Saturday (March18th) we drove into Capital Reef National Park. The Park got its name in a two-fold manner: firstly, the white Navaho Sandstone dome features that are predominant in the park, are reminiscent of the capital buildings in Washington (hence, “Capital”), and secondly, the Park is a monument to the upthrusted/folded over Colorado plateau, a monstrous buckling of the Earth’s surface that forms the largest monocline (anticline and syncline both) in North America.
The “fold” creates such an impassable mass that it is similar to “reefs” which likewise make sea passage impossible (hence “Reef”). The fold is 90 miles long – an immensely large example of a monocline, and with the top layers of the fold eroded – it exposes over 200 million years of strata. Truly something to behold.
We began our journey from Torrey to Caineville – on Highway 24, which is also a scenic byway – but after Highway 12… well, nothing compares to Hwy 12…
We stopped at the Visitor’s centre in Capital Reef Park and collected some hiking brochures and maps, then did some driving tours. We visited Fruita, a Mormon settlement right in the heart of what is now Capital Reef National Park, but what was once absolute pioneering hinterland. John mentioned how interesting it was that they managed to plant (and irrigate) complete orchards in the heart of a highland desert. Many of the trees are starting to bloom and it’s a little oasis in the middle of an otherwise barren desert land.
 |
| Capital Dome - as in Washington, DC |
We stopped at a viewpoint on the Notom Scenic Byway and it was pretty amazing. I stood in one spot and took pics in a 360 deg circle, and every turn looks like a different place! The vistas are gorgeous. This area is much more “vast” than the other Canyons we have visited thus far.
 |
| Red rock one direction |
 |
| Grey, white and green rock facing the other direction |
 |
| Large sandstone formations |
 |
| Looks like a rock quarry, with hoodoos in it |
 |
| Gigantic hoodoos (that's John in the middle of the picture, below mtns) |
 |
| Henry mtns, the last area of the lower 48 states to be mapped |
We did a 2 mile hike to the Hickman Natural Bridge, which was formed by water flowing through the rock and carving the underside of the bridge. The hike itself was really fun for me. It wasn’t all sand! Most of our hikes in Utah have been through thick sand, and my hiking shoes are literally worn through, so I end up with a beach in each shoe at the end of our hikes. As a matter of fact, I meant to mention that the hike we did the other day had FIVE different colours of sand on it (and therefore in my shoes too) representing different layers of sediment: white (Navaho sandstone), pink (Claron limestone), orange (Wingate sandstone), red (Kayenta sandstone) and green (Chinle volvanic ash). The green is the weirdest… it’s like a celebration of St. Patty’s Day, but it’s permanent… Today’s hike had some orange sand through the bottom of the “wash” (the flood plain) but the rest was on rock and had beautiful vistas.
The bridge was really beautiful. We had a picnic lunch underneath the arch and enjoyed our view.
 |
| Hickman's Bridge |
 |
| Dawn, with Pygmy Pinyon Pine tree |
We next headed to the Panorama viewpoint on Hwy 24, then to the Gooseneck Lookout, which showcased the sharp switchbacks the canyon takes in this part of the Park, carved by the Fremont River. We did a shirt hike to “Sunset Point” with the late afternoon sun low on the canyon walls. Gorgeous views.
 |
| Sunset point. Gorgeous colours abound |
 |
| View looking down at the Gooseneck cuts in the valley |
Saturday (March18th) we drove into Capital Reef National Park. The Park got its name in a two-fold manner: firstly, the white Navaho Sandstone dome features that are predominant in the park, are reminiscent of the capital buildings in Washington (hence, “Capital”), and secondly, the Park is a monument to the upthrusted/folded over Colorado plateau, a monstrous buckling of the Earth’s surface that forms the largest monocline (anticline and syncline both) in North America. 
The “fold” creates such an impassable mass that it is similar to “reefs” which likewise make sea passage impossible (hence “Reef”). The fold is 90 miles long – an immensely large example of a monocline, and with the top layers of the fold eroded – it exposes over 200 million years of strata. Truly something to behold. 
No comments:
Post a Comment