In Mother Nature's Workshop

Another day and another goodbye. This time we left scenic byway "12". We'd love to come back here some day, but this time with a reliable 4WD car. Or maybe without kids we won't worry that much about going into Utah's wilderness? If you ever get here don't limit yourselves to national parks, go off "12" and do some scenic byways.

Out of two backroads we skipped one was Smokey Mountain Road from Escalante to Lake Powell. As they wrote on utahcanyons.com, driving this high clearance track is no simple undertaking, it is rough and wild, so be well prepared. It goes by Smokey Mountain,which got its name from the century-old underground coal fire which still emits smoke, visible sometimes. If we were "Planet of the Apes" fans we'd go there for sure - some scenes were shoot there.

Another one we skipped was Hell’s Backbone Road. It was very tempting though. Built during Great Depression as an alternate road between Escalante and Boulder it's one of the most scenic backcountry byway in Utah. Part of it goes over a narrow ridge in the high country of the Aquarius Plateau with an amazing view of Box-Death Hollow (doesn't it sound tempting?). Maybe next time…

So we moved from "12" to "24" (scenic again). But leaving "12" is not that easy. Few miles before junction with "24" it climbs to over 9300 feet / 3000 m. View is amazing on both sides of the road. It's worth to drive there just to see it.

After driving so close to the sky we landed on the border of another National Park - Capitol Reef. Our campsite was quite popular which was not a surprise considering the views. There was few more rvs, but there was enough space for everyone.

There are two free campsites near Capitol Reef. One in just outside west border (it’s the one we chose). It’s easy to miss so it’s good to slow down, and after turning onto this dirt road it’s good to get out of the car to find a spot - there are a few roads to different spots and they are pretty rocky so be careful.

Second free campsite is just outside the park on the east. Take Notom Road, after half a mile take right and go up. The second one is on the open mesa so it probably has even better views than "ours" but it’s also more windy. When we drove by it was difficult to keep car going straight, and we and the campsite is higher and there is much more open spaces.

Capitol Reef is different than most of the parks we’ve seen so far: there are no shuttle buses, no crowds of people, no expensive restaurants and no "Capitol Reef Village". But it looks like Mother Nature’s workshop for building all other attractions in the area. There are so many colors, shapes, forms that it’s simply unbelievable. We didn’t get to see Hickman Bridge, a natural bridge known from postcards and leaflets as the road was closed due to rockslide. But even without it we really liked Capitol Reef.

It was called a Reef by the pioneers who had to cross it. It’s a very accurate name. The landscape goes easy for a while and then, suddenly there is a wall standing at the angle that makes it impossible to cross. You can try going around but it goes for over 100 miles. They had to cut through. Now it’s easier as Capitol Reef is crossed by interstate 80 and scenic 12, but in the old Times it must have been quite a challenge. And "Capitol" in the name comes from white domes over the reef made of Navajo sandstone.

Capitol Reef is also a west side of Waterpocket Fold, which is a wet depression in this part of Colorado Plateau. Rough, twisted and jagged top of the Reef was created during the uplift of plateu when rock layers got twisted. Wide valley emerged thanks to erosion and river Fremont which removed loose rock sediments. At least, that’s what we understood from the brochure. The final effect was both attracting (water and better climate than surrounding areas) and repulsive (difficult access). Although with the access it wasn’t so bad after all, first automobiles came not many years later after the first settlers.

Pioneers set up in the valley a very nice little town called Fruita near Fremont river. Now it’s a gate to Capitol Reef with visitors center. There are also orchards open to public. We read in one of the guidebooks that you can go in and pick some fruit for free. Than you have to pay for the fruit though… Well, let’s just say that in our country fruit picking is not an attraction yet so we wouldn’t do this even if it was a season …

We went for ice cream instead. Delicious and not expensive at all (price of ice cream in the US are unpleasant surprise every single time). And you can eat them at the yard of a 100-year old house with orchards and red stone views. Very good idea for a very nice afternoon.

Within Fruita, by "24", there is nice rock art. It's just by the parking and there is a boardwalk to the rock. Looking at the art you can conclude that Fremont people liked wide shoulders and fancy hats. Or they hated it. The best part of this art is that it is open to any interpretation. Some even think that most of it just a 19th century joke, because there is no good method how to evaluate the age of rock art.

Capitol Reef has also it’s scenic drive, which starts in Fruita and goes south. It is paved for a few miles and then it’s gravel. Going far south on 4WD only gravel road you can actually get to Burr Trail Road and you can go back to "12", if you are tough enough. We did miss a lot but we’re not tough at all. Maybe next time.

This time we took a look at uranium mines (as we're going east Capitol Reef is the beginning of the area where uranium and ecological points of view collided hard half way through 20th century). Then we hiked to Pioneers Register where at the end of 19th and beginning of 20th century pioneers and adventurers heading west would write their names on the wall of the canyon. This canyon was the first "highway" through the Reef and that’s how the first cars got to Fruita.

Most of the visitors of Capitol Reef sees only Fruita area and viewpoints on "24". But the park spreads much further to north and south from "24". We heard the trails are nice but not as pretty as for example Lower Calf Creek Falls, but going for an hour or two off the beaten path is really a true feast for eyes. 19 miles to the east from Fruita there is a road to the Cathedral Valley. It makes a loop going back via Harnet Road, but it’s almost 100 miles and part of it is a very sandy road that requires crossing a few creeks. We went just for a couple hours’ drive to Temple of the Sun, Temple of the Moon and Glass Mountain.

Glass mountain

We started with the latter one. It’s a small mound, maybe 10 feet tall, but it’s fascinating as it’s made of  selenite crystals - gypsum in the form of glassy crystals. From the distance it looks like tumulus honoring broken bottles. Temples are within a buttle's throw from the Glass Mountain. They are amazing. In the middle of flat valley there are two lone rocks - monoliths, composed of the earthy, buff-pink Entrada Sandstone, namely old mud, fragile and very brownish in sunset light.

Their loneliness and majesty have to bring religious associations, the names are more than accurate. As it was getting late and it was really windy we spent there more or less as much time as a second grader needs for morning prayer and we headed back.

Driving through the valley gives better understanding of all those names that stick to sacrum, going from devils to temples. Landscapes we saw there were so out of this world that they were escaping human categories. You can either fear them or feel the religious respect. Those places look like the world is being created there, there are naked, dead rocks next to green, fertile valleys full of fruit orchards. It’s hard to look and name all of them without religious terminology.

"We were here" - first travellers.

Unfortunately it was already too late to fully appreciate road to Notom. Notom Road goes south along the Reef. From there the whole formation is clearly visible. The view is so good that it made to the cover of park official brochure. We went just a few miles down the road, then sun went down and our memories from there will be based on the brochure …

Next day we spent going on the trails and viewpoints we missed before, including Sunset Point, from which you can see full selection of shapes and colors, and then, after a quick stop at a small shop with real bread and delicious cheese (on the right on "24" a few miles after you pass Cathedral Road) we headed on unbelievably scenic "24" towards next attractions.