Sulphur Creek

Sulphur Creek is a perennial stream, but its volume depends significantly on snowmelt and irrigation operations near the town of Torrey. Expect to get your feet, and possible more of you, wet. Pools are common in the Spring as snowmelt increases the water volume through this canyon. The temptation is high in the summer to hike in sandals or water shoes, but the three significant obstacles along the route are more safely negotiated with sturdier footwear. The route begins off of Highway 24, at the parking area across from Chimney Rock trailhead. If you want to do this as a point-to-point hike (which is recommended), you should ideally leave another car at the park visitor center for a shuttle.From the start off Highway 24, hiking begins as a pleasant 1.5-mile walk down easy-going, dry washes to Sulphur Creek, a perennial stream. On the approach to the fabled Goosenecks, a narrow section of slot canyon, hikers are often dissuaded by flowing water. However, do not fear! While the canyon constricts quickly into several sets of photogenic narrows and small falls, the hiking distance remains up to you. You can turn around at any point if you are not prepared for scrambling or swimming.Conditions can change dramatically in this section with each flood, but some obstacles are always present. Bypassing the falls requires scrambling up and down ledges (usually on canyon right) that can sometimes be slick. After traversing the Goosenecks, the canyon widens for the last half mile to the visitor center, but some visitors turn around before this point unless they have a shuttle vehicle waiting for them. If you don't have a shuttle parked at the end, the walk back on Highway 24 is a little more than three miles.The National Park Service cautions visitors to avoid fully submerging yourself or ingesting the water from Sulphur Creek, as it can sometimes be contaminated with the bacteria, E. coli. Some of this content was contributed by author Rick Stinchfield. For a comprehensive hiking guide to Capitol Reef National Park and to see more by Rick, click here.