There are 5 national parks in Utah, and they all have unique qualities that make them individually awesome. However, this one, in particular, we had never heard of before, but it quickly became one of our favorites! Capitol Reef National Park is located in South Central Utah just 2 1/2 hours southwest of Moab. It makes for a very easy drive out to the middle of nowhere. The closest town is Torrey, about 20 minutes outside of the park. There are a few motels and a restaurant or two, but it’s not a town where you can spend all day exploring the local eats and shops. And that is one reason why we fell in love with this park!
We had such a blast visiting Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, but because those parks are so popular and located right next to Moab (which is awesome!), they become so crowded!! We find it harder to appreciate the beauty of an area when we have to fight through crowds. Don’t get me wrong we can still see the beauty, but it’s just harder to appreciate it. However, with Capitol Reef, there were very few people visiting at the beginning of November. The campgrounds were nearly empty, the trails were spacious, and the views were breathtaking.
If you are planning a trip to Utah and are looking for a relaxing and beautiful park to visit, we got you! We spent two full days at Capitol Reef and had such a blast camping, hiking, and exploring this amazing park. There are so many more activities you could do here than what we did, but if we are ever in the area again, we will be sure to head back and cross some off. If you have ever been to this park and have favorite hikes/activities, we would love to hear about it in the comments below!
CAMPING IN CAPITOL REEF
There are only a few ways to camp/stay at this park. Because it isn’t close to a major city, the hotels and other accommodations are slim. However, there are three ways to camp: backcountry, primitive, and Fruita campground. We were there for two nights. We did primitive camping one night and Fruita campground the second night.
BACKCOUNTRY CAMPING
Backcountry camping is always fun! Unless you are worried about getting eaten by a bear, or mountain lion, or attacked by a snake, or giant spider. Otherwise, it’s totally fun! To do this though you need to have a free permit. This just lets the park know that there are people who are camping in the area and exploring the park off the beaten path. When you are backcountry camping it is very important to let someone know (who isn’t with you) where you plan on camping, the routes you are planning on hiking, etc. For more information on backcountry camping in Capitol Reef, you can click this link.
PRIMITIVE CAMPING
There are two free primitive campgrounds in the park, Cathedral Valley and Cedar Mesa. For both of these campgrounds, it is first come first served. They both also recommend high-clearance vehicles. Because we didn’t stay at these sites you can click this link to read more about them!
We like to use the Campendium app when looking for random primitive sites that other people recommend. The spot we chose was right next to the river, had a makeshift fire ring, and a great layout for two tents. Although it can be intimidating at first to camp off the beaten path, there is something exhilarating about it. Especially getting in late at night, unsure of what is surrounding you. When we first arrived, a little after 8 pm, it was already pitch black. We had our headlamps on and found a flat spot to set up our tent. Our friends had already made a fire next to the river. We had a great night telling ghost stories and eating smores!
The next morning, we awoke just before the sun came up. Once we stepped outside of our tent, we were greeted by the sound of the roaring river and a beautiful mountain towering over us. We had no idea that we were camping at the base of this thing. We made breakfast and sipped our coffee while we relished the fact that we were surrounded by beauty. After taking it in it was time to break down camp and head to Fruita campground to ensure a site for the next night.
FRUITA CAMPGROUND
We arrived at Fruita campground and had our pick of sites. In the busy season, I’m sure it’s pretty hard to find a site on a Saturday morning, but we were lucky to have the pick of well over 50 sites. There are 71 sites available at this campground. Reservations can be made March-October. But it is open all year round. After driving in circles trying to choose the most perfect spot, we finally landed on one. Short walking distance to the bathroom, a great view of the mountains and orchards, plenty of space for 4 people/2 tents. It was perfect. And at only $25 a site! I would highly recommend staying at this campground!!
One of our favorite parts of this campground was the wildlife. Tons of deer bedded down all day long or were seen taking little strolls right through your campsite. In the morning, it was truly magical waking up with them right by the tent!
So, if you are lucky enough to stay at this campground during your trip, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!
EXPLORING CAPITOL REEF
There are three districts in Capitol Reef National Park: Fruita, North (Cathedral Valley), and Southwest (Waterpocket). The majority of our time was spent in the Fruita district. It is definitely the most popular district of the three, being the easiest and most accessible to get to.
Our first stop in the Fruita district was of course the Gifford House. A house that was originally built in 1908 and later restored into what you can see today; a cute, tiny shop that sells local, handmade products, such as quilts, aprons, candles, etc. But the main attraction was the cinnamon rolls and the homemade pies! We can never pass up on a homemade pie! They also sell jams, jellies, and ice cream too! Be sure to check the hours of operation to make sure they are open during your visit because they are only open seasonally.
HIKING CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK (FRUITA DISTRICT)
Once our bellies were full of homemade goodies at 10 am we set out for a hike. There are many hikes you can do while in this park because well it is massive! But we had a lot that we wanted to do in two days, so we set out for the shorter, more popular, must-see hikes.
CASSIDY ARCH TRAIL
The first hike of the day was Cassidy Arch. To get to the trailhead you take E Grand Wash Rd, which is an amazing drive, so even if you don’t want to hike this trail, I would recommend driving back there because it really is so pretty! The parking lot is small so you will want to get there early if you are doing this during the busy season. Cassidy Arch trail is 3.4 miles long with an elevation gain of 670 ft. It is rated strenuous, but I feel it is more moderate difficulty. During this hike, you get views of the canyons, natural arches, and even groups of people repelling down Cassidy Arch! If you are afraid of heights, this might not be a good one for you, but I will say it is definitely worth it!
GRAND WASH TRAIL
Once we finished Cassidy Arch, instead of going right (back to our car) we went left which led you to another trail, Grand Wash trail. Grand Wash is 2.2 miles long (one way), with an elevation gain of only 200 ft. This is a very family-friendly trail. It is mostly flat and leads you all the way through Bear Canyon and The Narrows. The views are incredible the whole time! It makes you really realize just how small we are in this world. I recommend keeping an eye on the weather because there can be dangerous flash floods throughout this hike. At the other end of this trail is more parking alongside Route 24. We conveniently parked our second car at this end, so we didn’t have to backtrack. This saved us so much time so we could squeeze in one more hike!
HICKMAN BRIDGE TRAIL
The last hike we did for the day was Hickman Bridge. This moderate trail is 2 miles long with an elevation gain of 400 ft. The trailhead is just off Route 24 with a pretty decent size parking lot. This hike is also family-friendly and perfect for someone who doesn’t enjoy heights! You will see some more canyon views as you make the trek toward Hickman Bridge, but there is a safe distance between the trail and the edge of the rocks. One mile in you will see the 133 ft natural bridge that is Hickman Bridge. It’s pretty incredible seeing how rocks form after years and years of weathering and erosion.
The day has come to an end, and we were hungry!! It was time for dinner. We headed back to our campsite, started a fire, and enjoyed a nice dinner while watching the sun go down on a beautiful day.
EXPLORING THE NORTH (CATHEDRAL VALLEY) DISTRICT
On Sunday morning we had visitors. There were deer all over the campground feeding and just enjoying the slow morning. We could have stayed there all day watching them, but we were itching to explore the North District.
Getting to the North District is a bit of a drive, so it is very important to be prepared! Have plenty of water, gas, food, and safety kits. You don’t need to have four-wheel drive, but it is recommended to have a high-clearance vehicle! We did just fine with two-wheel drive, but it is pretty rugged. Again, be sure to keep up with recent weather conditions because heavy rainfall can make the roads impassable or washed out.
The highlight for us while visiting the North District was visiting the Temples of the Sun and the Moon. They are located in Cathedral Valley, aptly named after all the rock formations jetting out of the ground resembling cathedrals. Although the drive was long to reach this district, it is totally worth it! Cathedral Valley is astounding, and you can walk right up to the Temples of the Sun and the Moon. There are easy hikes in the area that I’m sure are amazing, but we were satisfied with being at the base of the 400 ft tall formations.
Also located in the North District is Glass Mountain, a large mound formed with glassy crystals, Gypsum Sinkhole, a 50 ft wide and 200 ft deep sinkhole, and many, many, bentonite hills. These colorful hills are spread throughout the district making for a very scenic drive!
VISITING THE SOUTH (WATERPOCKET) DISTRICT
The South District is definitely the least visited of the three districts, being a little more remote, but don’t rule it out just yet! Again, a high-clearance vehicle is preferred, but you will do just fine with two-wheel drive. Although we didn’t have time to visit the South District, there are many sights to see the next time we go back! Such as Strike Valley. Strike valley is the perfect place for anyone fascinated by geology! There are also many slot canyons, which we find super fascinating! Check out Burro Wash and Cottonwood Wash. If you’re interested in hiking and exploring the South District you can click this link.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Capitol Reef National Park easily became one of our favorite parks after the weekend we spent there. However, there were so many more things we wished we could have seen or done. If you have time to squeeze these in let us know how you like them!
- Canyoneering
- Rock Climbing/Bouldering
- Horseback Riding
- Sunset Point Trail (Fruita)
- Rim Overlook Trail (Fruita)
- Capitol Gorge Trail (Fruita)
- Upper Cathedral Valley & South Desert Overlook (South)
- Muley Twist Canyon (South)
- Halls Creek Narrows (South)
Visiting every National Park in the U.S. would be a huge accomplishment and now we are one step closer to achieving that goal! Capitol Reef is up there for one of our favorites and we hope that you enjoy the park as much as we did! If you have any questions or would just like to share your experience at the park with us please feel free to contact us! We would love to hear all about it!