TR: Some time at the Reef
It was a busy summer and we didn’t get out as much as we had hoped so we decided to spend some time over in Central Utah at Capitol Reef National Park and explore the area a bit with a little time i...
Forum Discussion
Jeff and Kelli,
One of the nice things about the Colorado Plateau is the vast variation in elevation. The low deserts (4000 ft) will get a bit of snow but will not stay long. The lower forested areas of Pinyon Pine and Juniper(6000 ft) get more cold and snow but is not to bad. The areas above about 8000 to 10,000 ft have real winter and the road from Capitol Reef to Boulder will get snowed shut during a good storm before the plows can get it opened again. You can go from 4000 ft to 1000 in less than 40 miles.
There is very little historic mining in this area (mostly uranium from about 1890's (was sent to France and Madam Currie) to the 1940'-50s Cold War boom. If you have not been to this area, the pallet of colors of the natural rocks is amazing. My photos do not do well to show the reds, purple, yellows and just about every other color you want in on geologic formation or another.
One of the nice things about the Colorado Plateau is the vast variation in elevation. The low deserts (4000 ft) will get a bit of snow but will not stay long. The lower forested areas of Pinyon Pine and Juniper(6000 ft) get more cold and snow but is not to bad. The areas above about 8000 to 10,000 ft have real winter and the road from Capitol Reef to Boulder will get snowed shut during a good storm before the plows can get it opened again. You can go from 4000 ft to 1000 in less than 40 miles.
There is very little historic mining in this area (mostly uranium from about 1890's (was sent to France and Madam Currie) to the 1940'-50s Cold War boom. If you have not been to this area, the pallet of colors of the natural rocks is amazing. My photos do not do well to show the reds, purple, yellows and just about every other color you want in on geologic formation or another.
