Capitol Reef
Capitol Reef is a national park in the United States, spread over an area of 979 km2. The park attracts with its stunning canyon, spires, and sandstone monoliths.
A huge 160 km long crack in the earth's crust passes through the park, known as the "Waterpocket Fold". It was she who formed the amazing landscapes of rocks at least 80 million years old. The park's name originated from the similarity of the local hills to the dome of the Capitol, and the word reef refers to any rocky barrier that impedes travel. In ancient times, there was a shallow sea in this area, but due to tectonic processes, the area rose, forming a Capitol Reef, as well as Rocky Mountains.
Capitol Reef Park is a desert rugged by mountain ranges, but, nevertheless, Indians lived here near the Fremont River, who grew corn, pumpkin, and lentils. They kept their supplies in stone granaries. In the 13th century, the Indians left the river valley, most likely due to a prolonged drought. Many years later, researchers who came across these granaries decided that they were huts for a race of tiny humans. In 1866, Mormons came to these parts in pursuit of Indians, and soon their first settlement, Fruit, appeared in the Fremont River Valley. Here they planted orchards and engaged in agriculture, but due to the isolation of the area, they left it. Only a couple of buildings and orchards of cherries, apples, pears, nuts, and peaches remained from the Mormons. Fruits can be collected for an additional fee, and the collection schedule can be found in the information center of the park. There are deposits of uranium ore in the rocks of Capitol Reef, but its quantity is insufficient for industrial production. This saved the mountains from destruction in the 1950s, and in 1971 the area was declared a national park.
Capitol Reef is a very popular place among tourists, especially many travelers began to come here after the construction of the highway. The park has a large tent camp where you can spend the night, and you need to get a special permit to spend the night in the park itself.
