The short but scenic Grand Wash hike in Capitol Reef

The very popular Grand Wash hike wasn’t on my To Do list… but while I generally run (or hike!) a mile from such busy walks, I also figured there must be a reason that this Capitol Reef hike is so busy. There are a few ways you can do the the Grand Wash hike which goes from the end of Grand Wash Road to Utah State Route 24: out and back (as I did), one-way if you can organise a shuttle or a long and not very pleasant loop walk.

The entire route is fairly flat and very “family friendly” as it follows the sometimes sandy and sometimes rocky wash (a seasonal river bed) through the canyon. The gentle grade partly explains the popularity of this hike as well as the impressive scenery – the Grand Wash is by far the easiest way to experience the grandeur of Capital Reef on foot. (It also makes it one of the few hikes that you can do even in Summer, although Spring and Autumn/Fall are the best times of year.)

The Grand Wash hike is surrounded by the sheer cliffs the canyon, which consist of Wingate and Navajo sandstone and are up to 500 feet (150m) high.

There’s no shortage of interesting rock formations, caves and overhangs along the canyon.

The trail passes under an enormous overhang, as it gets closer to the narrowest section of the canyon.

The Narrows (as it’s sometime called) or slot canyon is the highlight of the Grand Wash hike, where the canyon walls are the highest and canyon less than 15 feet (5m) wide.

I only go as far as the end of the Narrows section, which is about 1.6 miles (2.6km) from where I started at the end of Grand Wash Road, or 1 mile (1.6km) from the trailhead Utah State Route 24.

Despite the busy-ness of the trail, it’s been a very enjoyable hike with some spectacular canyon scenery.

If you do the entire “out and back” trail without a shuttle, it’s about 4.7 miles (7.6km) – but if go as far as the Narrows it’s about 3.2 miles / 5.2km or 2 miles / 3.2km return (depending on which end you start). You won’t really miss much by not completing the entire length of the trail.

Getting to the Grand Wash hike

You can start Grand Wash hike at either the end of Grand Wash Road or a trailhead along Utah State Route 24 – which is a bit easier to get to. Both trailheads have large parking lots, but they can fill up (especially on Grand Wash Road where parking is more limited).

Utah State Route 24 trailhead

The easiest trailhead to get to is along Utah State Route 24, about 4.5 miles (7.2km) west of the Capitol Reef Sign / Orientation Pullout and 4.5 miles (7.2km) east of the Capitol Reef National Park Visitor Center. There are marked parking spots along the road, and you can also park along the shoulder of the highway.

Grand Wash Road trailhead

This trailhead requires a longer drive; take the South Scenic Drive off Utah State Route 24 (next to the Capitol Reef National Park Visitor Center) and continue along the road for 3.4 miles (5.5km). Turn left onto the unsealed East Grand Wash Road which ends after 1.3 miles ( 2.1km) at a large parking lot. This is the trailhead for the Grand Wash hike as well as Cassidy Arch and the Frying Pan Trail.

Along East Grand Wash Road there are some great views of the canyon, and some signposted points of. Scenic Stop 1 provides a vantage point of the rugged western escarpment of Capitol Reef, and the Waterpocket Fold which is the major geologic feature that defines Capitol Reef National Park. The Oyler Mine (Scenic Drive Stop 3) is an old uranium mine which operated from 1901 to the 1950s.