Photo Tips USA – Cathedral Valley

• Altitude 2000 m (6,561 ft)

How, Where, What

Temple of the Moon, Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Stars, well-chosen names for the massive inhabitants of Cathedral Valley, all massive rock monoliths. But when you face them in their lonely surroundings, the concepts of heaven suddenly open up anew: an eternal wind blows through the valley, the light is of a quality that makes every detail stand out razor-sharp, and the thought that only gods can live in such surroundings suddenly suggests itself!

Cathedral Valley runs as a 200 m (650 ft) deep depression between the Waterpocket Fold, the Blue Hills, and the San Rafael Reef from northwest to southeast. An impressively desolate wilderness area, it extends beyond the boundaries of Capitol Reef NP. Rising above the varied plains are witness mountains of Entrada sandstone up to 180 meters (590 ft) high, the „cathedrals“ or „temples“. The Bentonite Hills, speckled with many colored inclusions (iron, manganese, and copper), are another highlight.

Directions

There are several routes to Cathedral Valley, all of which require at least a high clearance vehicle, but preferably 4WD. Do not attempt this with a normal passenger car; this has gone badly for many visitors, who have then had to pay hundreds of dollars in towing costs! Several motels and campgrounds in Torrey rent suitable vehicles. In any case, ensure you fully fill the tank, inspect the spare tire, and ensure you understand the process of changing it. Contact the rangers for weather and road conditions, and don’t go if rain or thunderstorms are expected, as some parts of the route may be impassable even with 4WD. While my map shown here is not bad, it is even better to get an accurate topographic map of the area at the visitor center in Fruita. Remember that on this trip, you are going into a remote area that is visited by very few people. – If you break down, it may take days for the next vehicle to come by. Thus, you should inform the car rental company or rangers (if you are driving your own car) of your plans and return time.

The most scenic route is a 96-kilometer (60-mile) loop in and through the valley. This is the combination of Hartnet Road, which runs north from the Fremont River Ford on Rt-24 across the eponymous plateau overlooking the South Desert to the southwest to Hartnet Junction in the upper Cathedral Valley, and Caineville Wash Road, which connects there and traverses the lower Cathedral Valley in a wide arc before rejoining Rt-24 in Caineville. I also refer to the two roads together as the Cathedral Valley Loop Road. Start and end points, respectively, are the Fremont River ford, 32 km (20 mi) east of Torrey and 19 km (12 mi) east of the visitor center in Fruita on Rt-24, and Caineville, also on Rt-24. If the route is bone dry in the summer (and only then!) you can even dare to wait out the dramatic light of sunset on Cathedral Rocks and make the return trip as darkness falls. Conversely, under these conditions, you can also start before sunrise so that you reach the valley with it. There are two reasons to start the round trip at the Fremont River ford: first, you make the best use of daylight this way, and second, you avoid having to take the same route back if the gate at the ford is blocked or the Fremont River water level is too high to pass. Usually, the passage is only 75 cm (30 in) deep. Camping is available at Elkhorn Campground on Thousand Lakes Mountain Road and at Cathedral Valley Campground near Hartnet Junction.

Motifs along the Cathedral Valley Loop Road

The first part of Hartnet Road, from the Fremont River Ford, follows a normally dry riverbed. After a good 8 km (5 mi), you reach the first highlight on the other side of the Fremont River, the Bentonite Hills, which consist of deposited soft sediment. The morning light nicely accents their gentle, rounded shapes. The wide spectrum of their colors, from red, orange to blue and purple, is due to the many enclosed metal oxides. For several miles, the trail follows these formations in a dry riverbed before arriving at the turnoff to the Lower South Desert Overlook at mile 14. Looking west, the view from here is across the 60-meter (200 ft) lower South Desert to the Fishlake Mountains and the northern foothills of the Waterpocket Fold. The dominant formation is Jailhouse Rock, with about 170 m (558 ft) one of the highest monoliths in the area.

The Lower Cathedral Valley Overlook at mile 17 is reached after a short, 1.3 km (0.8 mi) walk through open country. Like an aerial photograph, you look east from the overlook to the buttes of the Temple of the Sun and Moon in lower Cathedral Valley.

At mile 27, the Upper South Desert Overlook is 400 m (1,312 ft) above the South Desert Basin. Look for something to be placed in the foreground to emphasize the depth of this panoramic view of the basin. On its ground, there are hundreds of small black volcanic cones. The sun, low in the west, makes them stand out sharply. On a clear day, the clean air also makes you feel as if the Henry Mountains, 170 km (105 mi) away, are looming close enough to touch at the southern end of the basin.

Just 1 mi further on, you reach the Upper Cathedral Valley Overlook, with views to the northwest of the three massive rock monoliths in this upper part of the valley. The afternoon light sets them off well.

Then, at mile 27.5, you reach Hartnet Junction, at which Thousand Lakes Mountain Road branches off west to the asphalt of Rt-72. If you arrive here at lunchtime, you’ll have plenty of time for the 20 km (13 mi) excursion via Forest Roads 22 and 211 to Windy Ridge, from where the large formations of the Upper Valley present themselves from a different perspective. On the way back, turn left at the intersection and follow Caineville Wash Road down some switchbacks into the lower Cathedral Valley.

At mile 30, the Upper Cathedral Valley Viewpoint offers an additional opportunity to photograph the large monoliths located to the west. To do this, follow the 1,6 km (1 mi) footpath out onto the plateau from the „Viewpoint“ sign, where you will have a very good view of the group of large monoliths in the valley. In the late afternoon, the light is quite good for this.

At Cathedral Valley Junction at mile 33, Forest Road No 4 connects north to I-70. A detour from here leads 7 mi to Solomon’s Temple, a beautiful 160 m (525 ft) high bolide, and a natural rock bridge. Both are to the east and appropriately posted for afternoon light. A stone’s throw beyond the junction, a narrow dust road branches off to Gypsum Sinkhole, a sunken artesian well of impressive proportions: Nearly 20 m (65 ft) wide and about 70 m (230 ft) deep, it is, however, almost too immense for a photo.

At mile 42, you finally arrive at the lower part of Cathedral Valley, where a turnoff leads to the rock monoliths known as the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon, which are already visible from above. Glass Mountain near the Temple of the Sun is a little smaller than the other three 130 m (425 ft) high giants and consists of a good part of gypsum. You can shoot the „temples“ individually from a wide angle, or you can combine them from around Glass Mountain using a light telephoto.

The remaining 20 mi to the junction with Rt-24 lead through varied, colorful, rocky landscape. At mile 47, Queen of the Wash offers another striking example of the symmetrically colored Bentonite Hills. From higher parts of the trail, you can see Factory Butte and Black Mountain to the north, effectively staged by the lower sun.

If the light and time of day are still good, it’s worth taking a short detour to the town of Caineville. Rt-24 passes the North Caineville Mesa, where the afternoon sun creates dramatic shadow plays. Light and clouds sometimes make the formations appear strangely unreal. On the return trip to Torrey, you drive right up to the Waterpocket Fold, glowing in the evening sun, and you can get a good shot of the fault line.

Main Photo Tips USA – Utah

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