Wild Horse through Cathedral Valley (Capitol Reef National Park)

99Discovery

Adventurer
Mere days before "social distancing" went from an awkward word grouping to a catchphrase, @Backroadexploration led a small group of members of Expedition Utah from Temple Mountain Campground (near Goblin Valley) through Capitol Reef. This was an overnight adventure spanning roughly 70 miles of dirt road. The original plan was to head even further south and hit the highway after the infamous Burr Trail Switchbacks, but we kept stopping to take photos, so this trip could easily be part of a much more expanded adventure.

Below are some video reviews I made of each day if you want to dig right in, and I'll follow up with a writeup:


Day 1: Little Wild Horse

Day 2: Cathedral Valley
 

99Discovery

Adventurer
We all met up at Temple Mountain Campground, which is an area of group camps just west of Goblin Valley State Park. There is also a really cool Native American Panel nearby:

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Little Wild Horse is primarily a well-graded trail with occasionally wash-outs that follows a wash north/south. There is allegedly a really cool non-technical, family friendly slot-canyon here, but we did not have time to investigate.

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It's incredible how barren the Wild Horse area really is. There is a reason one of the Mars Research Facilities is located nearby. Nothing seems to grow, yet this hasn't stopped early settlers from trying to use this vast swatch of land to raise cattle.

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One of the coolest vehicles that came was an old imported BJ70 land cruiser that was in amazing shape (no cracks in the dash, etc). We were all envious of the little tractor.

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It wasn't just cattle ranchers that used this area. Coal could be seen in seems all along the wash, and we eventually stopped at an old, played-out open-pit coal mine. The airstrip used to drop supplies still visible:

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Crossing the "Martian Landscape":

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99Discovery

Adventurer
Day 2 started with a brisk spring morning. No matter, got the propane stove running to brew us all up some hot chocolate.

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After-which, we hit the trails. Not withstanding how scenic the first day was, it didn't hold a candle to what awaited us in Cathedral Valley:

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Temple of the Sun

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A gypsum sinkhole was hidden away in a valley surrounded by towering cliffs that reminded me of something out of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

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The final descent before the water crossing is an area just outside the park known as the Betonite Cliffs. Betonite is a clay-like substance which soaks up water like a sponge and this area can be impassible when wet. Or recently wet. It had been a few days since rain hit this area, but you could still feel how soft the ground was underneath your feet:

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All in all, it was an excellent trip to kick-off the 2020 exploring season.
 
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