The nearly 100-mile long uplift known as the Waterpocket Fold forms the backbone of Capitol Reef National Park as seen in this photograph along Pleasant Creek. Created by an underground fault which did not break the surface, thick layers of Navajo, Kayenta, and Wingate Sandstone have been pushed up out of the earth and folded to create a rugged barrier here in south-central Utah. Several perennial streams cut through this long sandstone ridge as they drain the high alpine regions of the Aquarius Plateau to the west. Here on the eastern side of the uplift, autumn-hued cottonwood trees line the banks of Pleasant Creek several miles upstream from its confluence with the Fremont River. This panoramic photograph was captured with a 6x17 panorama format camera. All photos in these fine art photo galleries may be ordered as fine art framed prints or for stock photography usage.