But for us to continue to visit these beautiful parks all across America, we must do everything in our power to protect them. Protect the land, the resources, the wildlife, the habitats, the ecosystems, and the rangers who keep it all afloat. We must protect our national parks. And here’s a few ways we the people can do that.

LEAVE NO TRACE

The “leave no trace” principle is the easiest, most common way to protect our national parks. It’s as simple as it states. LEAVE. NO. TRACE. Whether your hiking, camping, having a picnic, just visiting the visitors center, it doesn’t matter, what matters is that you leave no evidence that you were ever there.

GOING FOR A HIKE

Ways to implement the “leave no trace” principle when you’re on a hike is easy. Just be sure to pack out what you packed in. We have seen everything from underpants, sunglasses, gloves, t-shirts, binoculars, plastic water bottles, orange peels, banana peels, and pistachio shells on the trail. The park is not your trashcan.

When it comes to gear, just be sure everything is tucked away in your pack. If the hike becomes too hot and you need to take off a layer, put it in your pack, not on a branch to grab on your way out. When it comes to food, EVERYTHING must be disposed of properly. That includes orange peels, banana peels, shells. Orane peels are often something we see left on the trail as most people think “It’s natural, it’s fine.” But even an orange peel can take up to 2 years to decompose! It doesn’t matter that these items grow on a bush or tree or in the ground. It is most likely uncommon to the area you are in, and many things can happen if we leave food scraps out. One, this will lead to food conditioning in the wildlife. Animals will be prone to invade the trails and campgrounds if they become used to eating human food. This becomes dangerous for the visitors as well as the wildlife. And two, food scraps can lead to unwanted pests, which can eventually lead to invasive species. So please pack out all food scraps!

Always do a double take after taking a break on your hike to make sure you have picked up all of your belongings. And Pro Tip: bring a small bag with you on hikes to pick up trash along the way!

HAVING A BATHROOM EMERGENCY

If you hike regularly, then you have probably had a bathroom emergency as some point on your trails. If you are new to hiking, then you should always be prepared for when nature calls.

To avoid this unfortunate situation, stop by the visitor center or trailhead bathroom before beginning your hike. During your hike, however, when you gotta go, you gotta go. Here’s a few tips for those emergent situations. One, always find a spot at least 200ft from any trail, campground, or water source. If you just have to pee, go about your business and then consider using a pee cloth, instead of toilet paper. This helps reduce waste, is antimicrobial, and reusable!

If you have to go “number two” while on the trail, then again always make sure you are at least 200ft from any trail, campground, and water source. The best practice is to pack your poop out. And in many cases is actually required. You can purchase a WAG bag (Waste Alleviation and Gelling) to help make packing your poop out easier! Or the other option is to dig a cathole. You’ll want to dig a hole about 6-8 inches deep, away from water, poop in the hole, and cover with dirt. If you wipe with nature’s toilet paper, you can bury that in the hole with your poop. If you use toilet paper or wipes, please be sure to pack that out! It can take years for those to decompose.

The easiest way to protect our national parks is by leaving no trace.

KEEP YOUR DISTANCE FROM WILDLIFE

Seeing wildlife during your visit to a National Park is all a part of the experience, but it’s super important that we keep our distance. These are still wild animals.

A lot of parks, such as Yellowstone, are perfect if you’re looking for a national park with wildlife viewing! Because there’s a good chance you’ll see bison, wolves, bears or elk. But if we want to protect our national parks and everything in them, then it’s very important that we keep our distance, or know what to do on a rare occasion of running into wildlife on the trails.

If you encounter an animal on the trail, make sure you know the correct way to respond depending on the type of animal. Check out this post for helpful tips! If you encounter an animal on the road, stop and let them pass. Take a picture if you’d like, but do not hold up traffic. This can be dangerous and lead to accidents within the park.

At the end of the day, we are in their territory. Most of the time, the animals will move on and not think twice. But if we start to invade their space and make them feel threatened, we could be putting ourselves, and them in danger.

RESPECT MOTHER NATURE

We have the privilege to explore these beautiful national parks year-round. They provide the most epic hiking trails, scenic views, jaw-dropping forests, and unbelievable wildlife viewings. But at what cost to them? People trample over the tiny, unseen ecosystems, carve into the outer layers of trees, leave food scraps out that will eventually lead to killing a bear, and drain these areas of their natural resources. So, what are we to do?

Aside from the “leave no trace” principle, and keeping our distance from wildlife, we should also be respecting Mother Nature. That means staying on designated trails, not carving our initials into trees, keeping our hands to ourselves during a cave tour, and only taking home souvenirs from the gift shop. By taking petrified wood, pebbles, fossils, etc., you are only expediting erosion and contributing to the dismantling of the park’s already fragile ecosystem. It’s also illegal, so there’s that too.

We only get one Earth, and we must take care of her.

FOLLOW SAFETY GUIDELINES

Before we visit a national park, we always check updates on the National Park Service website. We do this so we can be up to date on the latest trail closures, road closures, restoration projects, wildlife activity, wildfires, etc. The parks do a great job at keeping the public informed with what exactly is happening within the park. The rangers and staff members put a lot of effort into making sure all visitors have a great experience when visiting their national park and the least we can do is adhere to their safety guidelines.

If specific roads and trails are closed, simply do not go on them. If there are barricades preventing you from going all the way out to a ledge, simply stay behind the barricade. And if areas on a trail are closed due to restoration, simply stay on the designated trail.

Ways to protect our national parks can be as simple as reading a sign and adhering to it. They’re there for not only the safety of the visitors but also the safety of the wildlife and ecosystems within the park.

MAKE DONATIONS

The last way to help protect our national parks is to donate our time and resources to them. Currently, our parks are being dismantled for their resources, they’re experiencing major budget cuts, and staff is being laid off. The long-term effects of this could be catastrophic for the National Parks as we know it. It’s now more important than ever that we stand up and fight for these beautiful parks that we get to visit. Here’s how we can help.

DONATE YOUR TIME

Our National Parks are always looking for volunteers. From front desk help to campground clean ups, tour guides, and more. There are never too many volunteers. You can register at volunteer.gov to find work near you!

OR you do little things by picking up trash on your hike, and/or making sure you are not contributing to destroying a bathroom facility. Little things can lead to big differences.

HELP FUND OUR NATIONAL PARKS

If donating your time isn’t an option, consider donating to your favorite park or contributing to The National Park Foundation. You can make a one-time payment, or a monthly payment depending on your budget. No dollar is too small. We can make a difference, and this will help protect our national parks, as well as those who maintain them.

SIGN A PLEDGE

A simple way to help protect our national parks is by signing a pledge. The National Parks Conservation Association has a pledge we can sign that show Americans stand with the parks. That we support the people who protect them, and the history behind them. So, stand with me and sign the pledge today!

PROTECT OUR NATIONAL PARKS

After visiting 41 national parks, I can honestly say that it has changed me. It’s changed the way I view the world. Nature is a part of me, as I am apart of nature. I don’t want to live on this land, but with the land. From the ocean to the forest, to the sky, nature is everywhere and it sure is beautiful. We’ve spent years exploring these parks, and one day we hope to take our kids to these parks. But we can’t do that if we suck these parks of their resources, displace wildlife from their natural habitats, and ignore climate change. We must protect our national parks at all costs. Who’s with me?

Hi! We’re Paige & Adam

Thank you for joining us on this journey! We’re passionate explorers who are dedicated to keeping our bodies moving until we’re old and grey. Through our travel guides and expert travel physical therapy advice, we empower future travelers with the tools and inspiration to embrace adventure every step of the way. Your support means everything. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have! Have fun, stay safe, and happy hiking!

The post 5 WAYS WE CAN HELP PROTECT OUR BEAUTIFUL NATIONAL PARKS appeared first on Trails of a Travel PT.

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!

THE PRACTICALITIES

HOW TO GET THERE

Capitol Reef National Park isn’t the easiest park to get to. There is a little more planning involved. I would recommend flying into either Salt Lake City International Airport or Grand Junction Regional Airport. Either way, you will have to rent a vehicle. If you’re combining other national park/state parks in this trip, maybe you opt for a campervan! Drive time to Capitol Reef will take about 3-4 hours depending on where you fly into. Just be sure to fill up at every gas station see you! It can get pretty remote the closer you get to the park.

WHERE TO STAY

The closest town to Capitol Reef National Park is Torrey. It’s about a 20-minute drive to the park. Here you will find motels, inns, and a few resorts. We didn’t stay in Torrey, but a few options that stand out are Capitol Reef Resort, Red Sands Hotel & Spa, Rim Rock Inn, and Skybridge Inn. Your other option for staying in Capitol Reef National Park would be to camp.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The best time of year to visit would be either in the Spring (March-May) or the Fall (September-November). During both the Spring and Fall, temperatures are ideal, wildflowers are blooming or leaves are changing, and the crowds are non-existent. If you visit during the peak times, Summer (June-August) you will see larger crowds and hotter temperatures. If you visit during the winter, you may not have a problem with crowds, but weather could be a factor. You can stay up to date by checking road conditions and trail closures through the Capitol Reef National Park Page.

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. For the two nights we were there, 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 and the routes you are planning on hiking. 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. During peak 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 (we were visiting in November). 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. There were deer bedded down in the orchards, as well as strolling through the campsites. In the morning, it was truly magical waking up with them right by our tent!

No matter how you choose to camp, whether that’s with no other soul in sight, or waking up with 70+ people, Capitol Reef is a stunning place to watch the sun come up.

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

GRAND WASH TRAIL

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.

EXPLORING THE NORTH (CATHEDRAL VALLEY) 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.

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 much 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)

Capitol Reef National Park might just be the most underrated national park, not only in Utah, but in the country. Maybe if we went during peak season, we would have a different opinion, but visiting in the Fall with crisp weather, colorful foliage, and no crowds made for a weekend to remember! If you need more recommendations or have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us. Happy hiking!

Hi! We’re Paige & Adam

Thank you for joining us on this journey! We’re passionate explorers who are dedicated to keeping our bodies moving until we’re old and grey. Through our travel guides and expert travel physical therapy advice, we empower future travelers with the tools and inspiration to embrace adventure every step of the way. Your support means everything. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have! Have fun, stay safe, and happy hiking!

The post CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK: A GUIDE FOR A GREAT WEEKEND appeared first on Trails of a Travel PT.