Capitol Reef National Park United States

Legendary

Enjoy the colorful canyons, ridges, buttes, and monoliths that reside in the park's desert landscape.

Photo by Wolfgang Staudt

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Capitol Reef National Park doesn't have a single drop of ocean water anywhere nearby, yet part of its name comes straight from the sea. Early travelers called the rocky cliffs here a "reef," since they blocked wagons and settlers the same way a coral reef blocks ships.

Long before it became a national park, this area was known as Wayne Wonderland. Two local promoters, Ephraim Pectol and Joseph Hickman, gave it that name in the 1920s while trying to convince people to visit.

Pectol later became a Utah state lawmaker. He reached out directly to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, asking him to protect the land.

On August 2, 1937, Roosevelt signed an official order creating Capitol Reef National Monument. It took several more decades before the area became a full national park, on December 18, 1971.

The park's other name comes from its most famous rock formations. Huge white domes made of sandstone rise up throughout the park, looking strikingly similar to the domed roof of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

These white domes and colorful cliffs run along something called the Waterpocket Fold, a giant wrinkle in the earth stretching nearly 100 miles across the landscape. It formed millions of years ago when layers of rock buckled and folded.

Early Native American groups, including the Fremont people, lived in this region long before settlers arrived. Later, Mormon pioneers planted orchards along the Fremont River that still grow fruit today.

Hike among the towering domes and cliffs of the Waterpocket Fold. Pick fresh fruit straight from the trees at the historic Fruita orchards, still maintained inside the park. Drive the scenic road along the Fremont River for sweeping views of the colorful rock formations.