USA - Utah, Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park consists of two parts. The northern part is called Cathedral Valley, a desert landscape with high sandstone rocks looking like cathedrals. This part of the park is not easily accessible, so we only visited the southern part.

The main geological phenomenon here is the Waterpocket Fold, a straight, more than 150 kilometer long crease in the earth's crust (waterpocket” refers to the potholes that dot the sandstone and fill with rainwater). The immense walls of this fold are made up of rock layers, formed during millions of years.

In the middle of this red rock area we found the more or less green oasis of Fruita (PiP2) with its famous orchards and the meadows around the Gifford Homestead (PiP3). This area is dating back to the 1800s, when Mormon pioneers set up a settlement, where they grew crops and planted orchards.

Capitol Reef got its name from the great white rock formations with a visual resemblance of the U.S. Capitol building and “reef”, a popular term for an uplifted landmass. The area was designated as a national monument in 1937 and became a national park in 1971.