Fodor's Expert Review Capitol Gorge

The narrow, unpaved road that begins at the end of Scenic Drive twists along the floor of the gorge and was a route for pioneer wagons traversing this part of Utah starting in the 1860s. After every flash flood, pioneers would laboriously clear the route so wagons could continue to go through. The gorge was the main automobile route into the area until 1962, when Highway 24 was built. This 2-mile drive with striking views of the surrounding cliffs leads to one of the park's most popular hikes, to several "tanks" eroded into the sandstone that fill naturally with rainwater and snowmelt.