Capitol Reef encompasses the Waterpocket Fold, a warp in the earth's crust that is 65 million years old. In this fold, newer and older layers of earth folded over each other in an S-shape. This warp, probably caused by the same colliding continental plates that created the Rocky Mountains, has weathered and eroded over millennia to expose layers of rock and fossils. The park is filled with brilliantly colored sandstone cliffs, gleaming white domes, and contrasting layers of stone and earth.
Fruita is the best-known settlement in Capitol Reef National Park. It is located at the confluence of Fremont River and Sulphur Creek. Today few buildings remain, except for the restored Fruita schoolhouse and the Gifford house, barn and orchards.
