It was late in the afternoon of Monday, February 13, 2023, and Sean’s and my day at Capitol Reef National Park was swiftly concluding, but we had time for a drive along the relatively short scenic drive and one quick hike to see more Hisatsinom petroglyphs deep in Capitol Gorge. It turned out that we got to see the cliffs of the Waterpocket Fold just when the mid-winter late afternoon light was its most gorgeous.

The scenic drive begins in Fruita, a Mormon pioneer town preserved as part of the National Park. It was basically shut down for the winter, so we passed through without stopping.

As we drove up to where the scenic part of the scenic drive would begin, it was dark and overcast.

But almost as soon as we crested a little ridge, the sun broke through and we got to see the Waterpocket Fold in all its magnificence.

It was definitely one of those “holy shit pull over” National Park moments.

The layers of intense color relate to the conditions when each layer was originally deposited. The rich reddish brown in the foreground of the photo above is the Moenkopi Formation from the Triassic Period. Then this landscape was coastal plains and tidal flats.

The greenish gray layer, younger and higher than the Moenkopi is the Chinle Formation, the same rock exposed in the Painted Desert. This was richly organic deposits from lakes and rivers.

The towering sandstone cliffs are the Wingate Formation, deposited as the Triassic Period gave way to the Jurassic Period. Then, this was a place of immense blowing sand dunes.

Another era of sand dunes, also from the Jurassic, tops the cliffs further away. This is Navajo Sandstone, the same rock as the most dramatic features in Zion National Park.

We continued south on the road, stopping often for photos.

In the photo above, Navajo Sandstone, easily recognizable from its reddish stripes, is closer to the Moenkopi Formation, with the cliffs of the Wingate Formation absent.

It is truly a magnificent landscape filled with Piñon Pine and Utah Juniper.

It was easy to see that the Moenkopi Formation was once mudflats.

We reached the entrance to Capitol Gorge, a narrow, twisting, steep-walled canyon that cuts deep into the Waterpocket Fold. Once it was the only road through the fold. Now the road ends at a trailhead parking area. We figured we’d at least start down the road into the Gorge. We could always turn around if it got dicey. Or icy.

As we drove slowly and carefully along, we flushed flocks of little brown birds (LBBs), likely Song or White-Crowned Sparrows.

It was a very cool drive.

As we neared the end of the road, the late afternoon light on the Navajo Sandstone surrounding us was thrilling.

We were the only ones in Capitol Gorge. But it was already ten to five when we arrived at the parking area, so we didn’t dawdle, but instead set off on foot into the further reaches of the Gorge.

Our destination wasn’t far: a panel of Hisatsinom Petroglyphs, fairly faint, but remarkable.

We had a quick look and then hurried back to the Jeep. It was time to begin heading back to Moab.

On the way out, we glimpsed the Golden Throne looming above the Gorge.

Back on the scenic drive, we caught the last of the sunlight on the cliffs.

To the west, thick cloud cover was rolling in, obliterating a final blaze of sunset. Those clouds were carrying snow, which would create the context for the rest of our time on the Colorado Plateau.

One day had not been nearly enough time in Capitol Reef National Park. It is now near the top of my list of Parks I’m most excited to return to.

We arrived back in Moab at 8pm, and simply had some empanadas and leftovers for dinner.

Then we chilled out for the rest of the evening. Sean was pretty wiped out from feeling under the weather. I backed up photos, read some chapters of East of Eden (a second reread), and then went to sleep.