
Fremont
River Valley, as seen from the Cohab Canyon Trail
Distance:
7.0 miles (plus 3.6 miles by bicycle)
Walking
time: 4 1/2 hours
Elevations:
1,040 ft. gain, 1,060 ft. loss
Cohab Canyon
Trailhead (start): 5,420 ft.
highest point:
6,460 ft.
Grand Wash
Trailhead: 5,400 ft.
Trail:
Popular, well maintained trail
Season:
Spring, summer, fall, winter. There is snow on
some parts of the trail during the winter months.
During the summer months the trail is very hot,
with temperatures often exceeding 100 degrees
F. There is no water along the way so be sure
to carry plenty. For current conditions call the
Visitor Center, Capital Reef National Park, at
(801) 425-3791.
Vicinity:
Capitol Reef National Park, near Fruita
Sixty-five
million years ago, while forces inside the earth
were pushing up the Colorado Plateau, a 100-mile-long
wrinkle in the earth's mantle was formed in southern
Utah. Thousands of feet of subterranean sedimentary
rock was forced upward as the fold developed,
twisting and buckling to form a convoluted range
of mountains we now call the Waterpocket Fold.
Today, after a great deal of erosion, the mountains
rise less than two thousand feet above the desert
floor, but what remains is a fairyland of geologic
sculpture. The ancient mountains, most of which
are now part of Capitol Reef National Park, have
been carved into a tangle of hidden canyons, monolithic
spires, and towering cliffs. The hike described
here starts in the Fremont River Valley, near
the pioneer settlement of Fruita, and crosses
a portion of the Capitol Reef to Grand Wash. It
offers a good representation of the unique landscape
of the Waterpocket Fold.
From
Cohab Canyon Trailhead the path begins by switchbacking
up the clay bentonite mounds of the Chinle formation.
Finally, after about 0.3 mile, it arrives at the
base of the reddish cliffs that can be seen above
the road. These sandstone cliffs are part of the
370-foot-thick geological formation known as the
Wingate Sandstone. The trail then skirts around
the west side of the cliffs and soon drops into
a shallow, hidden drainage called Cohab Canyon.
Cohab Canyon and its trail continue all the way
to the Fremont River, on the east side of the
Capital Reef, but you wont be following
it that far on this hike.
About 0.6 mile after
entering Cohab Canyon you will come to a trail
junction with a sign indicating the way to two
overlook points. You should turn left here before
continuing down the canyon and make a side trip
to one of them. After 0.2 mile the overlook trail
splits again, and you are given a choice between
the north and the south overlooks. If you are
interested in taking photographs, take the south
overlook trail (0.3 mile). It leads to a high
vantage point above the Fruita area. But if you
like adventure bear right to the north overlook
(0.1 mile). This trail leads to a small overhang
at the top of the cliffs above the Fremont River
with a shear 400 foot drop below.
When you are finished
with the overlooks, backtrack to the Cohab Canyon
Trail and continue onward for a short distance
toward Highway 24. After just a hundred yards
you will come to another trail leaving Cohab Canyon
to the south. This is the Frying Pan Trail, the
one that will lead you to Grand Wash. The Frying
Pan Trail winds over a tortuous route along the
top of the Fold, twisting through piles of sandstone
and working its way around gullies and drainages.
In some places only rock cairns will tell you
that you are still on the path, and you will probably
wonder how you would ever be able to find your
way through the obstacle course if you lost the
trail.
Finally, after a
long tiring climb, you will reach the highest
point on the Frying Pan Trail and start down again
toward Grand Wash. Then, 1.5 miles later, you
will see a sign marking the short spur trail across
the slickrock to Cassidy Arch. Cassidy Arch is
a large and impressive arch only a ten minute
walk from the main trail. It was named after the
outlaw, Butch Cassidy, who is thought to have
used Grand Wash occasionally as a hideout. The
path ends on the plateau above the arch, and if
you have a hiking partner and a camera it is easy
to get a picture of someone standing on top of
it. Getting to the bottom of the span, however,
requires some rock climbing.
From Cassidy Arch
junction the Frying Pan Trail continues for another
1.1 miles before reaching the bottom of Grand
Wash. Once you get to the bottom of the wash turn
right and walk for another 0.2 mile to the end
of the Grand Wash Road, where your shuttle car
is parked. If you look to the right as you drive
back towards the Visitor Center you can see Cassidy
Arch again from the bottom of Grand Wash. It should
come into view about 0.5 mile from the end of
the road.
Content
provided by David
Day of utahtrails.com. Click here to order
his book Utah's
Favorite Hiking Trails.