Along the eastern boundary of the Capitol Reef National Park lay foreboding badlands and otherworldly formations. Along the north side of the Fremont River where it meets the Deep Creek, lies the enigmatic formation called Blue Flats with its colorful outcroppings and strange bluish-grey and black shale. This area is part of the Freemont River Canyon between the Capitol Reef National Park and Blue Gate. The image below is of the area directly to the south and slightly below the North Blue Flats and is called the Blue Desert Bench.