Red Canyon Trail and Route (5.6 mi, Moderate) – Capitol Reef National Park

Overview

About Red Canyon Trail and Route

Why go

The low ridge opens to views of the Henry Mountains and Waterpocket Fold.
A boulder-blocked upper fork gives the route a clear turnaround.

Heads up

The sandy, informal route is unmaintained and can be hard to follow.
Remote access, no water and flash-flood risk require planning.

Map & elevation

The route

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Full map

Elevation5,594–6,060 ft

TrailheadCedar Mesa Campground — far-end Red Canyon access38.00699, -111.08498

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Plan your hike

Before you go

Parking

Start at the small parking area at the far end of Cedar Mesa Campground, about 23 miles south of UT-24 on Notom–Bullfrog Road. Access is usually possible in a 2WD vehicle but can require higher clearance; check road conditions before driving.

Safety

This unmaintained route requires map and navigation skills; do not rely on informal cairns, which may be absent or misleading. Avoid narrow washes when flash flooding is possible, especially July–September. The campground has no water, and pets are prohibited on trails and in backcountry areas.

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

Capitol Reef alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Capitol Reef Tour Guide

Your drive to Red Canyon Trail and Route, 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 tour

Recorded for this trailhead

Cedar Mesa Campground and Red Canyon

0:00 / 0:31

“Cedar Mesa Campground is coming up, a five-site primitive base for exploring Red Canyon. Choose it for a simple overnight stay; sites are first come, with picnic tables, fire grates, and a pit toilet, but no water.”

Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Capitol Reef Tour Guide.

Hiking Red Canyon Trail and Route

Is this the right walk?Red Canyon Trail and Route is a 5.

Red Canyon Trail and Route is a 5.6-mile out-and-back from Cedar Mesa Campground to a boulder-blocked fork in a remote sandstone canyon. Allow three to four hours; about three and a half is a useful planning point. The route crosses open sagebrush, climbs a low ridge, then follows a sandy wash beneath high rock walls. Choose it if you want a self-reliant canyon walk and can navigate without a built trail; choose another hike if you need a maintained, consistently marked path.

From the campground to the washFrom the far end of the campground, head southwest across a sagebrush flat and climb the low…

From the far end of the campground, head southwest across a sagebrush flat and climb the low ridge. The Henry Mountains rise to the east, with the Waterpocket Fold to the west. An old dugway leads northwest; about 1.3 miles from the start, it drops into Red Canyon's sandy wash. The route then follows the wash bottom for more than a mile, where the tread blends into sand and stone. Carry a map and navigation tools; informal cairns may be missing or unreliable.

Where the canyon endsThe wash passes cottonwoods and shallow cuts through several sedimentary layers.

The wash passes cottonwoods and shallow cuts through several sedimentary layers. Near the end, gray-green and lavender Chinle clay sits below tall Wingate sandstone walls. The route finishes at a fork where large boulders block further progress; turn around there and retrace the same corridor. A separate side wash and arch are not part of this standard route. At the turnaround, frame the boulder-choked wash with the high walls to show the canyon's scale.

Access and conditionsThe trail starts at the far end of Cedar Mesa Campground, about 23 miles south of UT-24 on…

The trail starts at the far end of Cedar Mesa Campground, about 23 miles south of UT-24 on Notom–Bullfrog Road. The primitive campground has a pit toilet, picnic tables and fire grates, but no water; food service is not available on the route. Access is usually possible in a 2WD vehicle but can require higher clearance, so check road conditions before driving. This is not a maintained trail, and route conditions can change after floods or rockfall. Flash-flood season is typically July through September. Pets are prohibited on trails and in backcountry areas; a free permit is required for overnight backcountry camping.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Capitol Reef

All Capitol Reef wildlife maps

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 map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Capitol Reef. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Red Canyon Trail and Route