Parking
Use the signed dirt pullout on the west side of Notom–Bullfrog Road, 34.3 road miles south of Highway 24. Continue straight at the Burr Trail junction; the pullout is about 1.8 miles farther south.
Overview
About Surprise Canyon Route
Why go
- A deep sandstone canyon and pour-off in a short walk
- Colorful rock layers along the approach and narrows
Heads up
- The unmaintained, cairned approach takes attention to follow
- Getting there involves a long, weather-sensitive dirt-road drive
Surprise Canyon Route is a 2-mile round-trip out-and-back from Notom–Bullfrog Road to the base of a spiraling pour-off in the Waterpocket Fold. Allow 1–2 hours. It's a short, visually rewarding backcountry walk, but don't expect a maintained path: the open approach is cairned, then the route drops steeply into a rocky ravine. If you want a quick canyon outing and are comfortable keeping your bearings, this is a good one. The usual turnaround is the pour-off; the much rougher climb above it is a separate option and isn't part of this route.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Capitol Reef map
Full mapElevation4,902–5,141 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 Surprise Canyon 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 tourRecorded for this trailhead
Surprise Canyon0:00 / 0:27
“You're coming up on the Surprise Canyon trailhead, where a short backcountry hike leads between colorful sandstone walls to a spiraling pour-off. Allow one to two hours for the two-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
- Headquarters 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 Surprise Canyon Route
Stay left at Halls CreekFrom the signed pullout, cross a broad grassy drainage and the dry wash of Halls Creek.
From the signed pullout, cross a broad grassy drainage and the dry wash of Halls Creek. Bear slightly left over a small grassy hill, then continue west among colorful sandstone outcrops. Cattle tracks branch near the hill and the cairns can be sparse, so keep an eye on the route as you go and remember the line back to the road.
Follow the wash into the FoldThe trail drops from the outcrops into a rocky ravine.
The trail drops from the outcrops into a rocky ravine. From there, follow the wash bottom into a deep, narrowing canyon. Expect sandy stretches, slickrock and loose rock rather than an even path. The canyon cuts through the Waterpocket Fold's stacked sedimentary layers; pale walls and pink and orange bands make the colors change as the route turns.
The pour-off is the turnaroundThe standard hike ends below a spiraling pour-off about a mile from the road.
The standard hike ends below a spiraling pour-off about a mile from the road. Stop there: the left-side bypass enters the upper canyon, but boulder jams and steep, crumbling slopes make it a much harder continuation. For a photo, include some of the wash below the walls so the image shows the tight canyon as well as its colors.
Plan the remote approachThe signed dirt pullout is on the west side of Notom–Bullfrog Road, 34.
The signed dirt pullout is on the west side of Notom–Bullfrog Road, 34.3 road miles south of Highway 24; continue straight at the Burr Trail junction, then go about 1.8 miles farther. The road becomes maintained dirt south of its first 15 miles, so check current park road conditions before driving it. Spring and fall are the best seasons listed for this district. Flash floods are most common July through September, and a narrow canyon is no place to be when storms threaten. There is no water on the route, and cell service in the area is unreliable or absent; bring your water from the start.
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.
