A Day in Capitol Reef National Park: Canyons, Bridges, and Pie!

Thrilled to my toes with my night in Canyonlands, I headed toward Capitol Reef National Park. I’d have a full day in Capitol Reef, the only full day of my trip and I was excited to finally get to do an extensive hike.

The Road into Capitol Reef. There are lots of domes here, but I think they also look like cupcakes!

This park turned out to be the hardest one to plan. I could hike for several hours, so almost any of the day hikes counted as possibilities. And, leaving Canyonlands around 6:30am, I figured to arrive in Capitol Reef around 9am, which meant I should be able to take my pick of parking lots (although, I knew that I probably would have a harder time parking if I wanted to park at a second trail head).

Capitol Reef has no entry booth. Just a sign and a little turnout with a map and some toilets.

So many options…

I didn’t want to spend my day in Capitol Reef doing the little easy hikes. I wanted a proper day hike. So, it seemed like my options were Chimney Rock, Grand Wash, Cassidy Arch, Cohab Canyon, or Hickman Bridge. Thankfully, the internet provided a number of good overviews of my options (also here).

Do I want narrows or an arch?

Grand Wash looks gorgeous! But the highlight seems to be the narrows and having hiked the Narrows in Zion and having done Antelope Canyon recently, I decided I didn’t want a slot canyon. Cassidy Arch also called to me, but having com from Arches and Mesa Arch, it didn’t call to me as strongly as it might have another day.

Or, do I sort of want the road less traveled?

Reading through reviews, several people noted that park regulars and rangers said that Cohab Canyon was their favorite. It’s listed as a great hike, but seems to get a little less love from the more casual hikers. Cohab was starting look like the hike for my day in Capitol Reef.

The downside of Cohab (and many of the trails in Capitol Reef) is that they are in-and-out hikes. It’s the perfect park for a shuttle system, to take you from the end of one hike to the start of another (or back to your car!).

A combo! The best of all worlds.

But, voila!, across the street from the end of Cohab is the trailhead for Hickman Bridge, which All Trails ranks as the best hike in the park (not on the time of my list because, well, a bridge is really just an arch that goes over water (or sometimes water). But to have the option to combine the two? I was in!

Note: towards the end of Cohab there are a number of trails to take. One goes from Cohab to Cassidy Arch via Frying Pan Trail… for a 10.5 mile loop. A blessed loop. But, given that I was up all night, 10.5 miles seemed like a bit of a stretch.

I set my sighs on Cohab with an option to add on Hickman Bridge.

And then there’s water…

I also noted Lower Sulphur Springs Trail. Sulphur Springs (there is also an upper trail) is one of those lovely trails that has you hiking in the water. This sounded delightful and that it just might hit the spot after a long and hot day of hiking. The trailhead is right behind the visitor center, which I would have to pass on my way out from Cohab. I got my water shoes ready to grab if I had the energy for this add on.

But First: Pie

The most popular part of Capitol Reef is the Fruita Historical District. There are lots of fun stops along the road here, including the old Blacksmith Shop and Giffords Farmhouse and barn (in the afternoon, the horses were out of the barn, enjoying their freedom; they were beautiful to watch).

The farmhouse attracts all manner of visits for their famous pies. Pies, at $8.50 each are little personal pies (but I typically had slices that were about a quarter of the pan). They are ooey, gooey and delicious. I purchased one apple (with a crumble topping), a strawberry-rhubarb, and a cherry. I only left the mixed berry on the table (because, really, how many pies can one person eat?). At 9:30, they also still had plenty of cinnamon buns, for which they are also famous. These are also made in mini pie tins and are $4. They also looked good, but not as good as the pies!

The farm house (with the pies) is the small building in the distance. There is ample parking across from the barn. Behind me is the Cohab trailhead. To the left of the pasture is a campground. Just out of frame to the right is a shady park with tables where you can enjoy your pie. The entire Fruita area is beautiful.

National Park gifts that aren’t t-shirts!

The shop also has all many of jams (I bought bacon jam!) made there in the National Park. It’s a fun shopping experience and a delicious way to support the National Park! If I ever get another day in Capitol Reef, I’ll be coming back for more pie (note: this is another thing that people recommend coming early for; they often sell out by lunchtime).

Here’s the park. Lots of signs asking folks not to feed the deer. Apparently they also enjoy pie.

Cohab Canyon: What an Odd Name

An audiobook of Edward Abbey’s Monkey Wrench Gang kept me company for part of my Utah road trip (both this book and Desert Solitaire were free on Audible as I started out on my trip, so great listens for no money!). As I was driving along (at this point on the way back to LA) a quote leapt out at me:

“Why hell, honey, I’d be a bishop myself by now if I’d kept my nose clean and stayed out of Short Creek and Cohabitation Canyon.” ~Seldom Seen Smith, the polygamist, adventurist protagonist.

Cohabitation Canyon. I had wondered about the name Cohab Canyon. In fact, I kept messing it up. Every time I looked it up in preparation for my day in Capitol Reef, I’d change the name: Kaleb Canyon, Cobalt Canyon, Keleb Canyon. Cohab just wouldn’t stick in my mind. After hearing that line, I kicked into research mode: historical rumor (and here) has it that polygamist families hid out in Cohab Canyon back in the 1880s, when the federal government came raiding. (The LDS church officially outlawed plural marriage in 1890, though some splinter groups continued —and continue — to practice it.) Cohab Canyon is short for Cohabitation Canyon.

If you are interested in Mormon history, Capitol Reef is an awesome place to stop.One of the stops on the scenic drive in Capitol Reef (which, sadly, was closed for construction while I was there), is a pioneer register, where pioneers scratched their names in the late 1800s. Most of the first settlers in the area were Mormons who came to Utah to escape persecution in the east and Midwest. They came here and founded Fruita and planted the orchards that yield the pies!

Bottom line: with that bit of historical context, I will never again mess up the name of Cohab Canyon.

Interested in an light way to gather some Utah/Mormon history? One of my road trip listens was David Ebershoff’s 19th Wife. It combines a modern day story of a kid expelled from a polygamist family, a murder mystery, and a backstory of one of Brigham Young’s wives (a controversial historical figure). As Ebershoff emphasizes, the work is a work of fiction, but he did a fantastic amount of research and the basic details of the Mormon’s persecution and movement to Utah match up with what I know from other sources. Despite the murder mystery part, the most interesting part of the book, to me, was the historical account of the growth of the LDS church and how they built a society in Utah when there was nothing there. Really fascinating part of American history. It wasn’t the best written book I’ve ever read, but it was a gripping listen and kept me away through 19 hours of driving. And I enjoyed listening to it while driving through Utah, because I could note the places as I went through!

The Ascent

The ascent into Cohab is rough. It’s switchbacks and stairs and it just seems to go straight up to the rim of the canyon. By the time I got to the top, I could feel myself trembling and wondered about the wisdom of my prior 24 hours (in which I’d only napped for about 1.5 hours). Would I even make it to the end of the this trail?

The view from the top, over this gorgeous canyon gave me a little courage.

The view from the rim of Cohab Canyon. Note the ample parking below.

Then Descending into Cohab Canyon

When I turned around and saw that I would enter a canyon that was like another world, I determined to find a place to sit (very soon), have a granola bar, and see if I could pull it together.

Cohab Canyon: The trail is in the wash, down where those trees are sprouting.

And I did. The beginning of the hike is absolutely the most difficult park (do it at the beginning and get it over with!). The ascent out the other side of the canyon is just as high but much more spread out.

This is why I love All Trails. It validated the fact that I felt like I was going to gain. According to the details I could pull from this graphic, the first pink section gains 300 feet in .3 of a mile. Some of the grade is as much as 50%. Absolutely the steepest part of the hike.

A Landscape out of a Star Wars Movie

It’s hard to explain how otherworldly this canyon is. The walls are mostly smooth and curved (not jagged or spiky) but pockmarked with holes. Many of the wholes are perfectly round. Others bleed together and look like melting candles. As I walked I kept imagining indigenous people hiding out in here, and hiding stores and supplies in the natural cubbies (perhaps those cohabitating wives did the same).

The science I wish I knew then

So what causes all of those holes? I had so many theories and none of them was right! The phenomenon is called tafoni (or honeycomb) weathering. The holes are called solution cavities. They basically just form due to the usual forms of erosion: water, wind, ice, etc. But, the composition of sandstone varies; the “cement” that holds the sand grains together (usually calcite or silica) and stronger in some areas and weaker in others. So, the weak areas weather away and the stronger areas stay. The cavities, though some go pretty deep, are just surface holes. The rocks are solid inside. Here’s my source for this info, a short read that I wish I had found before I set out!

The walls are rougher as you first enter the canyon.

I also really enjoyed giving the rocks names. If I were hiding things in that canyon I’d remember my hidey-holes by recognizing specific features in the rock. I think screaming monkey face was my favorite.

Screaming Monkey Face Rock (according to me).

So many places to hide and hide things!

This part of the canyon has a bit of shade and a good amount of brush. I passed two other small groups as I walked, but I mostly had the canyon to myself.

Side Canyons

There are all kinds of side canyons branching off of Cohab. Some are quite deep. Sometimes I could hear people but not see them at all, so you can explore pretty far. I didn’t explore much. For one, there were signs asking people to stay on the path for the sake of the vegetation. For two (and mostly), I wanted to finish my day in Capitol Reef alive and I felt like I was being ambitious enough already.

I did, however, enjoy this little alcove. In this narrow cut, a rock sloped down at about a 45 degree angle. It reminded me of some kind of anti-gravity plane. And I loved the feel of the cool rock in that crevice.

Not my most attracting selfie, but you get the idea.

The Wash Widens, More Rocks Appear

So as the canyon widens, it feels more like a sandy wash than a narrow canyon. And I start to feel surrounded by black lava rocks. Could these be the rocks that popped out of the canyon walls? They seemed just the right size. I checked the visitor center to see if my hypothesis was correct. No dice. But, the National Park Service does have the answer! I only which I had known it before I set out!

This was my favorite rock from my day in Capitol Reef. What a mini giant.

This lava stone are about 25 million years old and come from lava flows in mountains to the west. About 25,000 years ago, in the last Ice Age to hit North America, glaciers moved through these parts and carried pulling off pieces of the lava flows and embedding them in the ice. As the glaciers moved, the rocks got dispersed across the land, especially tumbling into river beds in streams of ice run-off. Then years of tumbling through rivers smoothed them into these round little stones!

It felt like the biggest debris of the canyon gathered here. There are some pools of water in this area. I’m not sure what it looks like in the rainy season.

Climbing up to the Rim on the Other Side

Here we begin to ascend again, but on a gentler incline. About halfway up, I hit some wooden signs, pointing me to Hickman Bridge or Cassidy via Frying Pan. I’m so tempted. Could I do the longer hike? But I hold steady. I’m hot. I’m tried. I can do Hickman (about a 2-3 mile addition) but probably not more than that!

Here the path starts to hug the canyon wall as it climbs out. And the rocks change again. Here we have way more layers and fewer holes. And still, lots and lots of rocks!

You can see where water has carved into the canyon walls.

Catching Sight of the Road and Hickman Bridge Trail

Hickman Bridge Trail

The parking lot for Hickman Bridge Trail is right off the main road and the trailhead starts right at the end of the parking lot. The Fremont River runs right along the start of the path and next to the parking lot. I stopped to dip my hat in the cool, cool water as, by now, the sun was high and hot in the sky.

There are pit toilets in the parking lot! Yay. But bring your own water! There is no water here. I heard some other girls talking and saying that they were glad they were almost at the end “because there must be a water fountain.” They had each brought a little plastic bottle of water. Remember, these are pretty primitive parks. They have toilets but not running water. Bring way more water than you think you will need!

More Switchbacks

When I looked up at how high I’d have to climb from the parking lot to where I knew that bridge had to be, I nearly turned around. This is another hike that starts with a steep incline. But, I also wanted my day in Capitol Reef to include this signature hike, so I pulled my wet hat on my head and set off.

The first half mile or so of this hike is rough. But then it levels off, going up, then flattening, in increments that you don’t really notice the incline.

Once you get to the top, you’re walking along a stream bed (empty as far as I can tell), so there’s an edge-hugging trail, cool nooks in the walls along the edges (lots of fun photo ops), and lots of plants and trees. There’s even a bit of shade though not too much.

How cool is this riverbed? Would have loved to see water in it.

I passed one family who got to the top and and then turned around. I tried to convince them that they had gotten through the only really hard and really dull parts, but they felt too tired to do anything but turn back.

Again, I highly recommend All Trails. With it, you know exactly what you are getting into and when you have passed the hardest bits.

The Bridge!

When the bridge comes into view it’s quite stunning. It’s huge. And there’s something about the air up here that is so clear and sharp. I can’t explain it. It’s like someone cranked the focus of the world up to perfect.

Climb Down for a Slightly Better Angle

It you climb off the trail a bit in front of the bridge, there’s a fantastic view of the bridge and a great place for photos.

I had been following a man and his daughter and realized they were the same folks whose car I’d follow on my way into the park. I asked if they were the people in the green SUV from Texas and they were! We both noted the white van that zoomed around us. I had appreciated that they were going a moderate pace and enjoyed following them. They appreciated that I was not tailgating them and making them uncomfortable. “I just don’t understand people who rush through National Parks,” the dad said. I couldn’t agree more.

Anyway, he took my photo. I forgot to take one with me in it… so you get a crisp and gorgeous photo with me!

Under the Bridge

Did you know that the difference between a bridge and an arch is that a bridge goes over water while an arch doesn’t?

So, this particular trail goes under the bridge and I found the rocks behind to be the perfect spot for a short sit and snack. Little chipmunks ran here and there and there was shade and a bit of a breeze and it was truly gorgeous.

When you continue to loop around the left foot of the bridge, you can take a tiny detour to the right for great view of the park.

This park has a well-deserved reputation for being the most wild of Utah’s Mighty 5. It feels untamed.

Then you continue around and down.

Taking Advantage of the Fremont River

Having made my way down, I knew I still had a good climb back into Cohab and then the walk back. At this point, I started to doubt that I would make it to Sulphur Springs. I had had a fabulous day in Capitol Reef, but I didn’t know if I had another full hike in me.

But, I was terribly hot. And the Fremont River called to me. So from the foot of the trail, I made my way to the bank of the river, pulled off my shoes and socks and cooled down. The very cold water felt like heaven.

The start of Hickman Bridge Trail is right above that wall and runs parallel to the river for a bit. The water was so clear and so refreshing.

The shores of the river are sandy but there are enough flat rocks to stand on to get socks and hiking shoes back on sans sand. Just watch out for the very big ants who are roaming around. They seem pretty busy and uninterested in humans, but I bet their bits hurt.

Back through Cohab

Fortunately the ascent on the other side of Cohab is not nearly as steep as the side I entered and I found making my way back pretty enjoyable. Over the course of the 5.6 mile total hike (3 hours, 40 minutes), I hiked 1,270 feet in elevation. Capitol Reef gave me a great workout!

Grateful for clouds and even a few drops of rain on the way back.

Just as I had met only a handful of people in my first way through the canyon, I passed only 3-4 groups of people on my way pack, all going the opposite way. I really did feel like being out in nature on my own.

The Final Descent

As I picked my way down the steepest part of the hike, the view was fantastic, the horses were out frolicking, and the valley below looked so lush and green and inviting. I decided that I was done. I’d save Sulphur springs for another day. I did determine to stop at the visit center, see what I could learn about the holes in the rocks (very little) and get a t-shirt (Capitol Reef really struck me! I want to wear it!).

The view later in the day. This valley is so pretty. And you can’t even quite see all the colors in the rocks.

As you walk, you’ll see that the hills are rainbow striped. There are so many minerals out here and they yield a colorful landscape. I could not help but note the turquoise colors dripping down the walls of the canyon, some parts of the mountain just leaking out. There’s a mineral recipe that creates all these different colors: light blue, greenish-gray, and off-white are the natural colors of these sedimentary rockslide; yellow/orange rocks contain limonite; dark gray and brownish gray rocks contain organic material that did not fully decompose; dark green rocks contain iron; reddish and purplish rocks contain iron oxide (rust, so iron plus oxygen); and bright white areas contain gypsum.

Turquoise sediment leaching from the canyon walls.

On my way down, I passed a number of families (I’m guessing from the campground). It was about 2pm. The sun was brutal and they were really struggling to get up the ascent. I empathized. But I also knew that they were never going to make it to the glory of the canyon, which made it all worth it. So, so glad I had the time to hike for a full day in Capitol Reef, and for the resources that made me know that I should push through to the good stuff!

Petroglyphs and the Schoolhouse

Capitol Reef Petroglyphs (see the series of figures on the flat all, seemingly holding hands).

The best part about Fruita is everting is close together. The Farmhouse, Visitor Center, Schoolhouse, and Petroglyphs are all within what I would call a few blocks here in the city.

The schoolhouse is tiny and cute (I didn’t stop, but you can stop and look in the windows).

There is a wooden bridge built along the edge of the cliff with the petroglyphs so they are easy to view, no scrambling necessary. I am in awe of petroglyphs and the whole notion of being able to reconstruct the stories of these ancient people, so I could no resist a quick stop.

There are people and goats and a number of symbols. But time and weather have taken their toll on these petroglyphs and they are quite faint. If you have seen others, you can probably give these a pass (see my post on the Parowan Gap, where the petroglyphs are clear and stunning).

And thus I ended a truly incredible day in Capitol Reef. I’m stunned that, as the third Utah national park of my trip, it still stuck out with character all its own. Definitely on my list to get back out here and spend year another day in Capital Reef (maybe two!).

Tips:

There are toilets at some trailheads, but no running water. This is a pretty “natural” park. Bring plenty of water.
Use that All Trails app! There’s no service in the park, but the gps works well on downloaded maps.The maps keep you on track and help you know what you’re in for elevation-wise. As you may be on trails with no one else around (no one to ask: are we almost there?), it’s helpful to have an app with the whole picture.
The pies keep well (I drove mine home the next day and we took a couple of days to eat through them — delicious to the end). So, get there early and buy some, even if you won’t eat them right away.
If there’s anyone in your party who doesn’t want to hike and wants to pick you up at the end of in-out trails, you can hike twice as many trails!

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