3 Best Sights in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

The rock formation that gave the park its name, this giant sandstone dome is visible in the vicinity of the Hickman Bridge trailhead on Highway 24, 2 miles east of the visitor center.

Even in a landscape of spires, cliffs, and knobs, this deep-red landform, 3 miles west of the visitor center, is unmistakable.

This giant wrinkle, technically called a monocline, in the earth's crust extends almost 100 miles between Thousand Lake Mountain and Lake Powell. You can glimpse the fold by driving south on Scenic Drive after it branches off Highway 24, past the Fruita Historic District. For a more complete immersion, enter the park via the Burr Trail, heading east from Boulder. Roads through the park's South District are unpaved and sometimes very rough—they can be impassable after rain, so check with the visitor center for current road conditions.