Capitol Reef National Park is an evocative world of spectacular colored cliffs, hidden arches, massive domes, and deep canyons. It is a place that includes the finest elements of Bryce and Zion Canyons in a less crowded park that can offer a more relaxing experience than either of those more-famous Utah attractions. It is named for a particularly colorful section of the fold where rounded Navajo sandstone forms capitol-like domes and sheer cliffs form a barrier to travel, often referred to as a reef. The park stretches from north-northwest to south-southeast for 70 miles (112 km) and generally narrows in width (east-west) from up to 12 miles (19 km) in the north to as little as 1 mile (1.6 km) near the southern end. It lies along the northwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau, where it encompasses about three-fourths of the nearly 100-mile- (160-km-) long Waterpocket Fold.

credit: sharshman

The Waterpocket Fold is a straight, 100 mile long ridge of tilted and layered rock stretching from the Fishlake Mountains in central Utah to Lake Powell in the south. Most is preserved in Capitol Reef National Park, which contains multicolored cliffs, narrow canyons, ridges, arches, spires and domes. That landscape makes Capitol Reef Country perfect for outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, horseback riding, ATV tours, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, or just a quiet picnic. Capitol Reef encompasses the Waterpocket Fold, a warp in the earth\’s crust that is 65 million years old. It is the largest exposed monocline in North America. In this fold, newer and older layers of earth folded over each other in an S-shape. This warp, probably caused by the same colliding continental plates that created the Rocky Mountains, has weathered and eroded over millennia to expose layers of rock and fossils.

credit: Peter Stabolepszy

The Colorado State Capitol Building is located at 200 East Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado. Capitol sitting high atop Denver is not just domed meeting place for the Colorado General Assembly, but also an homage to the American governmental process. The capitol building was built in the 1890’s and in 1908 they used 24 karat gold to plate the dome. There are sixteen stained-glass windows in the dome of capitol, each one illustrating a pioneer who was an important influence on Colorado’s development.

credit: kruder396

credit: krossbow

credit: Ken Lund

credit: Jeffrey Beall

credit: Justin A. Wilcox

credit: Justin A. Wilcox

credit: Justin A. Wilcox

credit: wanderstruck

credit: wanderstruck

credit: wanderstruck

credit: imbowen0306