Cathedral Mountain (Capitol Reef) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cathedral Mountain |
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Southwest aspect
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 6,924 ft (2,110 m) |
| Prominence | 384 ft (117 m) |
| Isolation | 1.89 mi (3.04 km) |
| Parent peak | Point 6984 |
| Geography | |
 Cathedral Mountain
Location in Utah
Cathedral Mountain
Location in the United States
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| Location | Capitol Reef National Park Wayne County, Utah, US |
| Parent range | Colorado Plateau |
| Topo map | USGS Cathedral Mountain |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Jurassic |
| Type of rock | Entrada Sandstone |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | class 5.x climbing |
Cathedral Mountain is a cool mountain peak in Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, United States. It stands tall at 6,924 feet (2,110 meters) high! This amazing rock formation is about 13 miles (26 km) north of the park's visitor center.
It's part of a special area called Cathedral Valley. In 1945, Charles Kelly, who was the first superintendent of Capitol Reef, named it "Cathedral Valley." He thought the giant sandstone rocks looked like grand, old cathedrals with their fancy walls and tall spires. Cathedral Mountain itself rises more than 500 feet (150 meters) above the valley floor. Even explorer John C. Frémont's team passed through this valley way back in 1853!
How Cathedral Mountain Formed
Cathedral Mountain is made of reddish rock called Entrada Sandstone. On top, it has a harder, grayish-green layer called Curtis Formation. This top layer acts like a protective hat, stopping the softer rock below from wearing away too quickly.
Imagine a huge sandy beach or a giant sand sea that covered this area about 160 million years ago, during the Jurassic period (when dinosaurs roamed!). That's where the sand for these rocks came from. Over millions of years, these layers of sand turned into solid rock.
Later, a huge area of land called the Colorado Plateau slowly lifted up. This lifting usually keeps rock layers flat. But at Capitol Reef, there's a unique bend in the rocks called the Waterpocket Fold. This giant wrinkle in the Earth's crust formed about 50 to 70 million years ago. It makes the rock layers look like they're gently slanting or folding, creating the amazing shapes we see today, like Cathedral Mountain!
Cool Pictures of Cathedral Mountain
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South aspect, seen from Cathedrals Trail
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Cathedral Mountain (left), Needle Mountain (right), from the southeast
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Cathedral Mountain (left), Needle Mountain (right)
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"The Cathedrals" with Cathedral Mountain to left
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Cathedral Valley sunset, with Cathedral Mountain to left
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Cathedral Mountain from Upper Cathedral Valley Overlook
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Weather in Cathedral Valley
The best times to visit Cathedral Mountain are in the spring and fall. The area has a "cold semi-arid climate," which means it's a desert. It doesn't get much rain, usually less than 10 inches (254 mm) a year. Winters have light snowfall, and the coldest month's average temperature is usually below 32°F (0°C).
| Climate data for Capitol Reef Visitor Center, elevation 5,653 ft (1,723 m), 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1981-2019 | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 58.6 (14.8) |
68.3 (20.2) |
78.3 (25.7) |
84.4 (29.1) |
94.6 (34.8) |
100.2 (37.9) |
100.8 (38.2) |
97.9 (36.6) |
95.4 (35.2) |
86.1 (30.1) |
70.4 (21.3) |
61.5 (16.4) |
100.8 (38.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 40.6 (4.8) |
46.4 (8.0) |
54.7 (12.6) |
65.0 (18.3) |
74.5 (23.6) |
85.3 (29.6) |
90.4 (32.4) |
87.9 (31.1) |
80.2 (26.8) |
66.1 (18.9) |
51.3 (10.7) |
40.6 (4.8) |
65.3 (18.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.8 (−7.9) |
22.7 (−5.2) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
36.2 (2.3) |
44.7 (7.1) |
53.1 (11.7) |
60.4 (15.8) |
58.5 (14.7) |
50.4 (10.2) |
39.0 (3.9) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
18.2 (−7.7) |
38.3 (3.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −4.2 (−20.1) |
−11.8 (−24.3) |
9.1 (−12.7) |
18.1 (−7.7) |
27.2 (−2.7) |
34.6 (1.4) |
42.4 (5.8) |
45.1 (7.3) |
29.9 (−1.2) |
11.7 (−11.3) |
8.0 (−13.3) |
−7.5 (−21.9) |
−11.8 (−24.3) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.52 (13) |
0.34 (8.6) |
0.53 (13) |
0.47 (12) |
0.59 (15) |
0.47 (12) |
0.91 (23) |
1.20 (30) |
0.80 (20) |
0.98 (25) |
0.49 (12) |
0.32 (8.1) |
7.62 (194) |
| Average dew point °F (°C) | 17.3 (−8.2) |
20.8 (−6.2) |
23.0 (−5.0) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
29.1 (−1.6) |
32.0 (0.0) |
40.0 (4.4) |
41.8 (5.4) |
34.8 (1.6) |
28.2 (−2.1) |
21.9 (−5.6) |
17.5 (−8.1) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
| Source: PRISM | |||||||||||||
