---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 273"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "273"
heading: "Establishment"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/273"
units:
  - "Chapter 1 — National Parks, Military Parks, Monuments, and Seashores"
  - "Subchapter XXXI — Capitol Reef National Park"
---

# §273. Establishment

- (a) **Description of area—** Subject to valid existing rights, the lands, waters, and interests therein within the boundary generally depicted on the [map](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=1) entitled “Boundary [Map](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=1), Proposed Capitol Reef National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3), Utah,” numbered 158–91,002, and dated January 1971, are hereby established as the Capitol Reef National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) (hereinafter referred to as the “[park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3)”). Such [map](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=1) shall be on file and available for public inspection in the offices of the National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) Service, Department of the Interior.
- (b) **Abolition of Capitol Reef National Monument; funds of monument available for park; administration of lands excluded from monument—** The Capitol Reef National Monument is hereby abolished, and any funds available for purposes of the monument shall be available for purposes of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3). [Federal lands](/usc/16/620e.md?p=2), waters, and interests therein excluded from the monument by this subchapter shall be administered by the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as the “[Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1)”) in accordance with the laws applicable to the [public lands](/usc/16/620e.md?p=7) of the United States.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 92–207, § 1, Dec. 18, 1971, 85 Stat. 739.)