Capitol Reef National Park - Frequently Asked Questions (U.S. National Park Service)

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This landform in the Navajo Sandstone can be seen while traveling east through the park on Utah State Highway 24

1.Why the name “Capitol Reef”?

Early settlers noted that the white domes of Navajo Sandstone resemble the dome of the Capitol building in Washington, DC. Prospectors visiting the area (many with nautical backgrounds) referred to the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long ridge in the earth’s crust, as a reef, since it was a formidable barrier to transportation.

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Northern fruit crops, such as apples and pears, as well as southern fruits, like peaches and apricots, are grown in Fruita.

2. Are the orchards private property?

The historic Fruita Orchards are owned and managed by the National Park Service. They are the largest historic orchards within the national park system, with approximately 2,600 fruit and nut trees.

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Dark red and alternating greenish-gray banding characterize the Chinle Formation, documenting changes in the ancient depositional environment from dry to wet and back.

3. What makes the rocks red and green?

Iron caused both these colors in Capitol Reef’s rock layers. Oxidized iron results in red coloring and indicates a dry paleo-environment and reduced iron, produced in swampy or boggy conditions, gives the rock a green tint. Both oxidized and reduced iron produce different chemical reactions that result in the different colors.

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Sediments forming the Mancos Shale were laid down in a marine environment. During that time, an inland sea divided the continent in half.

4. Why is the Mancos Shale rock layer barren?

The Mancos Shale, visible on the east side of Capitol Reef, was laid down in a marine environment and is rich in the naturally-occurring element Selenium. Due to its toxicity, very few plants are able to survive in its soil.

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The Behunins soon found that this home was located too close to the Fremont River, and moved to a safer location.

5. How did the entire Behunin family live in that one-room cabin?

Elijah Cutler Behunin, his wife Tabitha, and 11 of their 13 children lived in the Fremont River Canyon in the 1890s. The whole family didn’t sleep inside the house. The older children slept outside; the girls slept in a wagon box in the yard and the boys slept up in a rock alcove.

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Many desert insect larva and amphibians move quickly through their aquatic stages before the waterpockets become dry.

6. What are potholes, tanks and waterpockets?

All these names describe natural catch basins formed by the dissolving of calcium carbonate and the erosion of sandstone by water and wind. Waterpockets collect rain and snowmelt, providing water for desert wildlife and habitat for aquatic lifeforms.

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Moisture in the desert can provide relief as well as beauty.

7. What defines a desert?

A desert receives less than ten inches of rainfall per year. Capitol Reef averages about seven inches per year (combined rain and snow); however, the park is classified as step-shrub plant and animal community.

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Igneous boulders dotting the landscape are incongruous in this expanse of sedimentary rock.

8. What are the black boulders and where did they come from?

The rocks are volcanic in origin and came from lava flows that surfaced and capped Boulder and Thousand Lake Mountains approximately 20 million years ago. During the last Ice Age, glaciers capped the mountains and then began to melt. Glacial outwash and mudflows moved the lava pieces into this area. They became rounded from rolling and tumbling during this erosional process.

Fremont Cottonwood Trees near the picnic area

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Normally short-lived, these Freemont Cottonwood trees have exceeded their expected lifespan.

9. What are those big trees in the picnic area?

These two Fremont Cottonwoods were cored in 1970 by researcher Tom Harlan. The tree closest to the road is called the mail tree because the community’s mail boxes were located nearby. Harlan estimates that it was planted in 1905; the other tree in 1886.

Midget Faded Rattlesnake devouring a kangaroo rat

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Despite its size, the diminutive Midget Faded Rattlesnake’s venom contains neurotoxins as potent as any larger rattlesnake’s.

10. Are there poisonous snakes in the park?

The Midget Faded Rattlesnake, seldom reaching 24 inches long, is the park’s resident venomous snake. It blends in with the pink sandstone and feeds primarily on small rodents.