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| Pleasant Creek |
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| Pleasant Creek and surrounding Sandstone |
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| Fall Colors at Pleasant Creek |
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| Following Trail out to Petroglyphs |
The third day we were in Capitol Reef NP, we drove down the Scenic Drive for 8 miles and turned right onto the Pleasant Creek Road. This dirt road went for 2.8 miles then ended at the Pleasant Creek Trailhead. (On the way, there was a road that turned off to the left for a park Field Office.) We parked and started down the trail across the road to reach the creek. It wasn't long before the scenery became a beautiful autumn portrait. The creek runs year long and today, it seemed to be at a very comfortable level ... not dry nor overflowing. As we hiked, we saw evidence of recent flooding but that didn't ruin the scene. We followed a trail over to the walls on the north side of the creek and came to an old fence.
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| Old Fencing |
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| Side Slot |
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| Petroglyph Panel |
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| One of many creek Crossings |
This area used to be used for free range cattle. Along the wall, we found an interesting side slot. Then we hiked on up the hill along the trail and came to a wall of old (and new) petroglyphs. It was difficult to really decipher which was which sometimes. After this, we continued following the trail as it neared the creek. Terri W. counted the creek crossings. It was around 30 for the entire out and back hike. A few hikers tried very hard not to get wet! That didn't last very long. Most of us finally realized that it's just easier to step in the water and get your feet wet. Unfortunately, a few hikers in the group of nine only had one pair of shoes. The night after this hike, they had to do a lot of work to get the shoes dry enough to be able to wear them the next day!
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| Pleasant Creek |
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| Pleasant Creek |
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| Timid at First - Then, not timid at all. |
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| Creek and Sandstone |
The trail followed the creek for four miles heading east toward the park boundary. At four miles out, we still had not reached the fence. We thought that maybe the fence had been washed away and we turned around. When I got home, I saw that we were still a half mile inside the boundary. Maybe the park has better equipment than an old Garmin GPS but every trail we hiked this week was longer than advertised. (Not a big deal. Just sayin'.) We turned around and started back after taking a leisurely break. David H. decided he wanted to explore a large alcove on the south side of the creek. Everyone else but one passed on that and continued back to the cars. David reported that he was very impressed with the size of the slot and alcove beyond.
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| Shady Bend |
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| One Waterfall |
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| Looking for the park boundary Fence |
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| Colorful Boulders |
On the way back, the larger group took as short a route as they could find but it was still necessary to follow the creek. We stayed on the south side of the creek and beelined back to the trailhead. It was a long and tiring day but beautiful. The water felt soooo good!
P.S. The park service asks that you not follow side trails. However, that is an impossible task! There are no cairns, signs or indicators on which trails are the ones that they recommend!
Stats: 8 miles; 650' gain; 5.5 hours
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| Creek and Sandstone |
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| On the way Back |
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| Creek Crossing |
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| Capitol Reef Trail Overview |
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