The Cohab Canyon hike was a new to us hike on our last trip to Capitol Reef National Park and it was so much fun! Just steps away from our campsite, it was a great morning hike for us to do and ended up being one of our favorite hikes of the whole trip.

How to Get to Cohab Canyon Trailhead:

The Cohab Canyon trailhead is located near the Gifford House in Capitol Reef National Park. You can park in the large parking lot across from the Gifford House to have easy access to the trailhead. Or if you are camping at Capitol Reef, you can easily walk to the trailhead from your campsite.

What You Will Do on the Cohab Canyon Trail:

The Cohab Canyon trail is a 3.4 mile round trip hike that gains 440 feet in elevation. Most of that elevation gain is right at the beginning with a series of switch backs that take you up the side of the mountain into the slot canyon. Once inside the canyon there is some uneven ground and a little more elevation decent but once you’re in the canyon, you’ve done the hardest part of the hike. We took the trail to the two lookout points and then returned the way we came, but you can also hike straight through the canyon and end at Highway 24.

Inside the canyon, there was plenty of shade during the morning when we hiked. Probably during the middle of the day there would not be much coverage or shade so we recommend hiking it first thing in the morning or in the evening. In the canyon there are lots of fun areas to climb and explore as well as a lot of sand that is fun for kids to play in.

Sum Up:

Cohab Canyon is one of our favorite hikes in Capitol Reef National Park! Make sure you go early in the morning, pack plenty of water and some snacks and be prepared for the first 1/3 mile to be the hardest as you hike up multiple switch backs to get up the mountain to the canyon.