dust and starlightUtah
Capitol Reef National Park
The monoliths and bentonite hills of Cathedral Valley, the Upper South Desert Overlook at last light, and the Burr Trail and Fruita's orchards, from five visits between 2024 and 2026.
Part of Utah National Parks and Red Rock Country, with its map and every photo from the region.
- Photographs
- 2
- Made
- August 2024 – April 2025
- Months
- April and August
- In the collections
2 photos
Field notes
When to go
Our frames here come from five visits: mid-August 2024, late April 2025, late September 2025, late March 2026 and late April 2026. Both April visits were to Cathedral Valley, one under a clear sky and one overcast, and in March a peach tree was in bloom in the Fruita orchards. August is monsoon season, which the park puts at mid-June to mid-October. Storms often build after noon, and less than half an inch of rain in an hour can cause a flash flood.
Getting there
As of 2026, entry is $20 per vehicle, charged for the Scenic Drive at a self-pay station just south of the Fruita Campground; an America the Beautiful pass covers it. The Cathedral Valley Loop is 57.6 miles of dirt and takes six to eight hours: high clearance is usually enough when it's dry, but rain or snow can leave the roads impassable even with four-wheel drive. The Hartnet Road begins with a ford of the Fremont River (no bridge, normally a foot deep or less; don't cross when it's high), while the Cathedral Road, also called the Caineville Wash Road, skips the ford and reaches the Temples of the Sun and Moon at 17.1 miles. The Cathedral Valley Campground has six free, first-come sites, with a pit toilet and no water. Call the park's road line at 435-425-3791 before you go. Capitol Reef is an International Dark Sky Park, and light painting isn't permitted.
Entry and passes
Entry: $20 per vehicle. The $80 America the Beautiful annual pass covers it. The Capitol Reef annual pass is $35 (Capitol Reef, for US citizens and residents). The fee is charged for the Scenic Drive, at a self-pay station just south of the Fruita Campground. The Cathedral Valley and Cedar Mesa campgrounds are free and first-come.
Our story
Three of our five visits reached Cathedral Valley, the park's remote north end. On April 26, 2025, under a clear blue sky, we photographed the Temples of the Sun and Moon from the valley floor, with dust blowing along the road below the valley walls. Then we drove on to the Upper Cathedral Valley overlook for the line of Cathedrals, with their pale caps.
We came back on an overcast April 25, 2026, with a long lens for the Temple of the Sun, red under the forested plateau, then purple phacelia and striped maroon-and-cream bentonite hills along the Cathedral Road. In between, in late September 2025, driving through fast, we caught the last light from the Upper South Desert Overlook: a banded butte, with the South Desert running out to the rim.
On March 21, 2026, we drove the Burr Trail from Boulder into the park. Along the Notom-Bullfrog Road a red fin of towers stood on the Waterpocket Fold, with the Henry Mountains beyond white domes, and in Fruita a peach tree was in bloom and horses stood at the corral.
Our earliest frames here are from August 2024, the morning after a night at Temple Mountain in the San Rafael Swell: horses by the Fruita barn, and mule deer at the Gifford Homestead.
Nearest places
All placesAs the crow flies, from the center of Capitol Reef National Park to the center of each.
