We almost passed over this national park, but based on recommendations we decided to check it out and ... WOW! The Fremont river cuts through the red rock canyon where 19th century Mormon settlers planted Cottonwood and fruit tree orchards. The result is stunning - large trees providing shade, lush grass & orchards in stark contrast to the red rock canyon walls surrounding Fruita, where we camped. Paradise!
Capitol Reef is truly adventureland - far less regulated than the other parks we visited. We headed out on a recommended hike: our very first slot canyon! We started out marching across the desert along Burro Wash.
The park itself is incredibly skinny so we actually had to hike over a mile just to get back into the park!
The wash quickly became a skinny canyon...
which got narrower...
with some scrambling required...
narrower...
Barely shoulder-width.
We came across a lovely stagnant puddle. Adam tested the high road while Ailey trudged through.
... and wedged-in boulders, blocking our path.
Once out and across the desert we drove across some crazy unpaved roads to a 3-mile, 4-wheel drive, high-clearance required "road" (really a wash) on top of the Reef.
