Capital Reef National Park

As most people know, Utah has an abundance of National Parks and National Monuments. Of these, the Mighty Five are the most well-known. They are Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands. Each of these unique and magnificent in their own right. On this trip to Utah, we chose not to visit Zion and Bryce Canyon, since we have previously visited each several times and spent considerable time in each.

The first of the remaining “Big Five” we have visited so far is Capital Reef National Park. Capital Reef is a first for both Meriam and I. We both wondered why we bypassed it. Entering the Park from the west, one is confronted with its most outstanding feature, the Waterpocket Fold. This 100-mile long fold in the earth’s crust is characterized by tilted rock layers incised by deep canyons. The fold is a classic monocline: a regional fold with one very steep side in an area of otherwise nearly horizontal rock layers. Almost 10,000 feet of sedimentary strata are found in the Reef area. These rocks record nearly 275 million years of history.

The “pockets” of Waterpacket Fold are natural basins capable of holding rainwater and snowmelt. It was these water pockets, along with the fertile floodplains of the Fremont River and Sulphur Creek and area wildlife, which attracted early human. Evidence of prehistoric American Indians, called the Fremont Culture, has been found dating back more than 1000 years.

In the 1880s, Mormon settlers established a community here, thriving for many years.

Capital Reef is so overwhelming, we found it very difficult to capture its true grandeur in photographs!

Fishlake National Forest

While not as spectacular, Fishlake provided us with a most interesting respite on our way to Capital Reef NP.  High up in snow-topped mountains, Fishlake is reputed to be a great place for ice fishing. Meriam read on one blog about a guy almost dying when he got stuck in the snow earlier this year. As you will see, we discovered a still frozen lake when we arrived. In fact, it sleeted on us while we were there. It was a great place to boondock!

Capital Reef National Park

Be sure to check out the old wagon in the lower right. This helps give the cliffs above some perspective.

One of the interesting sights at Fishlake was the abundance of Aspen forests in the area. One can only imagine what the place looks like in the autumn.

I told you it was cold here!