Cohab Canyon and Cassidy Arch are two of the most popular hikes in Capitol Reef. We decided to combine them by hiking one way from Cohab Canyon to Cassidy Arch via the Frying Pan Trail. Additionally, Norah and I added the popular stroll through Grand Wash while Steve ran back to the car after Cassidy Arch and picked us up on Highway 24 at the end of Grand Wash. This hike was about ~8.5 miles one way and terrific - it had a little bit of everything - a hanging valley, tafoni marked sandstone walls, climbing the Waterpocket Fold, solitude on the Frying Pan Trail, cool slickrock, great views, an impressive arch, and a scenic wash with 800 feet high canyon walls. For one hike, we were able to take in a lot of the best of what Capitol Reef has to offer.

We started at the Cohab Canyon trailhead near the campground in historic Fruita. Cohab Canyon was named for the “cohabs” in southern Utah, Mormon polygamists who supposedly took refuge in the canyon to escape US marshals looking for them in the 1880s. The trail climbed steeply for 0.3 miles through the Chinle formation and it didn't take long for us to gain views of Fruita and the Fremont River Valley. The trail leveled out and we entered a hanging canyon with Wingate sandstone walls and many fine examples of tafoni (aka honeycomb weathering). Tafoni is focused weathering of pockets of sandstone that are not as strongly bonded as the surrounding rock resulting in holes of various sizes and arrangements that look like “swiss-cheese rock”. We walked through this cool little canyon and after ~ one mile we reached the Frying Pan junction.

The Frying Pan trail to the junction to Cassidy Arch was about three miles and took us through the heart of the Waterpocket Fold. The trail climbs to two scenic ridgetops with panoramic views and really every step we were surrounded by the fantastic, colorful sandstone eroded into a variety of shapes. Between the rugged terrain and the solitude (we saw one person in this section), it felt like we were miles and miles in the backcountry and this was a great trail.

We started to see hikers as we approached the side spur to Cassidy Arch. It was 0.4 miles across a large expanse of slickrock to an overlook of Cassidy Arch. Cassidy Arch, named for outlaw Butch Cassidy who reportedly had a hideout in Grand Wash, is an impressive sandstone span across a large chasm. The arch isn’t apparent on the slickrock approach and we got our first look when we arrived at the view down on the arch, which lies 400 feet above Grand Wash. The arch is wide and easy to access and we took our turn getting our pictures taken on the arch. Not only is the arch impressive, it sits in a scenic setting and we sat here for a while to enjoy the views. On our descent down to the wash we did have a distant look at the arch, which appeared more like a cave than an arch. We quickly descended ~1.1 miles and 670 feet to the junction with Grand Wash. Here we parted ways - Steve running back to the truck and Norah and I heading down Grand Wash to eventually meet him at Highway 24. Grand Wash is an easy two mile walk through a dry wash with soaring sandstone walls. While this wash is not as scenic as others we have visited, it still was pretty and has a nice payoff for how accessible and easy it is. All in all, this was a wonderful hike with cool scenery and a variety of features.

Our day wasn’t quite done yet. We continued on Highway 24 and just outside the park we turned south onto Notom-Bullfrog Road. We planned to camp just outside the park boundary so we could hike Lower Muley Twist the next day. On the way we stopped for the short hike to Headquarters Canyon, located about 40 miles down Notom Road from Highway 24. This is one of the few officially named and signed slots along this section of the Waterpocket Fold and the trail is easy to follow to the striped entrance of the North fork (or Main). It’s about two miles round trip to walk to and through the short slot, returning the same way. This canyon is remote and not likely a destination in its own right, but certainly a worthwhile detour since we were out this way. After Headquarters Canyon we found a spot to camp for the night and enjoyed the quiet evening.