Capitol Reef National Park
Personal Notes:
2008 Visit: Halls Canyon Overlook
This page contains our personal notes on our October 2008 visit to Capitol Reef National Park.
Friday, October 24, 2008
We left our home in northern Utah about 7:14 a.m. and headed south along Interstate 15 to Scipio, where we took Highway 50 and then 24 to Torrey. South of Scipio, on Highway 50, I spotted a bald eagle sitting on the shoreline of Scipio Lake. We've seen them in this area before, during the winter months.
Rim Rock Inn
10:59 a.m.
When we arrived In Torrey it was 56 degrees, and sunny. We had reservations at the Rim Rock Inn, which is a couple of miles east of Torrey on Highway 24. We paid $59.00 per night. It's the end of their season, so there were not many guests. We pretty much had our pick of rooms, and when the clerk offered us the largest room they had for no additional charge, we jumped at the chance. Some of the rooms face southwest, with views of the looming Aquarius Plateau cutting the skyline. The rooms on the north side get wonderful views of the red rim of sandstone slicing the blue of the sky on that side. Either side, you can't go wrong as far as the view is concerned.
Our room was nothing fancy. There is one large king sized bed, a small table with two chairs, a low credenza style dresser with two large drawers, two small bedside tables, a phone, no clock, and a small TV that sits on top of the dresser, way across the room. From the bed it was hard to see the snowy screen that showed only local stations. The bathroom is typical of a small motel. But, the place was clean and spacious, and had great views.
We unpacked and headed toward the Capitol Reef Visitor Center.
Visitor Center
1:35 p.m.
We usually like to make a quick stop at each Visitor Center, even if we've visited the park numerous times, like with Capitol Reef. We always look for current information, and check out the books and maps to see if there is anything new. On this trip we picked up a book on tent camping locations in Utah, and I spoke with one of the rangers about the possibility of locating more rock art within the Park. I know there are more panels that are not promoted by the Park's brochures. But, as I'd suspected, though he was helpful, he wouldn't give me directions unless I could give him the name of a specific site. Of course, not knowing of that restriction, I hadn't brought along the names of the sites I know about. So ... we'll have to explore for those sites on another trip. Besides, that wasn't our main purpose on this trip.
Fruita Picnic Area
From the Visitor Center we drove the short distance to the picnic area. We've always admired the look of this spot, under tall old trees with huge trunks and lots of weathered character shading a nicely kept grassy area. But usually we are on our way to a trailhead or campsite and have never had the opportunity to stop. So this time we purposely brought along a picnic lunch so we could enjoy this location, imagining a quiet lunch under the autumn colored trees, with maybe close-up views of the mule deer herd that is often seen feeding in this area.
We weren't so lucky. A large busload of tourists had just beat us to the spot. The occupants had already taken most of the close tables, and were heading off toward others. So we quickly pulled our cooler and picnic bag from the back of the truck and hoofed it over to a small group of tables on a small rise, some distance from the parking area. We had our table to ourselves, and another couple chose one of the tables nearby. So, even with the large group, we still enjoyed a nice, casual lunch.
I didn't see any drinking water in the picnic area, but there are restrooms. It's a nice place to relax after a couple of hours on the road.
Of course there were mule deer, but they had bedded down for the afternoon in one of the many orchards within the Fruita section of the Park. The weather was about perfect; a nice autumn day.
Petroglyph Panels, First Try
After lunch we drove the short distance back to Highway 24 to see the petroglyph panels to the north of the road. I have a newer, better camera than the one I'd used to photograph the panel on our earlier visits. But once again, there were two bus loads of tourists there, so we decided to wait on that until we finished our afternoon hike. We drove back into the campground, to the Fremont River Trailhead.
Fremont River Trail and Fremont Overlook
3:24 p.m.
There is a good sized parking area between the campground and an orchard, with easy access to the Fremont River Trail. The trail passes all along the river near the length of the campground, but we'd walked that section before. On this trip we headed to the southwest, 1.5 miles to the Fremont Overlook. The first half of this short hike is basically flat, paralleling the noisy river, and edging along an orchard and several open fields.
Then it begins to climb along a cliff face, but I really think the incline is moderate. There is the expected spectacular scenery, with great views into the mouth of the Fremont Gorge. The trail is packed dirt, with some slickrock and loose rocks here and there. Up on top you get 360 degree views of the northern section of the Park. And to the north, on the far side of the river, you can clearly make out Cal Pendelton’s Fence, which was made by stacking black volcanic boulders along the contour of a ridge. I assume it was to keep his cattle contained within the shallow valley.
From the Fremont Overlook you can see all of the highly colored tilted rock formations in the main part of the Park. It’s quite a spectacular view, unlike anything we've seen in any of the other parks in the west. Where we were standing appears to be just to the west, at about the same elevation, as the entrance to Cohab Canyon.
We took in the scenery until it got a little windy and chilly, so we headed back down. On the way back there are more great views into the Fremont Gorge. The river is flowing amazingly high and turbid for this time of year. I suspect that the rains that Utah had a week or two prior were finally making their way down the upper slopes of Boulder and Miners mountains and into the lower streams.
Back at the truck it was 73 degrees in the shade. Pretty nice, with just a little bit of a breeze.
Fruita Campground
We've stayed in the campground here on several occasions, in both loops. Today there were mostly open spots, with a scattering of hard sided trailers, a few canvas sided pop-ups, and just a couple of tents. But we envied those campers, because of the fine weather and the beautiful fall colors. There were lots of yellow and orange leaves falling to the ground. Simply a beautiful day to be camping.
On the way out from the parking area we spotted a young mule deer feeding in one of the orchards. Standing by the side of the road, it nonchalantly watched us drive by, with its ears looking way to large for its small head. As we drove by the main campground, we saw several adults and another young one grazing. They all have their dark winter coats now.
Petroglyph Panels, Second Try
Next we stopped at the petroglyph panels along Highway 24 (map coordinates: 38 17.297N; 111 14.523W; at an elevation of 5,393 feet). I took quite a few photos with my Sony, using its 12X zoom feature. Some of these examples I’d never seen before. But unfortunately, the trees have grown up in front of many of the panels and they cast dark shadows, making photography difficult. Also, some of the images are faded or covered with a thin wash of sand from above, and in some case the late afternoon light, and the low angle of the October sun, make it difficult to capture the other images. Everything looks faded out. But I did the best that I could. Maybe Photoshop will be able to bring out the images. Check out the Rock Art page to see the results.
Goosenecks Overlook and Panorama Point
4:47 p.m.
On our way back to the motel we made a quick stop at the Goosenecks Overlook. The rough road ends at a small parking area, from which there is an easy 600 foot walk to an overview of the tight canyon below. The short trail passes through sandstone blocks with pinyon and juniper trees providing some contrast. Again, the views all around are great.
Upon returning to the parking area, look toward the east side of the lot. There is a small sign noting the Sun Set Point Trail. If there cars parked along that edge of the lot you might miss the sign. The trail climbs initially, but then contours along the slick rock for an easy 0.66 miles across the sandstone, with great views of the surrounding landscape. There are benches at several points along the way that offer rest with great views of the domes and tilted rock to the east.
After that walk we drove back toward the Highway and stopped at Panorama Point. It’s just a short walk up a slope to an open area that provides great views of the surrounding sandstone cliffs. It was getting windy, as it always seems to be at this point, so we didn't stay long. From there we headed back to our motel for the evening.
Rim Rock Restaurant
That evening we ate dinner at the Rim Rock Restaurant. The meals are a bit expensive (we paid $75 plus taxes and tips). The place was packed with a bus load of tourists (of course, there are not many eating options in the Torrey area), but we’d gotten in just before them and got served in a descent time.
The waitresses and the owner are nice and we got to joke around with them. They told us it was their last weekend of the season, so perhaps their moods were a bit up. There are windows all the way around, with great views of the red rock and surrounding plateaus. The food is good, probably the best in town, but we're not sure it was worth the high prices. But it’s the location (isolated) and the atmosphere that one pays for. It’s not a large menu, but everything we’ve had here was well prepared and tasted pretty good. We also had a bottle of wine, and dessert, which both brought the total price up.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
9:13 a.m.
We slept in because it's too chilly outside to do much hiking or sightseeing outdoors. By the time we made it outdoors it was a reasonable 53 degrees. Besides, I wasn't feeling too great, suspecting that I was coming down with a cold. I'd been fighting another round of mono, my fourth, for about two weeks, so I was already feeling draggy, with occasional bouts of the sweats followed by chills. But then other times I feel fine.
We ate the free Continental Breakfast at the motel, which consisted of small powdered sugar donuts, a selection of teas or coffee, and a banana or an apple. Ah well, at least the room was inexpensive. Besides, there aren't many breakfast choices in a small town like Torrey.
9:21 a.m.
Before we headed out for the day, we dove the short distance back into Torrey for gas. The Sinclair station across the highway from our motel wanted $4.05 per gallon. We knew that was way high, since the price of gas had plummeted in the last few weeks. In town we paid $3.34 per gallon.
When we left Torrey it was 48 degrees, sunny, and clear.
Petroglyph Panel, Third Try
9:37 a.m.
I wanted to try another shot at photographing the rock art along Highway 24, thinking that maybe the different angle of the morning sun would provide more contrast. But, the rock art was still in deep shadows, hidden behind the tall trees along the road, and the tall cliffs across the highway. So, it wasn't worth stopping.
We wanted to do a three mile hike near Chimney Rock, but decided to wait for the temperatures to warm. So we decided to take a drive down the Notom Road where we could visit the southern part of the park. It's only about 127 miles round trip, so we figured we would be back in time to do a quick hike later in the afternoon.
Notom Road
The Notom Road travels down the east side of the Park, and sometimes passes into other types of public land as well as crosses some private land. It's paved for the first few miles, then turns into a well graded dirt road. There are a few washboarded areas, but for the most part it's a well maintained road. And the scenery is amazing, as it passes near the strongly angled hog backs and ridges of Capitol Reef and the Waterpocket Fold, eventually passing through the Strike Valley. There are a few spots where the road crosses washes, and these areas require caution when it's raining or flooding, since the road would ford any water.
Cedar Mesa Campground
10:35 a.m.
Along the Notom Road there is one official campground within the Park. The Cedar Mesa Campground has five sites, each set back into the pinyons and junipers, so there is a little privacy. Although, the sites are pretty close together. It seems the site at the very back, farthest from the road, has the most privacy. On this trip there was one camper who had pulled his 20 foot hard-sided trailer into the campground and backed it into a spot. Two other spots were occupied by tent campers. It seems to us that tents would be the preferred shelter at this location.
There looks to be picnic tables and low fire grills at each site, and there is a modern vault toilet for all to use, but there didn't appear to be any source of drinking water. This is listed as a primitive campsite. There is also a trailhead for the Red Canyon trail, which heads west into the Waterpocket Fold.
Fossil Oyster Reef
Farther down the road you will come to a long, low ridge, mostly to your left, or the east. This ridge runs for several miles and is covered in fossilized oyster shells as well as what look to be mud casts of their "foot," where it penetrated down into the sediments on the bottom of a shallow sea. We found a good place to pull over to the side of the road (map coordinates: 37 53.860N; 111 02.151W; at an elevation of 5,24 feet), and got out to do some exploring. Besides the fossils there are great views of the surrounding geology.
The Post Trailhead
Just south of the junction with the Burr Trail we stopped at The Post and drove in toward the obvious corral there to check out that trailhead for the Lower Muley Twist (map coordinates: 37 49.567N; 110 58.689W; at an elevation of 4,872 feet). There is a modern vault toilet, but no drinking water. However, there did seem to be a picnic table there. Otherwise, it’s just a turnaround and an area where you can park vehicles during your hike and for shuttles.
Hall's Canyon Overlook
12:30 p.m.
Farther south still we turned off of the main dirt road to visit the Hall’s Canyon Overlook. We had to drive over a rocky, four wheel drive route to get back in here. I would not recommend this stretch of road for regular vehicles. High clearance is required, and four wheel drive makes the going a bit easier, but it’s probably not required. There are a pair of picnic tables, but no water or restrooms here. There is a trailhead that leads down into Hall’s Canyon and to Brimhall’s Natural Bridge. This is an open, exposed area, with great views of the southern end of the Waterpocket Fold. The map coordinates are: 37 43.068N; 110 55.807W; at an elevation of 5,267 feet.
1:12 p.m.
We took advantage of the picnic tables and had our lunch at this spot. It was 65 degrees outside, and felt nice. But in the warmer months this could be a really hot location. There is really no shade anywhere. After lunch we headed back to the Notom Road. On the way we had to pull over because there was a herd of cattle being driven along the road by a pair of cowboys on horseback. After they passed we were able to continue.
The Post Trailhead, Second Time
On the way back north we stopped once again at The Post to use the restroom there. While there I spoke with one of a group of hikers who had just finished a one night, 15 mile backpack hike through the lower end of the Lower Muley Twist. He said they found good camping spots along the streambed, and that they only encountered two pools that they had to wade through. All of the fellows looked pretty tired.
Burr Trail Switchbacks
From there we drove on north, turning up the Burr Trail toward the west. We drove up the switchbacks (map coordinates: 37 50.966N; 111 01.505W; at an approximate elevation of 5,401 feet), which are mostly in good shape, and generally wide enough for two cars to pass. The only places where there is some concern is at the switchbacks, where it is sometimes difficult to see if another vehicle is approaching. But we took it slow and watched ahead for traffic. There was no one coming down as we drove up.
We stopped at the top of the switchbacks at a small picnic area on the south side of the road. There is an exposed picnic table back in there, but no water or restrooms. But there are great views of the Notom Road area below. The road is pretty rutted and might be difficult for a highway vehicle to traverse. A high clearance vehicle would be best. Or park along the Burr Trail and walk the short distance back into the trees.
Strike Valley Overlook
2:52 p.m.
From there we continued a short distance to the west, along the Burr Trail, to where there is a sign indicating the route to the Strike Valley Overlook and Upper Muley Twist. It’s a three mile drive from the Burr Trail up a sandy wash. It seems that most cars park near the road, or in a small turn out just up the wash. But with high clearance and four wheel drive you can make it all the way to the parking area. It’s not a bad drive, but there are lots of twists and turns and narrow spots where you have to drive carefully to get through the tall rocks on either side without scratching your vehicle.
There is only enough room for maybe six to eight vehicles at the parking area. The Strike Valley Overlook Trail (map coordinates: 37 52.966N; 111 02.513W; at an elevation of 5,990 feet) is signed, and is about a 0.75 mile round trip. There is a bit of a climb over slickrock, but it’s not too difficult, and the cairns are easy to spot. There are great views of the amazing Strike Valley geology, both north and south along the Notom Road. It's a landscape unlike anything you've ever seen.
The parking lot is also the trailhead for the hike up the Upper Muley twist, which is 9 miles round trip. We plan on doing that within the next couple of years. We also met a nice couple from Vermont, who were on their way out after hiking in from the road.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
4:05 p.m.
Back on the Burr Trail, we continued west and left Capitol Reef National Park and entered the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. At this point the graded dirt road becomes paved.
4:59 p.m.
From there we drove through more amazing scenery, passed the Deer Creek Campground, and entered the small town of Boulder.
Boulder Mountain
There we turned north on Highway 12, and drove over Boulder Mountain. That's always a pleasant drive, with spectacular views of the canyon country to the east. It was strange being up there without cattle about. They have been driven down from the mountain for the winter. In addition, all of the aspen have lost their leaves, and the three Forest Service campgrounds along this stretch of the road are closed for the season.
Back in Torrey, we ate dinner at the Rim Rock Restaurant again. It is their last night for this season. There were still quite a few customers, but no busloads this time. Our meals were as good as the night before, but it wasn't quite as expensive, since we'd skipped the wine.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
8:14 a.m.
It was 42 degrees out as we loaded the truck and headed into Torrey for gas.
Sandstone Inn and Restaurant
We ate breakfast at the Sandstone Inn and Restaurant, which is near the junction of Highways 24 and 12. This is a nice clean place that serves a pretty decent, regular breakfast. It may be the best place in town for breakfast. The newish looking motel also looked nice, and we decided that we'll have to look into rates for our next fall trip to this area.
9:11 a.m.
We bought gas at the Phillips 66 for $3.34 per gallon. As we drove out of Torrey it was 44 degrees, and sunny. We headed home.
12:39 p.m.
When we got home it was a pleasant 60 degrees and Sunny. And wouldn't you know it, I do have a cold.
