Hike Lower Cathedral Valley Overlook

Wayne County, Utah

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Details

Distance

2 miles

Elevation Gain

150 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Holly Mandarich

Overlook the most sought after monoliths in the park!

Now most of the pictures you see from Capitol Reef are from cathedral valley. But not many take the time to get above the most photographed area of the park. Off of Hartnet Road, at mile 17.6 you will find a small dirt parking lot for the trailhead (were talking middle of nowhere, so no pit toilet, no fancy sign).

The trail starts in the far left corner of the parking lot, and is not super well marked, basically you are aiming to cross the wide open desert in front of you to summit the mountain ridge that peers about 1.5 miles away. The climb isn’t too steep maybe 200ft tops, but once you get on the ridge line you can peer to the other side of the valley, that is clearly much lower than the side you parked on. The views and payoff are rewarding!

To access this hike you will need a 4x4 high clearance vehicle.

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