capitol gorge trail

Perfect day hike in Capitol Reef. Try to get there in the morning before the sun it too high. Also, the stairs get crowded after 11am.

The access down "Scenic Drive" (Yes, that's its apt name!) is worth the trip; but the hike is spectacular. Interesting petroglyphs, huge canyon walls, breathtaking colors, outlandish geology, and easy hiking make this a HUGE "bang for the buck" experience. Recommend!

Capitol Gorge Trail is 2.5 miles round trip that is a flat trail through the canyon wash. It is considered an easy trail by the National Park. Along Capitol Gorge we saw some additional petroglyphs that were interesting. We also took a side trip up to the Tanks. That hike was not marked very well and was a steep climb up the slick rock. It wasn’t difficult per se but I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t want to climb up and over the slick rock. The scenic drive to the trailhead is beautiful. It becomes a dirt road that is very narrow at times. This is a hike that can be enjoyed by everyone

My husband and I walked this trail and walked up to the tanks. We also followed the wash for a mile or so past the tanks. It was very quiet and beautiful and the gorge is wonderful to walk through. The tanks are also worth the extra hike. It is a pretty easy walk, although the trail up to the tanks is on sandstone (slick rock) and so walking boots are recommended. There are restrooms at the start of the trail.

We thoroughly enjoyed hiking the Capitol Gorge Trail. It is a very easy hike through a canyon - walking in a wash. If you want to do a little extra you can take the added hike to the "tanks" This was uphill on slickrock but not hard. It was much hotter on the tank trail because you were on exposed rock the whole time. The scenic drive to this trail is absolutely beautiful. Take your time to enjoy it. After you get to the first parking lot the road becomes a dirt road. It should be fine for any car to do although it is very narrow in places and not recommended for campers. The parking lot at the end has very limited parking so you might want to get there early. Also keep any eye on the sky because storms can blow up quickly and you don't want to get caught in the wash during a bad rainstorm. You can also view early "pioneer signatures" on the walls of the canyon as you hike. Really a great hike for any age or physical ability. Enjoy!!

...you can still do this drive. This is one of 2 scenic drives in CRNP that is paved for most of the way so if the surrounding jeep trails turn to dangerous, impassable muck during your visit, you can still do this. The views and photo-ops are just as good. This drive has one of the best hikes in the area, up Capitol Gorge. We did the 4wd Cathedral Valley too and except for the length and the ruggedness of driving dirt and rock the views were just as good on the Scenic Drive. Do not despair of wet conditions!

This natural gorge within Capitol Reef National Park (CRNP)should not be missed. It provided a pathway through the Waterpocket Fold which formed a massive barrier (reef) to both pre-Columbian and modern travelers in southern Utah who left their marks on its walls. The gorge is accessible by 8 miles of paved road known as Scenic Drive from the CRNP visitors center plus 2.4 miles of graded dirt road in the gorge itself to the trailhead parking area and picnic shelter with pit toilet.The side canyons have vertical walls and natural "tanks" or waterpockets that provide a unique desert hiking experience.

An easy walk down the wash. If you want something more challenging consider also going up to Cassidy Arch

This is a fantastic drive even though most of it is on unpaved road. The views are worth it.The walk at the end is interesting and not too difficult.

This place is a MUST must must!!!! Excellent for hiking. Beautiful things to see. Not a guided tour or hike. You are allowed to go off on your own. My husband and I went this year, and are going to bring our kids back next year. Some of the hikes are right off the edge of the mountain, so use your own judgment for age appropriate hikes. My children are not younger than 16 and this will be the perfect place for them to hike and see some AMAZING things. Take plenty of water. Breath taking views. Beautiful cliffs. This is an absolute must see. Camping at the Fruita Campgrounds was great as well. Safe, beautiful and walking distance to several hikes!!

Done in the afternoon on a beautiful suny day, massive cliff, rock art and awesome light - its a bit of a slog in the sand, but youre rewarded with relative solitude compared to other parks, and its an easily accessible and flat walk

Great scenery down the canyon, the drive down the dirt road is not to bad even on the Harley. The hike was really worth it, we got to the narrows and was told to go back because of a flash flood warning. Easy hike down the creek bed and well worth it.

Hiked in April, weather was great but I can't imagine how hot this trail would be in summer heat. Wind was really whipping through the rocks but such a pleasant hike with great scenery. Scrambled up the rocks to the tanks as well. It was fun but trail was not marked well so we took a more indirect route. Kept going another mile or two last but scenery does change much rest of way. Glad we did this hike, very nice. Also the the narrow road leading to parking lot is very scenic and fun but take it slow around curves as it is only wide enough for one car at a time.

This is an easy short trail at 2.5 miles r/t. For me, the best park of the hike were the tanks at the end which requires a short but steep climb. The wash itself isn't that spectacular, but the tanks are nice and doing a wash trail in Capitol Reef is a must. This trail can get hot, as you're continuously exposed to the sun. Be careful visiting the tanks, there is some rough and steep terrain, but sure to walk around once you get to them for better views.

I loved both hikes, but I thought this hike was a bit more diverse and a bit more narrow than Grand Wash making it more dramatic. Took the little hike to the tanks at the end of the wash, which had amazing views getting out of the wash and up on top of the walls. A little scrambling over rocks to get to the tanks. All up hill to get there, but then the hard part is done and it is all down hill to get back to the wash.