Capitol Reef National Park, Utah - Hiking

Capitol Reef National Park is one of my favorite places to visit in Utah.  Even during the busy summer recreation season, this park offers plenty of solitude and hikes that are off the beaten path.  Roger and I made a quick trip to Capitol Reef this weekend and decided to camp on nearby Boulder Mountain to take advantage of the high elevation Dixie National Forest with cooler temperatures and fewer people.  We left Salt Lake on Friday morning and quickly found a great camping spot off the Happy Valley Road, not far from the entrance to Capitol Reef.

View on Boulder Mountain

Camping in Dixie National Forest

After setting up camp, we headed into the park and down the scenic drive to a pullout for Pleasant Creek.  We decided this would be a great hot weather hike as it would involve walking through water the majority of the time, but storm clouds began to gather as we climbed out of the car.  We decided to wait out the storm, but the rain and lightning continued and eventually we called off the hike for the day.

Capitol Reef scenic drive

Thunderstorms in Capitol Reef

After spending some time at the end of the paved scenic drive near Capitol Gorge, we headed back to camp for some relaxation.  We decided to do a brief hike to Singletree Falls, not far from our camping spot, and managed to avoid the rain until later in the evening.  Thunderstorms continued into the night and we were lucky that Roger had brought along his large rain shelter for us to cook and sit under.

Singletree Falls

Singletree Falls

On Saturday morning, we headed back into the park and began a hike down Sulphur Creek from the Chimney Rock trail head.  Initially, the hike started as a descent through a dry wash.  After about one mile we reached Sulphur Creek, with ankle deep water, and followed the stream east towards the main visitor center.  For about five more miles we hiked through shallow water and around beautiful waterfalls and pools of water.  It was the perfect place to be on a hot day in Capitol Reef.  After reaching the visitor center, it was a 3 mile hike back to the car on the road.  It was a little hot and mostly uphill, but well worth the drudgery for such an enjoyable hike through Sulphur Creek.

The start of the hike down to Sulphur Creek

Dry wash meets Sulphur Creek

Roger in Sulphur Creek

Waterfalls in Sulphur Creek

 Sulphur Creek trail

Waterfall in Sulphur Creek

Cooling off in Sulphur Creek

We spent the rest of the day relaxing in the picnic area in the Fruita Historic District.  The green orchards are a beautiful contrast to the sheer, red cliffs of Capitol Reef.  Then it was back to camp for dinner and cooler mountain air.

Fruita orchards in Capitol Reef

Hammock time at camp

Before heading back to Salt Lake on Sunday, we decided to do a short hike through Capitol Gorge at the end of the Capitol Reef scenic road.  The hike took us through a narrow wash that used to be an old pioneer route through the Waterpocket Fold.  The names of many pioneers were etched into the canyons walls.  A brief ascent from Capitol Gorge took us to several "water tanks" where rain water collected and remained after storms.  A true oasis in the desert!

Wildflowers in Capitol Gorge

Capitol Gorge

Views around Capitol Gorge

Water tanks above Capitol Gorge

Water tanks above Capitol Gorge

Pioneer names carved into Capitol Gorge

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah - Halls Creek Narrows - Backpacking

What better time to backpack in Capitol Reef National Park than July!?  Probably any of the other 11  months of the year!  Hunter, Col, and I were craving a hot desert adventure for the 4th of July weekend to compensate for the endless winter that we had to endure this year, so this is the trip we all selected.  On our last backpacking trip in Zion last February, I remember Col saying that he "would never know warmth again".  We found warmth on this trip.  Dear god it was hot.

We left Salt Lake Friday evening and camped near Torrey, UT at a higher elevation campground called Singletree in Dixie National Forest.  It was a holiday weekend and we knew we'd be arriving late.  This was the closest campground to Capitol Reef that takes reservations.  Our spot was fantastic - there was a small stream right next to my tent and the nighttime temperatures were perfect for sleeping.

On Saturday morning we headed into the park to pick up our backcountry permit to hike into Halls Creek Narrows, in the southernmost portion of the park.  The ranger immediately slapped a paper withe the 5 day forecast in front of me and asked me to read it.  I think she wanted me to be horrified and change my mind.  Yup, yup.  Hot.  We knew what we were getting into.  Off we went, driving the Bullfrog-Notom road all the way to the end of the park, near Bullfrog at Lake Powell.

Driving down Bullfrog-Notom road

At the trailhead - good thing we had high clearance!  Although a Subaru managed to make it, of course

Looking into Halls Creek

Looking hot!

We hiked about 5 miles the first day in scorching heat.  The first mile was a steep drop into the canyon, followed by 4 miles of walking through the dry riverbed of Halls Creek.  There were a few pockets of water, although some recent rain was probably responsible for them.  I have a feeling water is normally very scare above the narrows.

Hunter and Col enjoying a slightly shady spot

Happy campers

Fetching some water

Our camping spot, about 5 miles from the trailhead

Our plan for the second day was to get up early, hike 5 miles down to the narrows, hunker down in the narrows all day to avoid the heat, and then hike the 5 miles back to out camping spot.  This plan worked out fairly well as the hike down wasn't too bad and the narrows were indeed much cooler and shadier.

Hiking down Halls Creek

Entering Halls Creek Narrows

An amazing alcove near the beginning of Halls Creek Narrows

 Hunter and Col enjoying the water in the narrows

Enjoying the cooler temperatures in the narrows

 A desert oasis

Halls Creek Narrows

Halls Creek Narrows

We spent several hours in the Narrows not only because it was a beautiful area to explore, but also because it was far to hot to be out in the open desert.  It was amazingly cool and comfortable in the Narrows - we filled all of our water containers and took naps on the cool rocks.

Desert varnish

Halls Creek Narrows

 Filtering water

Halls Creek Narrows

Halls Creek Narrows

The second night in Halls Creek was unbearably warm for sleeping.  A fine dust blew into our tents all night.  We packed up camp in the darkness at 4am to escape the canyon before the scorching sun returned.  The four miles up the canyon weren't bad at all, and with the exception of my water filter breaking, everything went rather smoothly in the comfortable morning air.  The last mile up and out of the canyon was brutal, and the sun hadn't even made an appearance over the rim of the canyon until the very end.  It was steep, hot, and we were all low on water, but we all made it.  Sadly, there were no margaritas to be found in Torrey.  Someday, I hope Hunter and Col will join me for a more comfortable backpacking trip!

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah - Sightseeing

The temperature has always been an issue for Southern Utah adventures (too hot or too cold, but rarely just right). A lot of this has to do with the fact that I hate crowds of people when I'm trying to enjoy the outdoors. The crowds, being the smart people that they are, disappear when it's too hot or too cold. Those are my favorite times to visit.

Rarely has precipitation been an issue. Aside from a few run-ins with thunderstorms, most trips have been dry. I always expect an adventure when I visit the deserts of Southern Utah, but this past Memorial Day weekend was more than I expected. While the canyons and rocks provided their usual spectacular show, the weather was the main event.

We decided to visit Capitol Reef National Park because it is by far the least crowded of the parks in Utah. There is also no reservation system for backcountry permits so it's not much of a hassle to escape whatever crowds are in the main part of the park, even on a holiday weekend.

The first day was a Jeep day. Brandon wanted to take his Jeep off-road so we decided to visit the northern portion of the park on the roads that are not accessible by car. The weather was cloudy and cool, but mainly dry. After driving through a river (and making me quite nervous), the rest of the Jeep roads were in good condition and traveled through some amazing scenery.


Brandon and Amber at the South Desert Overlook

Bentonite Hills

Exploring a small canyon with Amber

Amber shows off her Junior Ranger badge

Checking out the Fremont River with Brandon

Cathedral Valley

We camped in the main campground at Fruita that night. Despite the crowds, it was convenient and allowed us to enjoy some real food and beer with all the comforts of a developed campground. Just as I headed into my tent it started to rain. I love a little rain at night while I'm in my tent - it's great sleeping weather. The light rain, however, became heavier and heavier as the night wore on. I wasn't too concerned (it never rains for more than a few hours in Utah, right?). Morning came and it was still raining. We made breakfast and packed up our wet tents, determined to make it to the trailhead so we could camp in the backcountry. Surely the weather would clear!

We took the Bullfrog-Notom road south along the Waterpocket fold as we headed towards Upper Muley Twist Canyon. The rain became a downpour and the dirt road became muddier and muddier. At some point the road became impassable, and we pulled into the Cedar Mesa primitive campground to join other refugees of the flood. It became apparent that we weren't going to make it to the trailhead so we decided to set up camp and hunker down for the evening at Cedar Mesa.


Flood and mud

Red flood water

A "dry" wash

Brandon and Amber setting up their tent in the rain

Muddy Jeep

The rain let up for a bit that evening so we took a walk to check out the surroundings and get rid of the tent boredom. The abundant water made the familiar landscape a brand new experience for me. Our walk up the dry wash was so peaceful and relaxing - one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip!


A break in the storm

Yuccas

Flowering Yucca

The sun came out the next morning! We decided to risk the muddy road and do a day hike in Upper Muley Twist Canyon (where we had planned on backpacking). The road was terrible, but Brandon navigated the slippery mud and washed out sections expertly. Even a small rockslide on the Burr Trail switchbacks didn't stop us.


Clearing rocks from the Burr Trail road

We made it to the Upper Muley Twist Canyon trailhead and had an excellent day hike under mostly sunny skies. I backpacked Lower Muley Twist Canyon with Rob and Jake a couple of years ago, but the Upper portion of the canyon seemed more scenic. We weren't able to explore the whole upper portion of canyon due to time constraints, but we managed to see some beautiful arches and narrow parts of the canyon. We made it out just before another round of thunderstorms hit.


Me in Upper Muley Twist Canyon

Saddle Arch

Upper Muley Twist Canyon

Amber and Brandon

Amber and Brandon walking out of the canyon

We camped in Dixie National Forest, a beautiful pine forest just west of Capitol Reef, on the final night. The weather had one final surprise for us - a big thunderstorm with lots of hail! A beautiful rainbow signaled the end of the stormy weather and the end of our adventure.


Dixie National Forest

Hail!

Rainbow after the storm

This was my second trip to Southern Utah with Brandon and my first trip with his friend Amber. They both proved to be awesome adventure buddies (even in challenging conditions) and made the trip extra fun. I hope there will be future trips with both of them!