Lower Cathedral Valley Overlooks

Lower Cathedral Valley Overlooks are two saddles above the remote Cathedral District, reached by an unmaintained route from Hartnet Road. From the rim, you look down on the Temples of the Sun and Moon instead of up at them from the valley floor. Make the trip if you have time for the rough drive and a backcountry walk; this isn't a quick roadside pullout.

NPS rates the route moderate and estimates 1.5–2.5 miles round trip, taking one to two hours. The faint path crosses brushy ground before a short, steep climb to the north saddle. The eastern saddle is a separate option reached by returning to the cliff base and following a sandy wash; there is no reliable trail between the two. Going to both takes cross-country route-finding.

The Temples are Entrada Sandstone, laid down in Jurassic tidal flats about 160 million years ago. Erosion left them standing as isolated, steeple-shaped monoliths. Capitol Reef's first superintendent, Charles Kelly, named the Temples of the Sun and Moon. Kelly and Frank Beckwith named Cathedral Valley in 1945 because its sculpted formations reminded them of Gothic and Egyptian architecture.

The north saddle gives you a high view over the broad valley. Keep both temples and some of the open ground between them in the frame; that space helps show how far apart the monoliths stand.

The signed Above Temple Viewpoint trailhead is 17.6 miles down Hartnet Road from Highway 24. High clearance is required, and four-wheel drive is often recommended. The south Hartnet approach crosses an unbridged Fremont River ford, and wet bentonite can become impassable, so check current NPS road and river conditions before setting out. Spring and fall are the best seasons for these hikes.

There is no potable water in Cathedral Valley, cell service is usually poor to nonexistent, and help may take hours or days. Bring water, food, and emergency supplies. Pets aren't allowed on the route.