Lower Cathedral Valley Overlooks Route

This loop takes you along a desert ridge where the real stars are below you — the Temples of the Sun and Moon, Capitol Reef's most iconic and least-visited formations, rising like sandstone skyscrapers from the Cathedral Valley floor. The trail climbs to two saddle viewpoints, each offering a different angle on these monolithic towers and the painted badlands surrounding them. The terrain is typical high-desert ridge walking: loose rock, exposed sandstone, and not a scrap of shade. The route is short enough that moderate hikers can take their time at each overlook without worrying about daylight, but the footing demands attention. This is a trail for people who want a big-landscape payoff without a death march — and who don't mind driving the rugged Cathedral Valley road to get here.