Here is the 3rd and final part of our trip to Capitol Reef National Park.
Picking up on day 4 where I left off...
Cottonwood Wash ended at a non-navigable "pour off" (one of the new canyoneering terms I learned) where we gazed at the beautiful sunlit tree that was just out of our reach.
The return trip was a bit quicker to navigate, and the lighting was lovely.
At the trails end, my hands and wrists were sore and tired from all the scrambling and maneuvering. By the next day, I was hurting in muscles that I didn't know existed, but it was completely worth it! It took us a long time to go the 4 or so miles in and out, but I would totally recommend this route to anybody who is comfortable with some scrambling and bouldering that is a step below requiring ropes and more technical gear and skills.
Our 5th and final day in the park we did a loop hike that included some higher points in the park with views. Our loop started at Grand Wash, continued up towards Cassidy Arch (a repeat from our first day), through Frying Pan, and back down Cohab
Canyon - approximately 6 or so miles, not including a couple viewpoint side trips. It also requires a shuttle car, hitchhiking, or a 2 mile return walk or bike ride along the road to return to your vehicle. We brought bikes and dropped them off at the hike's end point.
Starting out in Grand Wash in the morning was pretty nice. Grand Wash apparently used to be the road through the park, but now it is a pretty popular hike - it's very stunning to be walking through these huge walls of rock. My mom, who has been to Petra, said it was very similar, just with natural pillars instead of human-carved ones.
We left the wash and climbed the trail towards Cassidy Arch.
There is a nice view from the arch:
And it's fun to walk across, too!
From there, the trail goes into the Frying Pan, which is like a rock garden with awesome views.
The trail drops back down into a wash - irresistible to us even after all our previous wash hikes - with impressive views looking back up at the surrounding cliffs and rock formations.
From there, the trail ascends to another plateau where views of the park abound. From there, a couple side trails take the willing hiker to more viewpoints that put the Navajo Nobs front and center. Well worth the detour!
We finished our hike and managed to get back to the house before dark. We cleaned everything up and had a lovely dinner before an early night and early morning for the drive home. It was an incredible trip, and such an adventure! Capitol Reef is one of the less visited parks in the US, I think because it is less developed and has fewer amenities, but I think that makes it all the more appealing. It is now one of my favorite places in the US, and I hope I get to go back some day and explore all the places I didn't go! One week was not long enough to satiate my curiosity or the explorer within!
Thanks for reading this incredibly long three-part post! I hope you enjoyed it!
