Chimney Rock Loop Capitol Reef

 We drove up to Capitol Reef National Park and hiked the Chimney Loop Trail this morning. The trail is 3.7 miles all together with 810 ft of elevation gain. We hiked the loop counterclockwise. Lots of wildflowers in bloom along the way.

 View of Chimney Rock near the trailhead.

 The first 0.5 mile connects the trailhead to the loop. This section starts out flat, then climbs up a series of switchbacks up to the loop junction.

 At the junction, we took the trail to the right.

 Before nearing Chimney Rock, there is an outcropping of rocks for great views.

 view of Chimney Rock from the outcropping













The trail continues on top of the Mummy Cliffs. Looking north ward, we had a good view of the gooseneck section of Suphur Creek and continuing down toward the Visitor Center, where we hiked two days ago.

 View of the trail as it descends off the Mummy Cliffs and down around the back side of the loop trail.

 We saw lots of phacelia in bloom, along with other wildflowers

 From looking across at the rocky cliffs of Capitol Reef, we began to hike below them, looking up at their towering heights.

 more fields of wildflowers

 the trail has a nice meandering feel to it

 looking down into the eroded edges of the reef

 sun rising behind one of the cliffs

 enjoying the views all around the loop

 sone large boulders on the trail

 At the trail junction, we went left to continue the loop. The trail on the right continues for several miles through the Chimney Rock Canyon ?Route.

 heading west along the back side of the loop














descending back down towards the trailhead













some of the wildflowers we saw in bloom along the trail today:

     

    

        

Sulphur Creek

 We drove up to Capitol Reef NP on a hot day, to take advantage of the higher elevation and hiking in a creek to keep cool. The Sulphur Creek Trail is an unofficial trail that is not maintained by the park. This is a popular hike on hot days, but we only saw three other hikers today.
Note: the course of Sulphur Creek changes somewhat with each flash flood that occurs here.
Photo is from the parking area about 0.3 miles west of the Chimney Rock parking area. We found this Mojave mound in bloom!!!

 We hiked this trail 5.8 miles downstream to the Visitor Canter, and were fortunate to get a ride back to our car so we didn't need to do the 3.3 mile walk along the road.
From the trailhead, looking south towards the wash.

 A short hiker trail leads into the wash. It's 1.8 miles from the trailhead to the confluence with Sulphur Creek. We saw lots of wildflowers in bloom along this section.

 As the wash slowly descends, it enters between the reef walls

 Confluence with Sulphur Creek looking west, the route heads east, but the sun was too bright to get a good photo in that direction.

 For the next 1.5 miles, before reaching the first waterfall, Sulphur Creek enters the Goosenecks, winding it's way between the steep rocky cliffs

 a new vista around every bend

 parts of the goosenecks is narrower that others

 lots of interesting rock formations, wildflowers and some small wildlife

 interesting spider

 butterfly

 lots of lizards (this was the only one that stopped for a photo)

The route narrows on the way downstream to the first waterfall

 bypass route down from the first falls

















looking back upstream at the first waterfall



















 It's only 750 ft downstream from the first to the second waterfall, but they are a gorgeous 750 ft of hiking

 nearing the top of the second waterfall

 The bypass route is down on the right side and goes between the large boulder below and the canyon wall

 view of the bypass route below the boulder

 looking upstream at the second waterfall

 It's 1.7 miles between the second and third waterfalls. Some of this section is very narrow

 I enjoyed walking downstream though all the twist and turns

a couple of cascades that are not considered waterfalls on this trail
















some of these cascades can be bypassed
















and some cannot

 a very beautiful section of the trail

 The canyon floor widens for a bit,

 before narrowing again as it nears the third waterfall

 We were able to walk across the top of this third waterfall and scoot across the ledge on the right side of this photo (left side of the falls when facing downstream)

 From the third waterfall to the Visitor Center is 0.7 miles. The valley floor widens out here.












We entered a section with taller trees growing,

 and soon the views opened up!
















Pano of the view at the end of the horseshoe bend of Sulphur Creek before reaching the Visitor Center

 Visitor Center in sight













some of the wildflowers we saw in bloom along this trail today:

     

After returning to our car, we drove out to Goosenecks Point, to view a section of Sulphur Creek where we had been earlier today.

view of the Goosenecks looking west