The Waterpocket Fold from the Strike Valley Overlook - Capitol Reef National Park

WernerG

Looking North


Looking South

Wicked_Dark

majestic. I loved Capitol Reef when I was there a few years ago.

black mamba

Beautiful shots, Werner. Do you have any idea what the elevation change is from the lowest point in the valley bed to the top of the surrounding plateaus?

Tom

WernerG

Thank you both for your comments. Tom, the Overlook is about 5800' and the road through the valley (visible in the first shot) is at about 4900'. Getting to the Overlook involves a rough 4WD road through Muley Twist Canyon which breaks off the paved Burr Trail (road) that comes in from Boulder, UT and eventually works its way down into the Strike Valley through a series of switchbacks. The Burr Trail goes to graded gravel when it enters the park just before the switchbacks.

TreyHoff

Incredible shots. I remember coming down that switchback road on my motorcycle

WernerG

Thank you Trey, I'm sure those gravelly switchbacks will get the adrenalin pumping on a motorcycle. If you had turned off onto Muley Twist before the switchbacks you would have needed an on-off road machine to get to the head of the short trail to the Overlook. There are a few narrow views of the Waterpocket fold from the top of the switchbacks but nothing as expansive as the views from the Overlook

zoomer

Very dramatic shots, that is some serious geology. Thanks for sharing.

WernerG

Thanks zoomer.

CameronMiller

beautiful!

WernerG

Thank you, Cameron.

squirl033

excellent shots, and amazing views! looks like someone - a very LARGE someone - dragged a really big boulder down the valley. never been there, but i guess now i'll have to go see it!

WernerG

Thank you Rocky. The structure of the fold is visible all the way down to Lake Powell (beyond the view in "Looking South" ) and up into Cathedral Valley (beyond the view in "Looking North"), a distance of about 100 miles.