Capitol Reef National Park

The Utah Geological Survey has worked in partnership with the National Park Service to document the fossils of Utah’s national parks for 20 years, helping to bring to light and protect a wide variety of fossils.

When the climate changes enough, the vegetation communities growing in any given place will also change. Under an expanded bimodal climate zone, some plant communities in western national parks are more likely to change than others. National Park Service ecologists and partners investigated the future conditions that may force some of this change. Having this information can help park managers decide whether to resist, direct, or accept the change.

The results of a recent study may help land managers to prioritize grassland conservation and restoration efforts. Park managers can’t do much about climate, but with the right information, they can make choices based on how different grassland communities behave in different soil types. In this study, cool-season grasses showed more resilience to drought than warm-season grasses.

3D Hickman Bridge Trail Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Capitol Reef National Park’s bighorn sheep herd grew almost fourfold since being introduced from Canyonlands over two decades ago. Now the herd is at risk from a debilitating disease.

Capitol Reef National Park: Do you like stargazing at night or looking across the landscape at a beautiful view? If the answer is yes, then we have a place for you! Capitol Reef has some of the darkest night skies in the country, and its daytime scenic views are colorful and expansive. Dark night skies, scenic views, and air quality are all valuable resources, and the NPS recently conducted an assessment to see how these resources are doing in Capitol Reef.

Capitol Reef National Park: Capitol Reef is home to both native and non-native fish. One native species, the roundtail chub, no longer occurs in the park. Capitol Reef contains only a small portion of the streams passing through it, so activities outside the park can have a large effect on fish in the park. The Natural Resource Condition Assessment Program partnered with Utah State University to evaluate the condition of fish and to identify gaps in information.

Be careful where you step because the dirt is alive! This bumpy, lumpy, crust black soil is called biological soil crust and is made up of living organisms.