This lovely scene is from the Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. The road is ten miles long and starts near the west entrance of the park and dead-ends at Capitol Gorge. But, along the way is some of the best scenery in the park. This is Red Rock Country and there is plenty of that here.
There are also two large washes along this road…the aforementioned Capitol Gorge and The Grand Wash, just a few miles from the start of the road. Both are geological wonders…displaying beautiful rock formations as well as the power of water. If it looks like it might rain, do not go into either of the washes as you will probably drown. While being very beautiful, the is also flash flood country. And did you know that 1/4” of rain is enough to cause such a flood? Living in the Southwest as I now do, I can testify to how quick a flash flood can start.
FYI, the park gets its name from The Waterpocket Fold…a nearly 100-mile long warp in the Earth's crust. The fold is a classic monocline: a regional fold with one very steep side in an area of otherwise nearly horizontal layers. It resembles an ocean reef, hence the name.
I stayed a few days in the park and went up and down the scenic road several times with my camera. The colors are truly magnificent and make for great photographs. The best time of day to take pictures along this road is late afternoon. By the way, the park’s campground, located at the beginning of the scenic road, is one of the nicest campgrounds I have ever stayed in.
Capitol Reef is one of America’s less popular national parks…in fact they don’t even charge an entrance fee. So if you are ever fortunate enough to visit some of Utah’s parks, be sure and put this one on the list.
(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)
To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.
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