Parking
Park at The Post trailhead at the end of the half-mile Post side road off Notom-Bullfrog Road. The same access serves Halls Creek and Lower Muley Twist, and a pit toilet is at the trailhead.
Overview
About Cottonwood Tanks
Why go
- Several large pools make a clear payoff for a short walk.
- An old wagon-road corridor gives the route more character than a simple wash stroll.
Heads up
- At a few creek crossings, the continuation can be easy to miss.
- The remote, weather-dependent dirt-road approach needs advance checking.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Capitol Reef map
Full mapElevation4,801–4,864 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Capitol Reef alerts
- CautionFlash-flood hazard in canyons and washesHeavy rains can cause sudden flooding in Capitol Reef’s canyons and washes; do not hike or drive through floodwater.Official details
- CautionE. coli advisory for Fremont River and Sulphur CreekDo not swim in the Fremont River or Sulphur Creek or get water in your mouth: NPS reports elevated E. coli in both waterways, and Utah DEQ has issued a warning advisory. - DEQ reports Sulphur Creek E.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Capitol Reef Tour Guide
Your drive to Cottonwood Tanks, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Capitol Reef National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Capitol Reef audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Headquarters Canyon0:00 / 0:26
“Headquarters Canyon's trailhead is coming up, for a walk through a short slot into a greener canyon with tall, color-streaked walls. Allow two to three hours for the roughly two-point-six-mile round trip.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Capitol Reef Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Surprise Canyon
- A Ranger Station Without Water
- Lower Muley Twist Canyon
- Strike Valley Overlook and Upper Muley Twist Access
- 116 audio storiesacross Capitol Reef’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Marmot, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 48 trails, 52 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Cottonwood Tanks
A short walk to a tucked-away water pocketCottonwood Tanks is a roughly 3.
Cottonwood Tanks is a roughly 3.3-mile out-and-back from The Post in Capitol Reef’s remote Waterpocket District. Follow an old wagon-road corridor south through the Halls Creek drainage, then take a signed sandy spur to several pools below pale sandstone. Allow 1–2 hours. It’s a worthwhile leg-stretcher if you’re already driving to this corner of the park; the pools are the payoff.
Stay with the route at the creekFrom The Post, follow the track south through a gate and fence.
From The Post, follow the track south through a gate and fence. The old wagon road is mostly trail-like and easy to follow, but the route crosses Halls Creek more than once. At a couple of crossings, the continuation on the far bank is easy to miss, so check for the tread before walking on. Look for the signed Cottonwood Tanks turnoff and follow it a few minutes to the pools; return the same way.
What’s at the endSeveral large pools sit in a pocket of reeds and shrubs beneath pale sandstone, though their…
Several large pools sit in a pocket of reeds and shrubs beneath pale sandstone, though their water is intermittent; don’t count on the tanks as a water supply. Faint old graffiti is visible on a low cliff band north of the pools; its age and author aren’t known. A photo that keeps a pool in the foreground with the rock band behind it shows the setting better than a close shot of water alone.
Heat, water and accessThe short mileage still puts you in a remote, hot drainage.
The short mileage still puts you in a remote, hot drainage. Summer heat is intense, and flash flooding is a risk in Halls Creek when storms threaten; don’t enter the drainage in storm conditions. Bring all the drinking water you need instead of relying on the pools. Pets aren’t permitted on this backcountry trail. The road to The Post is dirt and weather-dependent, so check conditions before driving.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Capitol Reef
50 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
322 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
70 sightingsMarmotMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
13 sightingsCottontail RabbitMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
33 sightingsTurkeyMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
14 sightingsRavenMost seen around 9 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Capitol Reef. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
