Capital Reef is one of the lesser known parks in the National Park System. It is out of the way but well worth a visit
Two features give this park its name. The first is the white domes that resemble the dome of our nation's capital.
The second is the cliffs or "reefs" forming a barrier that made travel difficult.
Life was hard for the Mormon pioneers and they willingly sold their land to the Park Service. There remain not only restored pioneer buildings but orchards with heirloom trees nurtured by the Park Service. Visitors can eat what they like in the orchard or harvest some to take home for a fee.
Evidence of earlier cultures still remains like this granary
and these pictographs.
An easy hike took us to a low natural bridge
and the more spectacular Hickman Bridge.
You can see more of our world by going to That's My World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren and Sylvia.
22 comments:
What a gorgeous, breathtaking place, Martha! A new one to me, but I would love to visit there! Your photos are superb as always! Interesting history. Great post for the day! Have a beautiful day! Enjoy!
Sylvia
I think the colour of the soil and rock are beautiful especially contrasted with the green foliage.
This is a wonderful area! Great colors of the mountain and rocks.
Would love to go there som day..
That's one of the parks in Utah we still haven't gotten to.
Beautiful National park. Love that bridge and pictographs
I cannot imagine anyone trying to make a living in such terrain - as beautiful as it is
This is a spectacular place that reminds me of how difficult travel must have been in pioneering days. The simple functionality of buildings and carvings in the stone take us back to earlier times. Time and nature have a way of carving intriguing shapes into stone.
Super interesting tour Martha. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
What a wonderful place, Martha. I especially like the pictographs, and the idea that a granary has existed there so long.
-- K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
this is spectacular. i am so envious. hoped your easter was great.
Really beautiful these photos, a charming landscape. Greetings
Wonderful place to visit, I cannot imagine trying to live in such a place.
What I enjoyed most, was the ability to 'breath the freedom' being seen in your second picture.
Looks indeed like an adventure place to be. Please have a good Tuesday you all.
daily athens
Wonderful photos from the Capital Reef Park. The colors and the bridge are a beautiful sight.
We were there about five years ago, on a three week trip into the Southwest. We hiked into the water gap. Very cool.
Certainly a park worth visiting. I haven't been there in Way too long. Such diversity.
The granary is beautiful! I could see some colors on the rocks.
I have seen some pictographs in Palatki (Sedona) and it is just so amazing to see them well preserved. There were Park volunteers from Montana who gave us a lecture.
Thanks for the info about Road Scholar, I have checked their website.
What a spectacular place!
Very nice photos. The restored buildings and orchards were an unexpected piece of information.
Capital Reef NP looks so beautiful in your pictures. The pictographs and natural bridges are fascinating!
Many years since we've been there -- had a couple of weeks off and decided on a whim to visit this remote place. We had a pickup camper and drove from our Oregon home. Stayed very near that orchard. I had pictures of deer eating the apples that were left == standing up on their hind legs. We drove all over the roads and did some hiking; we loved it. Certainly one of the more underutilized NPs... it is remote.
Your pictures are great as always. Thanks for the memories.
Gotta love Capitol Reef. YOu had a beautiful blue sky for your visit. Lovely photos.
Post a Comment