Capitol Reef
Cathedral Valley is the most iconic vista in Capitol Reef National Park. The only catch… visiting it requires a 30 mile round trip drive on 4x4 roads. When I visited Capitol Reef National Park however, all I had was a mid-sized Ford Edge (not 4x4). This created a fun, albeit nerve wracking, rugged adventure in my 32nd National Park!
With a car certainly not built for rugged roads, every mile of the journey had my heart skip a beat. The fact that we had zero cell phone service certainly did not help, as a flat tire was sure to force an overnight stay on the road and a rescheduling of our next day flight back to the East Coast. Going one turn at a time, I made sure to spot the road and avoid any seemingly pointy rocks or jagged curves. Each mile traveled meant one closer to the Cathedral Valley, but also one further from civilization
As the miles got closer to 15, I started to realize one more nerve wracking fact: I had not passed another car in the entire hour we had been driving. Any issues truly meant I was in for a long long journey. Nonetheless, I continued onwards, officially reentering Capitol Reef National Park at mile 14– just 1 mile from the valley. Descending into Cathedral Valley was an eerie yet awe inspiring ordeal, with the aptly named Temples of the Sun and Moon rock formations towering over the tiny vehicle. I parked the car, making sure not to turn the engine off in case it wouldn’t restart.
The hour-long wait for sunset passed with isolation and nerves. Just as the sun began to set, I began the return trip. In just one mile, I exited the park, giving me an ideal location to take out the drone for aerial sunset shots. While the sunset itself was nothing special, the location was– with not a human in sight.
The 15 mile journey back seemed more familiar, although it was completely in the dark. After reaching the state road at the end, I let out a sigh of relief, even though my legs were still tingling from the bumpy road. After an uneventful 2 hour drive back to Moab, I pulled into the hotel around 11pm in perfect position to reach Salt Lake City the next day.
Capitol Reef Photography