Headquarters Canyon, Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park is unique in how it is so rugged and wide open. Headquarters Canyon is located near the southern end of the park, about 30 miles north of the Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell. The hike is only 3.2 miles out and back and has very little elevation change. It starts off by crossing through grassy desert and leads you to the base of a giant rock formation on the desert floor. There are a lot of foot prints in the dry wash that follows the base of the rock. That's not the trail! We found out the hard way and had to backtrack. The trail heads off to the left of a Juniper tree and will take you over a gentle hill into the dry wash that leads to the slot canyon. The colors of the rocks are just amazing. They range from gray, to deep brown, to what is best described as red velvet. The slot canyon is a about 3 feet wide through most of it and is a great place to get out of the heat. The kids loved climbing up the walls and dropping onto the sandy floor. Holding yourself up there is a lot more tiring than it looks. It is several hundred feet to the other end where it opens up into a wider rocky canyon. You can follow that back for another half mile or so to the dry falls where the trail ends. If you decide to bring any food to snack on, please make sure to pack out all of the trash and keep it beautiful. Remote areas like this aren't really maintained by rangers. Bring plenty of water. It is extremely dry and can reach triple digit temperatures in the summer months. You are also on your own if something goes wrong since it is so far away from everything and there is no cell service.