Framedlight

There is one small side road from Scenic Drive and this takes you to the start of the Grand Wash Trail. Anne and I had done a part of this walk, but had started from the other end on Highway-24, so it was nice to see where we would have ended up if we had finished it. The trail starts in an open area which has a little hut, for the use of visitors, perched under some rather nicely colour matched cliffs. Anne and I had a wander around the area. Some of the rock formations were a little bizarre.  Butch Cassidy was rumoured to have hidden out here, but I think most places in Utah have a claim on that. Back on Scenic Drive The Moenkopi Formation sandstone seen here can form these towers

Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef National Park is a one way road that follows the original track forged by  Mormon pioneers in 1884. The road now comes to an end after 10.7 miles but once continued through Capitol Gorge to the eastern side of the  Waterpocket Fold, the road created by Elijah Cutler Benunin in 1896. You can still do this section in a 4x4, but the road was shut in 1962 once Highway-24 became operational. Anne and I drove down from Fruita, stopping frequently to look at the western escarpment of Capitol Reef. We did a little bit of scrambling up the side of the cliff to look at the rocks and get a better view. A cap of white Navajo sandstone The end of the road, you can see the path that once was the old road continuing on