Hanksville

Wanting to see the Hanksville area is what brought me to this region in the first place. I had seen YouTube videos of Hanksville and the surrounding locations, and the landscapes looked incredible. Those videos often include the Bentonite Hills, which we saw as part of our Cathedral Valley tour. The Bentonite Hills are outside Capitol Reef National Park, on BLM land, but they are along the loop road that leads to Cathedral Valley. Other sights, such as Factory Butte and Moonscape Overlook, are farther east and are not part of the Cathedral Valley loop. The road to Factory Butte is dirt but well graded. The road to Moonscape Overlook was rougher. Our crossover did fine, but more clearance than a typical passenger car was needed.

The landscapes around Hanksville are otherworldly and remarkable. Since much of the area is BLM land, it is also a great place to fly a drone. We stayed one night in Hanksville, but a visitor who only wanted to see the main sights during the day could do it as a day trip from Capitol Reef while staying in Torrey. We also visited Goblin Valley State Park, which was worth seeing, though I would not call it essential.

The YouTube videos made the Hanksville area seem even more otherworldly than I found it in person. In particular, many videos make the Bentonite Hills look more brightly colored than they appeared when we visited. The colors do shift with the light and conditions, but I suspect there is also some color enhancement going on in many videos. In my exerience, the most otherworldly location is the Moonscape Overlook.

All that said, Hanksville has unique and memorable landscapes. I am glad I saw and photographed them. Hanksville is a great location for drone photography since all the sights sit on BLM land.