Cathedral Valley - Capitol Reef National Park

The 60 mile loop through Cathedral Valley is an amazingly diverse landscape.  The geological formations are incredible to view and even though it is very spread out, it is well worth time time it takes to drive. 

The loop has two different entrances. One has a river crossing and is less accessible and the other is more accessible   Both however will still require a high clearance vehicle.  There are many riverbed crossings and in the early spring there will be water in them at times but the main river crossing is the first one.   

It was actually a lot easier than expected especially since we went int he spring and that is when the river can be at its highest.  It was only a few feed deep and the jeep had not trouble getting through it.  I read online that when you enter the river it is best to stay close to the right hand side and then take a sharp turn across when you get to the landing.  I went back and forth over the river a few times (for fun and to pick the camera man back up) and took different routes.  It was easiest to go straight across at the landing but if you have a 4x4 with good clearance then you should be ok no matter what route you take.  

The picture below was taken when the river was pretty much at its deepest point.  

There is a lot of open space on the drive and a lot of cows! There is a lot of sand as well so it didn't help with  the MPG (make sure to fill up before you start the loop and bring extra gas just in case) but the 4x4 v8 came in handy on a few of the hills.  There was evidence of a few vehicles who had some trouble getting up the bigger hills with how deep the sand was in some areas.  

For those of you who are thinking "the loop is only 60 miles so why is having enough gas an issue?"... the guy who owned this car was probably thinking the same thing

On this side of the valley there is an impressive view of the South Desert.  

We took the drive slow and enjoyed our time. There are a few hikes you can do along the way as well if you have the time. Half way through the loop there is a nicely developed campground that is free and is available on a first come-first serve basis.  We were the only people there that night (we only say 2 other cars the entire time we were on the loop.

Close to the campground (on a turnout before you get to the campground)  there is a cool overlook that is just a short hike.  

The next morning we drove to the Gypsum Sink Hole. but on the way we took the detour to an old cowboy cabin that is still in good condition.  It was full of artifacts from the area and was cool to visit.

Then on to the sinkhole...  It is a HUGE feature.  In the picture you can see how small my shadow is compared to the hole and it took multiple shots from my wide angle lens to capture the entire thing.  Be carefull along the edge as the dirt is loose and there is no barrier to keep you back.  

The main attractions in the valley are the "cathedrals" themselves.  The picture below is of the temple of the sun an glass mountain.

 

San Rafael Swell Utah Part 3 (Crack Canyon)

San Rafael Swell Utah Part 3 (Crack Canyon)

First off you will want to have an OHV (off highway vehicle) or plan on a lot of extra walking. The last mile or so of road (if you can call it that) is really just an old river bed.  There isn't really too much that is really big but definitely not for cars that have low clearance. There are a few steep parts where 4wd would come in handy as well.  

Once you get to the canyon itself it is quite impressive.  It isn't too narrow at first but as you get into it deeper then you get more of the "slot canyon" feel.  There are a few obstacles that you will have to maneuver in order to continue.  The further you go in the more difficult they get so plan accordingly. 

There were also some sections of the canyon that, depending on the time of year, will have as much as a few feet of water along the bottom.  They can be maneuvered without getting wet but it is tricky.