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Sunset Point Overlook

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Looking south from Sunset Point Overlook. Terrain and imagery at true elevation.

Sunset Point Overlook sits at mile 26 of the Capitol Reef Country Scenic Byway, at 6,355 feet, facing south across terrain that drops 495 feet within 600 meters of the viewpoint. Three peaks are visible to the south and southeast: Fruita Point, 1.7 miles south at 7,196 feet; Ferns Nipple, 5.6 miles southeast at 7,018 feet; and Eph Hanks Tower, 8.5 miles southeast at 6,533 feet, the latter marking the mouth of Capitol Gorge where the Capitol Reef Scenic Drive road ends. Ferns Nipple's name is attributed by folklore to outlaw Butch Cassidy and a girlfriend named Fern, while Eph Hanks Tower is named for Ephraim Knowlton Hanks, a Mormon pioneer who homesteaded nearby on Pleasant Creek in 1881. Bicknell lies 13.9 miles west-northwest, Loa 20.3 miles west-northwest, and Escalante 40.1 miles south-southwest. Panorama Point Overlook precedes this stop, and Mummy Cliff Lookout follows it along the byway. Seasonal daylight ranges from a sunrise of 06:03 and sunset of 20:53 at the June solstice to a sunrise of 07:39 and sunset of 17:09 at the December solstice.

Position
Mile ~26 of 65
Access
0.8 mi detour
Elevation
6,355 ft
View
South · 180°
Relief
495 ft drop
In view
3 named features
Pinus edulis near Goosenecks Overlook in Capitol Reef National Park
Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Pinus edulis near Goosenecks Overlook in Capitol Reef National Park
Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Closeup of Pinus edulis near Goosenecks Overlook in Capitol Reef National Park
Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
View northwest near Goosenecks Overlook in Capitol Reef National Park
Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Closeup of Pinus edulis near Goosenecks Overlook in Capitol Reef National Park
Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Juniperus osteosperma near Goosenecks Overlook in Capitol Reef National Park
Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

What you’re looking at

Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.

  • Fruita Point7,196 ftsouth · 1.7 mi
  • Ferns Nipple7,018 ftsoutheast · 5.6 mi
  • Eph Hanks Tower6,533 ftsoutheast · 8.5 mi

Light

DateSunriseSunsetGolden hour
March equinox07:2919:3719:03
June solstice06:0320:5320:13
September equinox07:1419:2418:49
December solstice07:3917:0916:27

Local time (America/Denver). Computed for this exact position.

Where it is

Mile 26 of 65 along Capitol Reef Country Scenic Byway.

  • Bicknell13.9 mi west-northwest
  • Loa20.3 mi west-northwest
  • Escalante40.1 mi south-southwest
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Ferns Nipple · WikipediaCC BY-SA

Ferns Nipple is a 7,065-foot (2,153-meter) elevation summit located in Capitol Reef National Park, in Wayne County of Utah, United States. This iconic landmark is situated four miles (6.4 km) southeast of the park's visitor center. Precipitation runoff from this feature is drained by tributaries of the Fremont River, which in turn is within the Colorado River drainage basin. Folklore attributes this geological feature's naming to outlaw Butch Cassidy and his favored girlfriend named Fern.

Read it at Wikipedia

Eph Hanks Tower · WikipediaCC BY-SA

Eph Hanks Tower is a 6,540-foot (1,990-meter) elevation summit located in Capitol Reef National Park, in Wayne County of Utah, United States. This landmark is situated 8 mi (13 km) southeast of the park's visitor center, 3.5 mi (5.6 km) south-southeast of Ferns Nipple, and 1.4 mi (2.3 km) south-southwest of Golden Throne, at the mouth of Capitol Gorge where the Capitol Reef Scenic Drive road ends. It towers 900 feet above the picnic area below its north aspect. Precipitation runoff from this feature is drained by Capitol Wash and Pleasant Creek, a tributary of the Fremont River, which in turn is within the Colorado River drainage basin. This geological feature is named after Ephraim Knowlton Hanks (1826–1896), a Mormon pioneer and first permanent settler in the Capitol Reef area, who with his family homesteaded in the Pleasant Creek area of Capitol Reef in 1881. Ephraim Hanks' Floral Ranch on Pleasant Creek supposedly offered a safe retreat for polygamists along the Mormon underground railroad.

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How high is Sunset Point Overlook?

Sunset Point Overlook sits at about 6,355 feet (1,937 m).

What can you see from Sunset Point Overlook?

From Sunset Point Overlook: Fruita Point (S, 1.7 mi); Ferns Nipple (SE, 5.6 mi); Eph Hanks Tower (SE, 8.5 mi).

What is the nearest town to Sunset Point Overlook?

Bicknell, 14 miles WNW of Sunset Point Overlook.

What is the next lookout after Sunset Point Overlook?

Mummy Cliff Lookout is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Sunset Point Overlook.

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Sunset Point Overlook — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.

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