Capitol Reef National Park, UT
DatesSep 9th - Sep 15th 2012 Service ProjectInvasive plant removal, trail maintenance Free DaysHiking slot canyons & slickrock domes, photography, relaxing AccommodationsTent and car camping in developed site Trip RatingActive : Sawing, digging, bending, lopping LeadersDudley McIlhenny Equipment |
The Waterpocket Fold defines Capitol Reef National Park. A nearly 100-mile long warp in the earth's crust, the Waterpocket Fold is a classic monocline: a regional fold with one very steep side in an area of otherwise nearly horizontal layers. A monocline is a "step-up" in the rock layers. Called "Wayne Wonderland" in the 1920s by local boosters, Capitol Reef National Park comprises 378 square miles of colorful canyons, ridges, buttes, and monoliths. Visitors to Capitol Reef will find a wide range of habitat types that support diverse plant and animal life. Photographers find a dazzling array colors and formations to shoot, especially in the warm light of sunrise and sunset over the park's sandstone walls and domes. Only a few decades ago, Capitol Reef and the Waterpocket Fold country comprised one of the remote corners of the lower 48 states. Easy road access came only with the construction of a paved Utah Hwy 24 through the Fremont River canyon in 1962. There are 15 day hiking trails with trailheads located along Utah Hwy 24 and the scenic drive behind the namesake reef. These trails offer the hiker a wide variety of options, from easy strolls along smooth paths over level ground to strenuous hikes involving steep climbs over uneven terrain near cliff edges. Our service project is varied and requires short to long drives to daily worksites throughout the park ranging from Cathedral Valley in the north to the Waterpocket Fold in the south areas of the Park. Volunteers may cut, roll, and carry old barbed-wire fencing, remove exotic plants and conduct trail maintenance. We'll set up camp at the group campsite in the central zone of the park's Fruita District, which comes complete with flush toilets, wash sink, covered tables and showers a short distance away. Volunteers pitch a tent on grass or sleep in vehicles, and the campsite is large enough to accommodate pop up trailers and campers. Check out more photos from last year's Capitol Reef project in our gallery.
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