Driving through the hear of Capitol Reef, you are hidden from the rest of the world. On either side are massive all sof red rock and sandstone. The road ahead is the only paved portion of the rugged landscape. You have escaped into natural reality that predates humanity. It is here that you can see Capitol Reef's defining feature: a geographical structure specific to this place only - The Waterpocket Fold. Almost 100 miles across, the Waterpocket Fold is a wrinckle in the earth's crust. Between 50 to 70 millioni years ago, the Waterpocket Fold formed when a fault line below is shifted, causing overlying rock layers to fold across it. This overlap resulted in a steep monocline almost 700 feet higher on the west side than the east. The earth's shifting crust and later erosion has exposed layers of rock that today act as a visual representation of our planet's history you can only experience at Capitol Reef.