Capitol Reef National Park, UT
A sandy wash gives way to scrambling and a 35-foot pour-off.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Capitol Reef Tour Guide
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
Cottonwood Wash“You're coming up on the Cottonwood Wash trailhead, where a long sandy approach leads into sculpted sandstone narrows.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Capitol Reef Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
Cottonwood Wash is a rugged, bottom-up route into a narrow sandstone canyon. Follow the wash west from the signed crossing of Notom–Bullfrog Road to an impassable 35-foot pour-off, then return the same way. The official route figure is 3.3 miles one way, or 6.6 miles round trip; the map here follows the canyon once. It climbs about 545 feet. Set aside around five hours, plus daylight to spare: estimates vary, and the boulder scramble or water can slow the walk. This is for experienced canyon-country hikers, not a casual wash stroll.
The first miles run through an open, sandy wash between low hills, across public land before the canyon enters the national park. About a mile from the road, a side canyon joins from the right (north). Stay left in the main drainage. A few hundred yards later, large boulders choke the wash for roughly a quarter mile. Expect hands-on scrambling; the bypass crosses the left (south) side and rejoins the wash. About a third of a mile later, the narrows begin. At the next drainage from the left (south), stay right.
The route is largely unmarked and not maintained. Carry a topographic map and know how to navigate the wash; cairns may be absent or misleading. The wash itself is the route, including its local boulder bypasses.
Soon after the second drainage, the canyon tightens into a thin slot. A deep pool is often present here and continuing can require deep wading or a short swim. Many hikers turn around at this pool; it makes a much shorter visit, but it is not the full route. Beyond it, about another mile alternates between tight narrows and more open pockets, with chockstones and additional pools. The canyon ends at the 35-foot pour-off. It is impassable on this hike, so turn around there and retrace the wash.
Spring and fall are the best seasons. Summer heat can be extreme, and natural water sources are unreliable, so carry all the water you need. Flash floods are dangerous in a slot canyon: do not enter if rain is possible. The unpaved approach road can become impassable after mud or flood damage, so check its current condition before driving. Pets are not allowed on the route.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ModerateFive Mile Wash Trail4 mi · 3 hr · 0.9 mi awayA rough wash walk that tightens into pale sandstone narrows.
ChallengingBurro Wash6.8 mi · 5 hr · 1.1 mi awayA long sandy approach leads to shoulder-width sandstone narrows.
ChallengingSheets Gulch13.4 mi · 7 hr · 3.6 mi awayA long sandstone slot with chockstones and a cottonwood turnaround.
ChallengingAmerican Discovery Trail — Capitol Reef Section18.4 mi · 12 hr · 4.5 mi awayRemote canyon climb, narrows, and more than two dozen creek crossings.
ModerateLower Pleasant Creek6.8 mi · 4.5 hr · 5.1 mi awayA sandstone canyon walk that keeps sending you across the creek.
ModerateUpper Pleasant Creek Route7.6 mi · 5 hr · 5.1 mi awayWalk a narrowing creek canyon to cascades in pale sandstone.
EasyCapitol Gorge Trail2 mi · 1.5 hr · 5.3 mi awayFollow a sandy gorge to historic names and stone waterpockets.
ChallengingGolden Throne Trail4 mi · 2.5 hr · 5.3 mi awayA strenuous climb to a knoll below Capitol Reef’s Golden Throne.
Sight · 5 mi awayThe TanksSmall rain-fed pools turn pale sandstone into living habitat.
Sight · 5.1 mi awayPioneer RegisterTwo prospectors left their names here on September 20, 1871.
Picnic area · 5.3 mi awayCapitol Gorge Picnic AreaA covered picnic stop at the start of a storied gorge walk.
Sight · 6.3 mi awayGolden Throne ViewpointA four-mile hike to the sandstone dome above Capitol Gorge.
Picnic area · 6.4 mi awayScenic Drive Picnic AreaA sheltered lunch stop at the end of the paved Scenic Drive.
Sight · 8.2 mi awaySlickrock DivideA quick stop where ripple slabs sit on a drainage divide.
Scenic pullout · 8.5 mi awayCapitol Reef East Entrance WaysideA quick map stop before the 15-mile Highway 24 crossing.
Sight · 9.2 mi awayBehunin CabinA tiny cabin tells a surprisingly big pioneer story.Parkwolf’s Capitol Reef ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
