Conditions Right Now
Use sunset as your turnaround alarm.
Why Hike This
Most Capitol Reef trails send you up. This one sends you into a canyon floor that served as the only road east out of Fruita for about 80 years, and about half a mile in you reach the Pioneer Register, where prospectors carved their names starting in 1871 and travelers kept adding through 1946. Getting there means a dirt spur off the Scenic Drive, fine for passenger cars and RVs up to 23 feet when weather cooperates. The tanks hold fairy shrimp and tadpoles, so look but keep hands and sunscreen out of the water.
The Trail
Pioneer register carved in stone + waterpockets ('tanks') up a short scramble.
Pack Loadout (Easy)
Water bottle, sunscreen, hat, snacks, comfortable shoes.
Official figures differ. The NPS trail guide lists 80 feet of elevation change, which appears to cover the canyon floor only and not the climb to the tanks (NPS). Our distance and gain come from GPS tracks, so treat both as approximate.
Getting There
Make it a weekend: Fruita Campground (Camping, 7 mi) · Singletree Campground (Camping, 13 mi) · Boulder Mountain Lakes (Fishing, 22 mi) · Calf Creek Campground (Camping, 32 mi)
More hikes nearby: Grand Wash (Hike, 5 mi) · Hickman Bridge (Hike, 6 mi) · Cassidy Arch (Hike, 7 mi) · Navajo Knobs (Hike, 7 mi)
Quick Answers
- How long is the Capitol Gorge & The Tanks hike?
- 2 miles round trip with 400 feet of elevation gain.
- How hard is Capitol Gorge & The Tanks?
- Easy. Kid rating: 4 out of 5.
- When should I hike Capitol Gorge & The Tanks?
- Best season: Spring-Fall.
- Why hike Capitol Gorge & The Tanks?
- Because it packs history and geology into an easy walk. You follow a wash between canyon walls to signatures carved by prospectors, settlers and surveyors, then scramble a few minutes up to waterpockets that hold rain long after the desert dries out. Good pick when you want Capitol Reef without a climb.