Capitol Reef National Park guide · 2 min read
Driving the Cathedral Valley Loop
The Cathedral Valley Loop takes you into the far northern part of Capitol Reef National Park, a remote district reached only by gravel roads.
The loop covers roughly 58 miles. Most people set aside a full day, since the driving alone takes several hours.
No paved roads cross the loop, so you need a high-clearance vehicle, and a four-wheel drive is strongly recommended. Most drivers go clockwise, starting on Hartnet Road, which branches off Highway 24 about 11.7 miles east of the visitor center. After 27.8 miles you reach Hartnet Junction, where you turn north onto Cathedral Road and drive roughly 29.9 miles back to Highway 24.
Hartnet Road begins with a ford across the Fremont River, since no bridge spans it. The ford's floor is firm but rocky, and the water typically stays a foot deep or shallower. Skip the crossing when the river is flooding or running high, and check conditions with the visitor center first. Part of the approach runs across private property, so respect posted no trespassing signs and do not park or camp near the crossing.
Cathedral Road reaches the Temples of the Sun and Moon about 17.1 miles along, in Lower Cathedral Valley, where huge monoliths stand up out of the desert floor. Farther north, Upper Cathedral Valley has columns of tall, pointed rock. Photographs of the district also show Glass Mountain and the Lower South Desert Overlook, so both are worth looking up before you set out.
Cathedral Valley Campground sits halfway around the loop, about 36 miles from the visitor center, at about 7,000 feet in pinyon and juniper foothills. Six primitive sites, each with a table and a fire grate, share a pit toilet and have no water. Sites are not reserved, so they go to whoever arrives first. Overnight camping happens only in designated campgrounds, or by backpackers with a permit.
