Capitol Gorge runs 2.4 miles through the heart of the Waterpocket Fold in Capitol Reef National Park. It's one of only a few natural passages through the 87 mile long uplift, used by American Indian tribes, settlers and ranchers throughout history to link remote regions of Utah. The Capitol Gorge Trail follows a sandy wash below Wingate cliffs and Navajo domes, highlighted by the Pioneer Register, petroglyph panels, a short section of narrows and The Tanks.

A short, steep scramble over Capitol Gorge leads to a sand and slickrock terrace with several large natural water tanks

A group led by Elijah Behunin in 1883 cleared boulders and built a rudimentary road through the gorge, which many 19th and 20th century travelers used until the completion of Highway 24 along the Fremont River in 1962

Navajo Sandstone is comprised of thick layers of cross-bedded sandstone formed by windblown sand

Black boulders of volcanic origin were carried down the Fremont River and its major tributaries in debris slides from mountains west of the park

Tanks are deep sandstone pockets that hold water critical to local wildlife, and create microhabitats for rare plants and amphibians like the Woodhouse's Toad

Narrow sections of Capitol Gorge offer no outlet in the event of a flash flood, which are most common during the July-August monsoon season

The Capitol Gorge Trail sees much lighter crowds beyond the split for the Tanks, where travel grows increasingly rugged down the canyon

Capitol Reef National Park derives its name in part from the rounded Navajo Sandstone domes that resemble the domes of capitol buildings throughout the US

Zoomorphic petroglyphs blend human and animal characteristics

Nearly 10,000' of sedimentary strata are exposed in the Capitol Reef area, ranging from the Permian (270 M years) to the Cretaceous (80 M) periods

The Fremont and ancestral Puebloan people began to incorporate farming into their hunter and gatherer lifestyles approximately 2000 years ago

Capitol Gorge cuts directly through the Waterpocket Fold to wide open desert and milder terrain on the Park's eastern boundary

Massive walls mark the narrow entrance to Capitol Gorge