Jailhouse Rock is a elevation summit located in Capitol Reef National Park, in Wayne County of Utah, United States. This remote iconic monolith is situated north of the park's visitor center, and 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.Peter Massey, Jeanne Wilson, Utah Trails Central Region, 2006, Adler Publishing Company, page 106. Jailhouse Rock rises 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.Ron Adkison, Utah's National Parks: Hiking Camping and Vacationing in Utah's Canyon Country, 2001, Wilderness Press, page 186. 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.Peter Massey, Jeanne Wilson, Utah Trails Central Region, 2006, Adler Publishing Company, page 109. 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.North (Cathedral Valley) District, National Park Service 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.Capitol Reef National Park, National Park Service 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.Capitol Reef Geology, NPS.gov
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 , and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.
See also
Colorado Plateau Geology of the Capitol Reef area
References
External links Capitol Reef National Park National Park Service Weather forecast: Jailhouse Rock