Utah and Colorado Trip Part Three
May 9th, 2023
After Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, we went to Capitol Reef National Park for three days. While we were here we got to do three hikes:
Now, a little history on the name of the park: the name comes from early pioneers who visited the area where it reminded them of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. and others thought it reminded them of ocean coral reefs, and if you merge those names, you get Capitol Reef.
Cassidy Arch Trail
Our first hike in the park was Cassidy Arch Trail. This trail ended at an arch where reportedly the famed bank and train robber Butch Cassidy (or by birth Robert LeRoy Parker) had a hide-out in the area of the arch. The trail started off in a dry creek bed and soon climbed alongside the cliff face until we reached the top, where we hiked around up on the mesa until we reached the arch.
Rim Overlook
Our second hike at Capitol Reef was the Rim Overlook Trail where we started off right next to the Freemont River and then hiked along the Freemont for a short period of time. Then we climbed up to the top of the mesa where we hiked along to the Rim Overlook looking out over the Fruita District of the park. This trail was one of my favorites here, due to it not being super hot and also for the change of views very quickly.
Chimney Rock Trail
Our last hike in the park was Chimney Rock Trail. This trail received its name from a distinctively chimney-looking rock right next to a mesa (named Mummy Cliff). The trail starts off near the base of Chimney Rock and then climbs up to the top of Mummy Cliff, giving you views of Chimney Rock from both the base and above, which was really cool. Then, you would hike around the edge of Mummy Cliff, so that you would hike along the entire boundary of Mummy Cliff, giving you amazing views of the area.
