capitol Reef. One of these, Grand Wash, offers an easy 2.25-mile, one-way hike beneath sandstone walls soaring up to 800 feet and narrowing to as little as 20 feet.
- Golden Throne Trail begins at the end of the scenic drive and ascends 1,100 feet in four miles to a dramatic viewpoint of Capitol Reef. Golden Throne is a great monolith of Navajo Sandstone capped by Carmel Formation siltstone.
- Experienced canyon-country hikers can explore the narrow slot canyons of Burro Wash, Cottonwood Wash, and Sheets Gulch off the Notom-Bullfrog Road. Dry falls, chock stones, and pools of water will challenge you!
By Travel Expert:
Bill Weir
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