Spring 2025 Utah, 4.16.25 - 5.14.25, Part 5, Capitol Reef National Park, Cathedral Valley, Cohab Canyon
Greg and Cindy only had one more day in Capitol Reef National Park before heading to Bryce. They were pretty keen on seeing Cathedral Valley. Bridgit and I had already been there twice but it’s a really cool place and we had absolutely no problem with seeing it a third time. We decided to take both vehicles since who wants to sit in the back when driving through Cathedral Valley?
We got a pretty early start driving out to Hartnet Road and fording the Fremont River which was only running at thirteen inches so it was no big deal. Still, we always get a tingle of adventure when you have to drive through a river! Our first stop was in the beautiful bentonite hills. I love the colors in these hills and though I’ve been there in the early morning, one of these days I’d like to wander around in the late evening light. I think that would be the best light of the day at this spot.
Beautiful bentonite hills
So fun with friends!
Next we stopped at the Lower South Desert Overlook. A quarter mile walk takes you to the edge of the South Desert and incredible views of Jailhouse Rock and various unnamed pyramids and pinnacles. One of our options for later in the week was to hike down to Jailhouse Rock and just explore all around it. I doubt hardly anybody ever goes down there.
View from Lower South Desert Overlook. Bridgit and I considered hiking down and exploring around Jailhouse Rock which is on the right.
My everything
Unnamed pyramid in Lower South Desert
Cindy and Greg
We continued on our safari through Cathedral Valley. After leaving Lower South Desert Overlook and about a mile before we got to Upper South Desert Overlook I suddenly got a low tire pressure warning. I must have driven over a sharp rock but my right rear tire was leaking fast. We limped to the flattest spot we could find. Now I had maybe read once in the manual about how to find all the tools and change the tire but had never put it to use. Cathedral Valley is not the best place to have to change a tire. But Bridgit and I are crisis veterans. After owning five restaurants for thirty years, we’ve learned how to just team up and find solutions. Power outages, broken air conditioners, Walk-in coolers on the fritz - we’ve seen it all. So before you could say sat on a cactus I had the manual open to the tire changing page, gave it to Bridgit and started pulling out the tools. She walked me through the steps and we had the spare on and ready in less than a half hour. The only problem now was that we no longer had a spare and the one we were using was a smaller tire than the rest. I didn’t want to take unnecessary risk so we scrapped plans to add an extension to our loop. We were pretty much halfway so there was no need to go back the way we came. I just drove more carefully than I typically do and we continued (insert Mike laughing).
Just a short way up the road we arrived at the only campground in Cathedral Valley. It has six free first come, first serve sites. Bridgit and I camped there on our first trip through the valley in 2022. There were no other vehicles there so we stopped for lunch. Down a couple of switchbacks we stopped and hiked out a bit of the Cathedrals Trail for amazing views of Cathedral Valley’s namesake cathedrals.
Along the Cathedrals Trail (Bridgit photo)
The Cathedrals
By now the wind was really picking up. By the time we got to the Temple of the Sun and Moon there was blowing sand so we didn’t linger there.
The Temple of the Sun and Glass Mountain
We had hoped to extend the trip by driving the Caineville Reef Road up and around Factory Butte but with the tire situation we just drove out to the highway and back to our campground. Just driving into Capitol Reef from the east is a sensational drive as you enter a land of incredible rock.
Entering Capitol Reef from the east on US 24
Greg and Cindy left in the morning. It was fun being able to play tour guide for them. I had hoped to just replace the one tire but no one closer than Moab (2.5 hour drive each way) had my tires. Plus all the tire stores all over the region seemed to be closed for the weekend so we couldn’t really do any jeeping until we dealt with the tires. It was now Saturday, April 26th so instead of fretting about tires, we went back to the Gifford House for our second pie of the trip. Conveniently, the trailhead for Cohab Canyon is right across the street from the pie place.
Cohab Canyon is a relatively easy 3.5 mile round trip hike. From the trailhead, we switchbacked up the side of the hill steeply until we reached the base of a cliff wall. We followed the cliff wall south until we came to an opening in the wall that provided access to Cohab Canyon. Hiking through the canyon, the walls were heavily pockmarked and there were several very short slots called the Wives. I believe we explored Wife four, five and six. The others didn’t even seem big enough to explore.
Looking across to the Rim Overlook route from the Cohab Canyon Trail
Following the cliff base to the Cohab Canyon opening (Bridgit photo)
Cohab Canyon
Pockmarked walls of Cohab Canyon
One of the slots in Cohab Canyon
Another slot in Cohab Canyon
After hiking in the sandy wash for a ways, we crossed a section of slickrock and then dropped down to the wash again where there was a junction. Going straight would take you through the remainder of Cohab Canyon all the way to US 24 by the Hickman Bridge trailhead. Just beyond this junction, the Frying Pan Trail climbed and then went south all the way to Cassidy Arch and Grand Wash. We turned left at the junction which climbed up to a plateau with two overlooks. We went to the South Fruita Overlook first. This overlook was perched high above the Fruita District. The North Fruita Overlook provided great views across US 24 to the entire Rim Overlook route. It also had killer views looking east down US 24 through a sea of slickrock.
On the Cohab Canyon Trail (Bridgit photo)
South Fruita Overlook
Looking straight across US 24 from North Fruita Overlook
Hickman Bridge Trailhead is on the far right down on the highway. The Rim Overlook route follows the high shelf underneath the white peaks angling up to the point on the far left.
Bridgit hiking back on the Cohab Canyon Trail
Stone markers on the Cohab Canyon Trail
Back at the entrance to Cohab Canyon
Cohab Canyon was a really enjoyable easy hike. So far on this trip, Bridgit has hiked 30.5 miles and I’ve hiked 37.4 miles (she didn’t do Big Horn Canyon). We’re feeling stronger with each hike and loving Capitol Reef. That evening we went back up to Sunset Point. We have a weather system moving in but we had nothing better to do and it turned out we got a bit of great light while we were up there.
Sunset Point
Sunset Point