Mountains and Books

Capitol Reef National Park is a hidden gem in Utah and probably one of the most beautiful national parks we have ever visited. It is located in Southern Utah, roughly around 3.5 hrs from Salt Lake City. Moderate temps, easy treks in the desert, surrounded by unique fall colors, makes a great escape from the crowds and a perfect outing during the fall season. Well, might not have Vermont vibrance, but red roads and yellow leaves make it unique.

We started our drive leisurely on Friday morning and after picking up some bagels and the Sub on the way, we reached the park around 3pm. Given that there is enough time for sunset, we explored the west side, drove on a mild dirt road from the entrance for 20 mins or so, and did a 2.6-mile hike to check out Grand Wash Narrows. Grand Wash is a walled wash which cuts through the Navajo sandstone and offers impressive cliffs on both sides, with some unique rock formations. Tons of places to climb and check out the holes in the walls and boulders. 

After that, we drove back to our hotel. The only option was to stay at the Capitol Reef Resort, which is located at the entrance of the park. This is also another reason why there aren’t too many people. Not-so-fancy hotel, but not bad for a couple of days. The highlight of the next day post-breakfast is a 90-minute drive to see the highlights of the park, “Temple of the Sun” and “Temple of the Moon.”

The stunning landscapes in the heart of the Colorado plateau never cease to amaze me. Known to have been formed around 100 million years ago, during the Jurassic period, the Temple of the Sun is a truly magnificent site. 5,000 feet high and standing alone in the middle of nowhere, these monoliths are Utah wonders. We spent around 2 hours walking around them for views and exploring the mini monoliths.The good thing is there is not a single car in sight.

Later on, we continued driving towards the east to check out the Cathedral Valley campground and to exit the park from FishLake National Forest. The drive was slightly barren once you crossed the Cathedral Valley campground, and given that there was a fallen tree on the road, it became slightly adventurous. Luckily, we encountered a couple a mile back, who informed us about the tree and mentioned that there is enough clearance to the left. We adventured slightly with our Subaru and did a bushwack drive to make it back to the road. If it were my old Honda Accord, the situation would have been different.

Once we were back at the hotel, my wife surprised me with a birthday gift that contained a “Breaking bad” hoodie and my fav character from the show Mike’s bobble head. All-in-all the weekend was well packed. Hopefully again, with a Jeep to explore more dirt.