Parking
Start at the signed Five Mile Wash crossing on Notom–Bullfrog Road, about 11 miles south of UT 24. A separate lot and parking capacity were not documented.
Overview
About Five Mile Wash Trail
Why go
- The broad wash tightens into sculpted sandstone narrows.
- A quieter route than the better-known east-side washes.
Heads up
- Rough, unmarked footing across sand, rock, pools, and dryfalls.
- The lower walk stops where a pool and dryfall block easy travel.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Capitol Reef map
Full mapElevation5,134–5,430 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 Five Mile Wash Trail, 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
Five Mile Wash0:00 / 0:27
“Five Mile Wash is coming up, with a rough hike from the road crossing into pale sandstone narrows. Allow around three hours for the roughly four-mile return walk over sand, fallen rock, and small dryfalls.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Capitol Reef Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cottonwood Wash
- A Porcupine’s Winter Meal
- Burro Wash
- Sheets Gulch
- 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 Five Mile Wash Trail
Walk the lower washFive Mile Wash Trail is a 4-mile out-and-back from the signed crossing on Notom–Bullfrog Road,…
Five Mile Wash Trail is a 4-mile out-and-back from the signed crossing on Notom–Bullfrog Road, about 11 miles south of UT 24. Allow around three hours. This is a rough desert wash walk rather than a built path; the broad sandy start narrows into sculpted sandstone and small dryfalls.
Follow the drainageA disused track runs beside the north bank for roughly half a mile before joining the wash.
A disused track runs beside the north bank for roughly half a mile before joining the wash. From there, walk in the streamway over fallen rock, shallow curved channels, and small dryfalls. A medium dryfall can be bypassed on the left slope, but footing stays uneven.
Turn back at the poolA pool and dryfall block easy progress at the end of the lower walk. Turn back there.
A pool and dryfall block easy progress at the end of the lower walk. Turn back there. Farther upstream is an enclosed slot with deeper pools and rappels, a separate technical canyoneering route; a permit is required for canyoneering. The water depth and exact point where the lower walk becomes impassable can change.
The distance sources differ: one account gives 1.8 miles to the narrows, while a 2026 route guide lists 4 miles round trip. The mapped line follows about 1.8 miles up the wash and back, so treat the four-mile total as approximate.
The sandstone changesThe wash cuts through several rock layers on the east side of the Waterpocket Fold, then…
The wash cuts through several rock layers on the east side of the Waterpocket Fold, then reaches white Navajo sandstone near the narrows. The narrowing walls and sculpted channels are the walk’s main payoff.
Start at the signed crossingBegin at the Five Mile Wash crossing on Notom–Bullfrog Road, about 11 miles south of UT 24.
Begin at the Five Mile Wash crossing on Notom–Bullfrog Road, about 11 miles south of UT 24. The wash is exposed to flash flooding: storms miles away can send water through narrow canyons, so do not enter in wet or stormy weather. Designated parking capacity and facilities at the access were not established.
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.
