CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK

national park in south-central Utah, U.S., just east of Torrey. Established as a national monument in 1937, it became a national park in 1971. It comprises a great buttressed cliff of coloured sandstone extending for 20 miles (32 km) along the western edge of the Water Pocket Fold. The Fremont River and its tributaries, Sulphur and Pleasant creeks, cross the reef through deep canyons that rise to more than 1,000 feet (300 m). The park, which occupies 379 square miles (982 square km), was named Capitol Reef because its rock towers and pinnacles reminded early geologists of coral reefs and its dome-shaped formations were reminiscent of capitol architecture. The smooth cliff walls are covered with pre-Columbian petroglyphs. The sparse, desertlike vegetation includes pions and junipers on the talus slopes and cottonwoods along the streams.