1154 October 5, 2024 Loop the Fold

I had a very short walk in the campground this morning.  We were packing for our overnight and we needed to move the RV to a dry camping site before we could leave.

Today we began Loop the Fold.  This route is 125 miles; some on paved roads and some on dirt and gravel.  We left the campground with the Jeep loaded and turned onto Notom-Bullfrog Road.  The initial portion, took us through some scattered ranches and houses and alfalfa fields.  The Waterpocket Fold was to our west.  The Henry Mountains were to the east.

After about 16 miles, we reached a dirt road.

We stopped at the face of the Fold and had our breakfast.

Great tilted rocks jutted out of the ground, evidence of the violent rending and tearing that happened here when this great wrinkle was formed. 

We drove to the Surprise Canyon trailhead and hiked into the deep and narrow canyon; into the center of the Fold.  Little lizards darted across the path as we walked.  Most of the trail was sandy but there were places where we had to scramble up and over boulders.  A raven flew over us, his call echoing hauntingly off the canyon walls.  We met an older couple that was descending.  We chatted for a few minutes.  They recommended that we stop and see the Strike Valley Overlook.  We came to an unusually large boulder and to continue we needed to climb around it.  We had already hiked more than a mile and so we decided to turn back.  It was a great hike!

We drove up the Burr Trail Switchbacks.

We took the road to Upper Muley Twist Canyon.  We drove 3 miles on a rough 4WD trail.  It was a pretty ride.

We parked at the trailhead for Strike Valley and hiked about 20 minutes up to the top.  The view was incredible.  The Fold stretched in both directions for as far as we could see.

A shady spot in the canyon for lunch.

We drove the roads around the Fold, we hiked into a canyon into the Fold, we drove the switchbacks up and over the Fold, and then we walked to the top for an extensive view.  I would say that we explored the Waterpocket Fold of Capitol Reef National Park in as many different ways as we could!

We took Burr Trail Road out of the park and onto BLM land.  Here it was the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  It was after 3 in the afternoon.  We began to look for a place to camp for the night.  We pulled off onto a red dirt road and found a place with a view.  It was nice to relax with a glass of wine.  We enjoyed the peace and solitude as we watched the cliffs in the distance.