Geocaching at Capitol Reef National Park

May 11, 2021

We made a day of geocaching at Capitol Reef National Park. We sought three types of caches: Traditional caches have a container with a log inside, virtual caches require the cacher to go to a location and take a picture or answer a question, and earthcaches require the cacher to answer questions about a geological characteristic

Our first earthcache of the day explained how formations undergo massive shifts. It asked that we identify strata of rock in this picture and tell how much higher the beds on the left are than their counterparts on the right.

The walk down was hard on our knees and hips but was otherwise much easier than the walk up.

There were no geocaches near the petroglyphs, but we had to stop and take a look as long as we were passing by. This art was not as clear as some other sites we visited–perhaps these representations were more worn, or perhaps the light wasn’t as good. These petroglyphs appear to be from the Fremont culture which lived in the valley before the 13th century.

Another earth cache asked us to look at the formations in the picture below and consider how rocks erode at different rates as well as how ripples form in rocks.

We also completed a virtual cache while we were in the park. At a cache called “The Big Cleanup”, we were asked what was named on the sign. The answer was “Grand Wash”.