Cassidy Arch [Suggest Edits]

Description

This striking rock formation is the perfect accentuation of the stunning area that surrounds it. The arch stretches some 400 feet above the valley floor where the Grand Wash Trail and Scenic Drive are located. The arch is named after the notorious outlaw, Butch Cassidy.

Cassidy was originally born as Robert LeRoy Parker in Beaver, UT, some two hours east of the park. He left home at an early age to pursue a more prosperous life and fell in with a local Utah rancher, Mike Cassidy. After becoming friends and learning about training horses and ranching, the two parted ways after Mike Cassidy got into some trouble with the law.

Parker went on to pursue a life of less-than-lawful activities himself and succeeded in his first bank robbery in 1889 of more than $20,000 from the San Miguel Valley Bank in Telluride, Colorado.

As his criminal career developed, Parker began to use the pseudonym "Cassidy" in honor of his old mentor. After conducting numerous bank and train robberies and spending stints in jail, Cassidy took up with the Wild Bunch gang. This group of outlaws used a remote canyon called "Robbers Roost" to hide from the authorities for long periods of time. The canyon, which is a tributary of the Dirty Devil River, is only 53 miles east of Capitol Reef.

Short Hike: Use the Grand Wash Trail Parking Area and head out on the 3.2-mile, out-and-back, Cassidy Arch hike.

Family Friendly: Kids will love seeing the stunning arch with the added bonus of the perfect Wild West story to tell along the way.

Gem Type: Natural Arch