Capitol Reef – Capitol Gorge Trail to Tanks

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It’s a beautiful scenic drive out and there are restrooms & a covered picnic area at the trailhead. The trail is mostly flat ground (all except for the end if you are heading to the tanks). There are only about two visible petroglyph images, but with the pioneer names way up on the cliffs and the tanks this trail is pretty great. This gorge used to be an actual road to get through the park before highway 24 was built. We were told by a park ranger that there is still a vehicle parked on the road about 1.5 miles past the tanks (it got stuck in the mud and never made it out). We were also told by a friend that the poles hanging out over the trail were added to hang lanterns back in the day.

Distance (RT):    2.57 miles RT
Time:                 1 hour
Start:                  Golden Throne Trailhead
Difficulty:           Medium
Elevation Gain:  1076 ft
Fee:     Free

Pioneer names

We went in Oct and there were several tanks with water in them. One was clean enough I let my kids swim in (about 4-5 ft deep in deepest part). We saw small toads & bats on the hike.

Small arch near tank
Red-spotted Toad

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