Sulphur Creek Lime Kiln

Sulphur Creek Lime Kiln is a small stone kiln beside the lower Sulphur Creek route near Capitol Reef's visitor center. Early Fruita residents built and used it around 1900. I'd make it a history detour while walking the creek, not a stand-alone roadside stop: seeing the ruin is quick, but reaching it means leaving the creek corridor on an informal track.

For the short lower section, use the gravel parking area by the State Route 24 bridge just west of the visitor center; hikers are asked not to park in the visitor-center lot. The creek route is not maintained and often requires walking through shallow water, with deeper water possible. Ask at the visitor center about conditions and skip the route if rain is possible; flash floods can change it quickly. The kiln is fragile, so stay off and out of it. Pets aren't allowed on the creek trail or in off-trail backcountry. Don't drink from the creek: E. coli is occasionally detected there.

Fruita residents heated limestone in the kiln to about 1,400°F for two to three days, then cooled it and added water to make quicklime. That lime could go into mortar, improve agricultural soil, or be brushed onto young fruit trees to help protect their trunks. The kiln was rehabilitated in 2015, with historic photographs guiding the placement of individual stones, and is part of the Fruita Rural Historic District.