{"id":7665,"date":"2010-09-09T04:41:05","date_gmt":"2010-09-09T10:41:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=7665"},"modified":"2026-03-31T10:21:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:21:31","slug":"colorful-capitol-reef-national-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/09\/09\/colorful-capitol-reef-national-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorful Capitol Reef National Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

Capitol Reef National Park is located in south central Utah and lies within the counties of Sevier, Garfield and Wayne. It was established in August of 1937 as a national monument and then redesignated as a national park in 1971.<\/p>\n

Capitol Reef National Park comprises 378 square miles of incredibly colorful canyons, domes, buttes, ridges, and monoliths. You could hike for miles for a week and still only see a small portion of the park<\/p>\n

It was once considered one of the most remote corners of the lower 48 states. That changed in 1962 when the paved surface of Utah Highway 24 through the Fremont River Canyon opened and that created easier access to the park.<\/p>\n

\"CapitolCapitol Reef National Park drive in evening light – D70, handheld, f10, 1\/400, ISO 200, 18-200mm VR at 38mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The geological features of Capitol Reef National Park are amazing. About 75 miles of the 100 mile long monocline known as the Waterpocket Fold are within the park’s boundaries extending from Lake Powell north to the Thousand Lake Plateau.<\/p>\n

The layers of sedimentary rock record nearly 200 million years of the areas geological history. The are is well know for Navajo and Entrada sandstone layers, the Chinle formations shows evidence of ancient rivers and swamps.<\/p>\n

\"CapitolCapitol Reef National Park, Utah – D70, handheld, f10, 1\/320, ISO 200, 18-200mm VR at 55mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I spotted this rock formation inside the park. For some reason it reminded me of the open jaws of a rattlesnake with the fangs exposed. I had to stop and take a picture of it.<\/p>\n

\"EveningCapitol Reef National Park, Utah – D70, handheld, f10, 1\/640, ISO 200, 18-200mm VR at 18 mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Capitol Reef has some of the most amazing scenery, gorgeous colors and diverse habitats. It can take your breath away and cause you to wonder what the first pioneers thought of the area.<\/p>\n

This was once the home of the Fremont people who lived in Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Nevada during the time period of 700 to 1300 AD.<\/p>\n

The Fremont people disappeared around 1300 AD and to this day scientists wonder why. They left behind some fascinating Rock Art, I will cover that another time.<\/p>\n

\"MuleMule Deer buck at the Capitol Reef campground – D200, handheld, f6.3, 1\/200, ISO 320, 80-400mm VR at 116mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The campground is a delight, there are trees for shade and a stream nearby. There are remnants of orchards from earlier years and quite often you can see Mule Deer in the early mornings or late afternoons grazing there or at the campsites.<\/p>\n

\"DownyDowny Woodpecker on a tree at the Capitol Reef campground – D200, f7.1, 1\/320, ISO 400, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of the water and moisture provided by the Fremont River there are many birds and animals near the campgrounds. This Downy Woodpecker delight me when it posed on this branch with Navajo sandstone in the background. From tiny hummingbirds to Golden Eagles nesting on the cliffs, Bobcats, Kit Fox, reptiles and more there will always be something to see and be enchanted by.<\/p>\n

\"CapitolCapitol Reef National Park formations – D70, handheld, f10, 1\/400, ISO 200, 18-200mm VR at 60mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I feel that Capitol Reef National Park is a wonderland, from the geological features, the rich history of the area, gorgeous scenery, and abundant wildlife. It is a place I hope to return to visit many more times.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Capitol Reef photos.<\/p>\n

Click here for more information on Capitol Reef National Park<\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n

\"Capitol<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The geological features of Capitol Reef National Park are amazing. About 75 miles of the 100 mile long monocline known as the Waterpocket Fold are within the park’s boundaries extending from Lake Powell north to the Thousand Lake Plateau.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":115652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1427,2142,317,26,2486],"tags":[4004,970,4184,196,14317,195,4101,9049,17426,193,2143,4620,197,4062,4022,2326,12241,4018],"class_list":["post-7665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-capitol-reef-national-park-utah","category-downy-woodpeckers","category-mule-deer","category-utah","category-wayne-county","tag-adult","tag-autumn","tag-buck","tag-buttes","tag-campground","tag-canyons","tag-clouds","tag-dome","tag-dome-reef","tag-downy-woodpecker","tag-dryobates-pubescens","tag-fall","tag-fremont-people","tag-male","tag-mule-deer","tag-road","tag-rock-formations","tag-sky"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/downy-woodpecker-capitol-reef-mia-mcpherson-9323.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-1ZD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14692,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/04\/04\/fremont-river-utah\/","url_meta":{"origin":7665,"position":0},"title":"Fremont 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