Capitol Reef in Winter

Capitol Reef National Park sometimes gets overlooked because of the other four National Parks in Utah nearby: Zion, Bryce, Arches and Canyonlands. But it offers spectacular beauty. Winter is definitely the off-season there. But it is a peaceful, tranquil time in the park without the big groups of visitors.

Early explorers noticed a stone formation dome that reminded them of Washington DC's capitol. And the formations as a whole are a kind of giant geologic fold, which mariners among that group likened to reefs and the navigation challenges they created for them. Hence "Capitol Reef".