Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park: 241,904 acres (97,971 hectares), S Utah. The park features a dome-shaped white rock, said to resemble the U.S. Capitol, and a maze of deep canyons, arches, and monoliths cut through a 100-mi (160-km) uplift, known as the Waterpocket Fold, that geologists consider unique because of its size. Proclaimed a national monument in 1937, it was designated a national park in 1971. See National Parks and Monuments (table).

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Capitol Reef National Park

Park, south-central Utah, U.S. Occupying 378 sq mi (979 sq km), it comprises great buttressed cliffs of coloured Navajo sandstone extending for 100 mi (160 km) along the western edge of the Waterpocket Fold. Established as a national monument in 1937, it became a national park in 1971. It is so named because its rock towers reminded geologists of coral reefs, while its dome-shaped formations suggest capitol architecture. The cliff walls are covered with pre-Columbian petroglyphs.

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Capitol Reef National Park

Parks Directory of the United States / US National Parks / National Parks

Address: HC 70 Box 15
Torrey, UT 84775
Phone: 435-425-3791;
Fax: 435-425-3026;
Web: www.nps.gov/care/
Size: 241,904 acres.
Established: Proclaimed as a national monument on August 2, 1937; established as a national park on December 18, 1971.
Location: In south-central Utah on UT 24.
Facilities: Campgrounds, picnic area, rest rooms (é), visitor center (é), museum/exhibit, self-guided tour/trail. Entrance fee required.
Activities: Camping, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, fishing, rock climbing, auto touring, ranger-guided walks and evening programs.
Special Features: Park preserves the 100-mile-long Waterpocket Fold, an uplift of sandstone cliffs with highly colored sedimentary formations created 65 million years ago. Preserved also is rock art of the Fremont Culture and a historic Mormon settlement.

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See other parks in Utah.