Howdy Ho! We spent another day hiking around Capitol Reef National Park. This time we drove out the Scenic Drive, which I TOTALLY get why it is named that! The pavement turns to dirt and the road narrows considerably as you drive through the canyon. These narrows twist through Wingate Sandstone, the formation that forms the sheer cliffs along the west face of Capitol Reef.
Capitol Gorge
We hiked out Capitol Gorge to the twin tanks and then came back and hiked the other way along the cliff ledge to the Golden Throne. Capitol Gorge is an easy hike out a wash, past the Pioneer Register to some tanks (water filled holes). The sheer walls of multicolored Navajo sandstone are mesmerizing to gaze up at. The Pioneer Register is a giant rock wall with many names, dates, and places carved, painted, and in one case, shot, into the sandstone. Prospectors, explorers, surveyors, cowboys, area settlers, and early visitors would often stand on their wagons to carve their names into the canyon wall. The earliest date I could see was 1885 and can you just imagine how wild that person would think it that over 1 million people visit Capitol Reef National Park each year now?
Golden Throne
The hike up to the Golden Throne isn’t as popular as the Capitol Gorge hike for some reason, though I liked it better. It’s only 1.8 miles each way with 700′ of elevation gain so it isn’t particularly difficult. The path curves in and out of three drainages with views along the way of big boulders, domes, knobs and cliff walls. The Golden Throne is a rock formation dome made of a gold color stained Navajo Sandstone, which is particularly special because normally the sandstone is creamy white or red.
When we stocked up on beer for our time in Utah we bought a bunch of Deschutes Brewery beer and last night we had a nice assortment. Fresh Squeezed, Red Chair, and Black Butte Porter. I do miss going to the pub in Bend and getting all the special beers though.
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