Jailhouse Rock (Utah) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jailhouse Rock
Jailhouse Rock, northeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation	6,123 ft (1,866 m)
Prominence	503 ft (153 m)
Isolation	0.60 mi (0.97 km)
Parent peak	Point 6220
Geography
Jailhouse Rock Location in Utah Show map of Utah Jailhouse Rock Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Capitol Reef National Park Wayne County, Utah, US
Parent range	Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS Fruita NW
Geology
Age of rock	Jurassic
Type of rock	Entrada Sandstone, Curtis Formation
Climbing
Easiest route	class 5.x climbing

Jailhouse Rock is a 6,123-foot (1,866-meter) elevation summit located in Capitol Reef National Park, in Wayne County of Utah, United States. This remote iconic monolith is situated 9 mi (14 km) north of the park's visitor center, and 4 mi (6.4 km) south of Temples of the Sun and Moon, in the South Desert of the park's North (Cathedral Valley) District. South Desert is a long, narrow valley that runs parallel to the strike of the Waterpocket Fold monocline. Cathedral Valley was so named in 1945 by Charles Kelly, first superintendent of Capitol Reef National Monument, because the valley's sandstone monoliths reminded early explorers of ornate, Gothic cathedrals, with fluted walls, alcoves, and pinnacles. Jailhouse Rock rises 500 feet (152 meters) above its surrounding terrain, and can be seen from the Lower South Desert Overlook, which is 15 miles northwest of Highway 24 via the Hartnet Road. The hiking approach to the base of this large promontory rising from the valley floor is made from the Lower South Desert Overlook via a switchback trail until it disappears along the valley floor. Precipitation runoff from this feature is drained by Deep Creek, a tributary of the Fremont River, which in turn is within the Colorado River drainage basin.

Geology

Jailhouse Rock is composed of reddish Entrada Sandstone with a hard, grayish-green sandstone and siltstone Curtis Formation layer caprock which protects it from erosion. The sandstone, which was originally deposited as sandy mud on a tidal flat, is believed to have formed about 160 million years ago during the Jurassic period as a giant sand sea, the largest in Earth's history. Long after these sedimentary rocks were deposited, the Colorado Plateau was uplifted relatively evenly, keeping the layers roughly horizontal, but Capitol Reef is an exception because of the Waterpocket Fold, a classic monocline, which formed between 50 and 70 million years ago during the Laramide Orogeny.

Jailhouse Rock from the northeast

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Jailhouse Rock. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below 32 °F (0 °C), and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.