• Distance: 1 mile one-way to tanks
• Duration: 1–2 hours
• Elevation gain: 100 feet
• Effort: easy–moderate
• Trailhead: Capitol Gorge parking area

Follow the well-maintained dirt road to the parking area in Capitol Gorge to begin this hike. The first mile downstream is the most scenic: Fremont petroglyphs (in poor condition) appear on the left after 0.1 mile; narrows of Capitol Gorge close in at 0.3 mile; a “pioneer register” on the left soon after consists of names and dates of early travelers and ranchers scratched in the canyon wall; and there are natural water tanks.

If you’re able to scramble up some rocks and follow a cairn-marked trail across the slickrock, head up out of the wash at the trail marker for the water tanks, about 0.8 mile from the trail. These depressions in the rock collect water and give Waterpocket Fold its name. Back in the wash, listen for canyon wrens—their song starts at a high note and then trills down the scale. From the turnoff to the water tanks, hikers can continue another three miles downstream to Notom Road.