Strike Valley Overlook

Strike Valley Overlook is a low-saddle viewpoint above Strike Valley in Capitol Reef’s remote southern Waterpocket District. From here, the tilted layers of the Waterpocket Fold open across a long valley; this is a particularly clear place to see the landscape’s geology. The view is the payoff, but the rough road is the real commitment.

From the road end, the hike is 0.4 mile each way; the park lists it as a moderate 0.9-mile round trip taking 30 minutes to an hour. It starts sandy, then climbs slickrock in two moderate pitches to a low saddle marked by a large cairn. Keep track of the cairns for the return. For a photo, face south and use the juniper and pale slickrock at the edge to frame the valley.

Nearly a dozen sedimentary layers are visible from the overlook. Look for pale Navajo Sandstone, the Carmel, Entrada, Curtis and Summerville formations, the Morrison and Dakota units along the central ridge, gray Mancos Shale, and Mesaverde rimrock at Tarantula Mesa. These rocks preserve changing settings from desert dunes to tidal flats, floodplains, swamps and shallow seas.

In geology, “strike” is the direction a rock layer runs; the valley follows that direction. The panorama also exposes the Waterpocket Monocline, a broad upwarp that bends the region’s rock layers into the long Fold visitors see from the saddle.

Spring and fall are the park’s recommended seasons for this route, though the district is open year-round and road conditions vary. No food, drinking water or restroom is listed at the overlook, so bring what you need, along with fuel and emergency supplies; cell coverage can be poor or absent. Pets are not allowed on the hike or in off-trail backcountry, and overnight camping is not permitted on this route.