Discover the Cathedral Valley Loop - Capitol Reef’s Most Scenic Drive (With Map)
Read about the Cathedral Valley Loop, the most scenic and remote road in Capitol Reef National Park, so you’re prepared for the drive before you get behind the wheel.
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📍- Cathedral Valley Road, Utah
The wild and rugged road of Capitol Reef National Park’s Cathedral Valley is more than an opportunity for adventure. It represents a moment in time when you can walk away from civilization, stand in the center of untamed desert terrain of unimaginable beauty, and hear nothing but the sound of the wind as it tears along the sharp edges of the towering sandstone monuments that encompass you.
In today’s day and age, it can seem like there are no places of natural beauty that remain a secret. Wait times to enter National Parks can keep guests outside the gate for hours, and an area’s most popular hiking trail can feel more like waiting in line at an amusement park than a chance to immerse yourself in nature. Cathedral Valley, though, remains unspoiled. Not so much of a secret, this lesser-traveled section of Capitol Reef National Park is just remote enough to make exploring it feel as though you have a slice of feral desert terrain all to yourself.
Exploring Cathedral Valley means stepping off the well-worn path and driving on a road less traveled. Across 70 miles, you’ll pass impressive sandstone monoliths, expansive overlooks, glistening crystal mountains, and ominous sinkholes that threaten to swallow you up along the way. Through it all, you’ll have a chance to see a corner of Capitol Reef National Park that many have overlooked before you. So, if I’ve said enough to pique your interest, continue reading to learn everything you need to know about driving the scenic Cathedral Valley Loop in Capitol Reef National Park.
Tips for driving Capitol Reef's Cathedral Valley Loop
The entire Cathedral Valley loop is 57.6 miles from start to finish. If you choose to take all of the detours along the way in order to see every sight (something we wholeheartedly recommend) then the total driving distance increases to 72 miles.
The National Park service's official recommendation is that it takes 6-8 hours to drive the entire Cathedral Valley Loop. From personal experience, and from chatting with other explorers who have done the drive, I feel that 4 hours is a more appropriate estimation. This still leaves room to enjoy the drive and to stop and admire every site along the way. Of course, this will be dependent on how fast you drive and how much time you spend at each location.
While a 4x4 is not mandatory for this drive, it is highly recommended and will make your drive much less stressful. The entire Cathedral Valley loop is unpaved and dusty with some spots requiring you to drive through thick sand and small obstacles on the road. We did this drive in our 4x4 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk with a moderate amount of clearance and didn’t have any trouble. Our biggest concern throughout the journey was the occasional cluster of sharp rocks that looked like they could easily puncture a tire that isn’t designed to be all-terrain.
Our little Jeep living the life it was designed to live. Near the end of our drive, here it is in front of Temple of the Sun.
There are no amenities along the loop, and as you may expect from the desert terrain, it can get pretty toasty in the Cathedral Valley. Bring more water than you think you need. In the rare instance where you run into a problem with your vehicle, you will be glad that you have it. Bring plenty of food to keep you and all of your passengers satisfied for the long journey ahead. Also, be sure to bring along some sun protection for all of the moments you spend outside your car admiring the beauty of your surroundings.
Dogs are allowed to roam within 50 feet of any roadway open to public vehicle travel in Capitol Reef National Park. This means that you can absolutely bring man’s best friend along for the drive as long as you keep them on a 6-foot leash, and within this preset boundary, when outside of your vehicle.
Of course, we brought along the pup. Charlie comes on any adventure he possibly can.
The Cathedral Valley Loop is open all year long with occasional road closures occurring due to heavy rain and snow. Due to the remote nature of the road, they are rarely treated and it is advisable that you check the road conditions of the loop before you get on your way.
To get the most up-to-date road conditions throughout Capitol Reef National Park, you can ask a park ranger at the visitor center or dial 435-425-3791. Press #1 to be redirected to park information and then #4 to hear about the current road conditions. #3 will redirect you to the weather forecast.
It is recommended for most travelers to complete the Cathedral Valley loop in a clockwise direction which starts at the Fremont River crossing off Hartnet Road. This allows you to ford the river at the very beginning of the drive so that you know immediately if you and your vehicle can handle it or not. Hartnet road is conveniently located off Highway 24 near mile marker 91.
This route on Google Maps will guide you through the Cathedral Valley Loop in a clockwise direction. However, if you are concerned with the river crossing, or perhaps the river crossing is closed as was the case when we did this drive, you can choose to drive counter-clockwise, retracing your steps once you’re satisfied with your experience. Alternatively, you have the option to follow this alternative route which leads you to Cathedral Valley Road via Polk Creek Road in Fishlake National Forest. Depending on where you are starting your drive, this may save you time as it prevents backtracking. Since we did this drive in early October, the golden fall leaves of the Aspen trees were in peak season and well worth the detour.
Even if the Fremont River is open during your trip, I recommend you take this alternative route anyway if the Aspen leaves are in season like this!
You can expect little to no cell service along the entire Cathedral Valley Loop. Be sure to download this area as an offline map in Google Maps before you head out on your adventure to ensure that you don’t have any trouble navigating throughout your trip.
What to see on the Cathedral Valley Loop
If you are able to complete this loop in a clockwise direction, you’ll start your adventure off with quite the rush as you ford the Fremont River. You’ll have to enter the river and hug the right-hand bank for 100 feet before taking a sharp left once you see the road on the other side.
As you can imagine, the current on this river is heavily impacted by recent precipitation and it can often be impassable. Be sure to check the current road conditions before you go.
Before you come upon your first glimpse of the Cathedral Valley, you’ll pass the Bentonite Hills. These colorful mounds are made up of volcanic ash and clay which layer to present flashy stripes of orange, amber, and cream.
Starting near mile 15, you will begin to come up on the four cathedral valley and desert overlooks that you’ll pass on this drive. The first, Lower South Desert Overlook, requires a 0.5-mile roundtrip hike to reach. It’s mostly flat and gives you a great view of your first cathedral: Jailhouse Rock. At 19 miles, you can choose to walk to the Lower Cathedral Valley Overlook, a 1.8-mile roundtrip hike that gives you a bird’s eye view of The Temple of The Sun and the Moon.
The Upper South Desert Overlook is found at mile 28, requiring a 0.5-mile roundtrip hike which presents you with a panoramic view of the South Desert and Water Pocket Fold. Lastly, Upper Cathedral Valley Overlook is located just off the road at mile 29 and will reward your efforts thus far with a stunning view of Cathedral Valley and the massive sandstone monoliths which make this stretch of desert unique.
Upper Cathedral Valley overlook, shown here, was our favorite of the four because it gave us an opportunity to admire the incredible sandstone monoliths.
At mile 30, you will come across signs for Cathedral Valley Campground. There isn’t much to see here, but this stop is significant because it is the only place to use the bathroom on the entire drive! If you’re planning on spending the whole day in the Cathedral Valley, be sure to pull over and seize the opportunity to empty your tank before it’s too late.
If history is your thing, take the short, 0.5-mile roundtrip hike to reach Morrell Cabin at mile 32. This small cabin was built in the 1930s and used for 40 years as ranchers transported their cattle between the range and mountain pasture land.
At mile 33, you will pass the towering Upper Cathedrals and a small parking area where you can feel free to park and walk around for a bit. This stop was one of my favorites throughout the entire drive. The massive collection of sandstone structures seems to jut out of nowhere as they sit scattered across the desert floor. They stand proudly, reminding you how small you truly are as you try to comprehend their size.
While staying near the road, Charlie and I stretched our legs to get a better view of these Upper Cathedrals.
Continuing down Cathedral Valley road will lead you past a long sandstone peninsula, decorated with hoodoo-like structures that give the formation a regal quality. Much of the wall is topped with cream-colored clay rock which makes it hard to believe that the walls are a natural structure and not a man-made work of art.
Follow signs for a short detour around mile 35 to see the Gypsum Sinkhole. You’ll have to complete a very short walk to arrive at the sinkhole and you should be cautious while walking around its boundary because there are no guardrails or precautions to keep you from falling in if you get too close. Like most sinkholes, this ominous hole was created when water underground water dissolved a pocket of gypsum until the ground collapsed in on itself.
If you happen to be afraid of heights, the Gypsum Sinkhole may not be your favorite stop along this drive.
The star attractions of the drive, and the reason why most people are drawn to the Cathedral Valley loop, are the famous monoliths named Temple of the Sun and the Moon. These monoliths are isolated from the other sandstone cathedrals in the valley, standing prominently against their desert surroundings.
To reach the temples, you’ll turn right at mile 46 and follow the signs along a short spur road. The Temple of the Sun is the larger of the two monuments and is the one you will come upon first along this detour. As they are right next to the road, you are free to get out of your car and explore a bit but do try to stay on the pre-established trails to avoid damaging the biological soil crust and the organisms that live there.
This view of these spectacular temples shows the Temple of the Moon in the foreground and the Temple of the Sun in the distance.
Also on this spur road is Glass Mountain, a unique mound of selenite crystals that looks as though it happened to fall to earth from the moon. You can exit your car and admire the selenite, also known as moonstone, as it glistens in the sun. You’ll also have a unique view of the Temple of the Sun and the Moon from this location.
From Glass Mountain, you will continue south on Cathedral Valley Road for another 10 miles until you reach highway 24. Here, you will magically be back in the land of paved roads and cell service which may be a breath of fresh air depending on how well your vehicle and stomach handled the backroads of Cathedral Valley. Feel free to call it quits for the day, but if you have a little bit of extra energy to spend, we suggest driving down to Gifford Homestead in the Fruita District of Capitol Reef National Park to treat yourself to a serving of their famous homemade fruit pies.
We hope you enjoyed reading this guide to the Cathedral Valley Loop Drive in Capitol Reef National Park. If you’ve ever done this drive and think there’s a tip that I missed, be sure to leave a comment so that we can help future travelers together!
Thank you for joining us at Discovery Detour, where the destination is always unknown.
