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Updated 02/11/23 7:04 PM

Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park is Utah’s ‘other’ park. Perhaps less famous than Bryce, Zion, Canyonlands and Arches but a beauty nevertheless.

Utah

1999, 2008

About The Park

Capitol Reef National Park is another one of those parks that you can spend as much or as little time as you want or have to spend. If you are driving from Bryce to Canyonlands and Arches National park’s via Utah highway 12, it will connect with Utah’s highway 24 which cuts through the park. The park is in a very remote section of southern Utah so the crowds so prevalent in Zion and Bryce won’t be found here.

The park gets its name from a line of white sandstone domes said to look like the United States Capital building and from the ridges that jut out on the west side of the Waterpocket Fold that were referred to as ‘reefs’ by the pioneers. The Capitol Dome can be seen on the north side of highway 24 less than a mile west of the visitor’s center

The visitor center is just off the road at the start of the park’s scenic drive.

The scenic drive is a 8-mile out and back drive along, what is called, the Waterpocket Fold. This ‘warp’ in the Earth’s crust becomes clear as you drive along the park’s drive as a line of mesa’s with a decided upward slant as seen in the photo at the top of the page. It was created 65 million years ago probably by the collision of two of the continental plates.

If you are just passing by and time is tight you can do the drive in less than two hours with time spent stopping, photographing and enjoying the spectacular scenery. At the right times of day the colors are amazing. More time gives you more chance to explore the park’s amazing hiking trails and spectacular beauty.

As you meander along the drive you are confronted with an array of white rock domes, spires, colorful cliffs and twisting canyons that aren’t evident until you stop and explore them. If you hike into them you may experience places where the walls are just feet apart and sometimes the walls will open up to expansive vistas and the sight of arches.

Just past the visitor center is the Fruita Historic District. Originally named Junction the name of this Mormon settlement was changed to Fruita around the turn of the century. The area was known for its orchards hence the name Fruita. It was abandoned in 1955 when the National Parks Service purchased the land to include in the national park. The orchards remain and are the property of the NPS which maintains them as part of the ‘historic landscape’. The original one room schoolhouse, constructed in 1896, which also served as a community center is still intact although the interior was restored to the 1930’s period.

The section of the road between Torrey, Utah and the park’s road contains several points of interest to stop at and enjoy the desolate beauty of them. Chimney Rock is a towering red sandstone butte. The Goosenecks Overlook is a viewpoint above a steep canyon carved by Sulphur Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River. The Twin Rocks is another attraction to stop and take a look at along this section of road.

Down the road from the visitor center, on highway 24, there is a boardwalk from which petroglyphs can be seen which date from the Fremont Culture (300-1300 CE). There were some that I am fairly sure were used by the author Erich Von Dannekin in his book Chariots of the Gods as possible proof of extraterrestrial influences among the ancients. There’s a link to the National Park’s Service’s Fremont Culture webpage at the bottom with photos of some of the petroglyphs including one with strange human-like figures of the type the book displayed.

In the more difficult to access northern region of the park is Cathedral Valley which has some incredible scenery. Unfortunately this area is only accessible via dirt roads where 4WD is recommended.

Capitol Reef was designated and International Dark Sky Park in 2015. The near-pristine night skies provide some of the best night sky viewing among the western parks. It is one of their ‘Gold Tier’ parks which signifies the highest quality night skies.

While this park can be a drive-by park, where you can just take a drive on the park’s scenic road on your way to Bryce or Moab, a multi-day stay in the area would give you time to explore the park and appreciate the reason it is a national park. There’s much to see and do and you won’t be disappointed with any amount of time that you choose to spend here.

Wildlife

For mammals there’s Desert Bighorn Sheep, mule deer, mountain lion, ringtail, squirrels, beavers, marmots and foxes. Among the reptiles are many species of snakes including the Midget Faded Rattlesnake which rarely grows over 2 feet. There’s about 10 species of lizards and a few amphibians. There’s also over 200 bird species including Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Spotted Owls and Mountain Bluebirds.

Lodging

There’s no lodging in the national park. Lodging can be found in some of the surrounding towns. The closest lodging can be found in Torrey, Utah and Teasdale, Utah. Torrey is 11 miles west of the park; Teasdale is a few miles further. This link will take you to a website where you can find lodging in the area. There’s additional links for lodging options at the bottom of the page.

Hiking

Grand Wash

This is an excellent easy, fairly level hike. For the most part the trail is in the shade of the canyon walls on either side so it is a good hike for a hot, sunny day. Access to this is via the park’s scenic drive and can be an out-and-back hike of whatever duration you want. It is a popular hike so, if solitude is your preference, then this might not be your best choice. The trail does connect the scenic drive with Highway 24 and can be taken as a 6 mile hike in either direction. This only works well if you have two cars and leave one at the end that you hike to. Since most of the trail traffic is at the scenic road end, parking at the highway 24 end of the trail is more likely to be a less congested out-and-back hike.

Hickman Bridge Trail

This is an easy, scenic, 2 mile round trip hike out to a beautiful natural bridge.

Chimney Rock Trail

This is a 2.6 mile out-and-back trail that, due to some steep sections, is rated as strenuous. From the top of the the trail there is a 360 degree panoramic view.

Capitol Gorge Trail

This is a moderate out-and-back hike of about 2 miles round trip. This hike will take you past petroglyphs and to places where the walls are just a few feet apart.

This link will take you to the National Park’s Service website for hiking in Capitol Reef National Park.

Other Points of Interest

Notom-Bullfrog Road

For the more adventurous there is the Notom-Bullfrog Road scenic backway. A good way to this back country drive is to make it about a 90-mile loop of which about 15 miles or so would be on the graded roads. The rest is paved and the scenery throughout all of it is a 10.

*Warning* Never take a back country road in wet weather. Always be aware of the weather forecast before undertaking a back country drive.

You pick up Notom-Bullfrog road at the eastern edge of Capitol Reef National Park. It travels south and the first 10 miles are on pavement. After that it is a well-maintained graded road that travels along the eastern edge of the WaterPocket Fold to your right. The road is fairly level and very scenic as you travel through Strike Valley. The Henry Mountains will be on your left. After about 10-15 miles of graded road you reach the intersection with the Burr Trail which heads down to Lake Powell to the east. You make a right turn and head west up the famous Burr Trail switchbacks. The switchbacks are wide and easy and going up switchbacks is generally easier than going down them where gravity is giving you an extra push - and putting more heat on your brakes.

The etiquette of back country driving dictates that uphill traffic has the right of way since it is theoretically easier to back up a steep grade than down one - as far as being able to see the road behind you. In this case, since the road is fairly wide and easy enough for cars to pass in most places, there shouldn’t be any problem with ‘traffic’.

Once at the top of the switchbacks you only have a few more miles of graded road through Capitol Reef National Park. Once you exit the park you are in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and the road is now paved. About 10 miles or so further the road takes you though dramatic Long Canyon. After that it is about 10-12 miles to highway 12 at Boulder, Utah. At this intersection is the Boulder Mountain Lodge with its famous Hell’s Backbone Grill. If it is near dinner time this is the only place between there and Torrey, Utah. The only caveat to stopping for a bite here for dinner (lunch is fine) is to avoid driving up the famously scenic Utah highway 12 back to the national park area at night. There’s a number of scenic viewpoints along this road that are not scenic at night - although the very dark sky in this area is a rare treat on a clear moonless, night.

As with any back country road it is best to have two vehicles in case of a problem. Part of the beauty of taking back country roads is the solitude. You have the excitement and scenic beauty all to yourself. However, these roads tend to not get lots of traffic so if help is needed that could be a problem. Cell phone service is likely to be non-existent. Whenever we go into the back country, especially if it is a road that I am comfortable driving without a second vehicle, we always let someone know where we are going and when to call for help if we are not heard from by a certain time.

There is a separate page on this website for Utah’s highway 12 which is on many a list of the most scenic highways in America. If you are traveling in the area, especially if you are driving between Bryce and Moab, you’ll want to read about this route. The link is below.

Capitol Reef National Park Photo Gallery

Highway 12 - Rated as one of the most scenic roads in America

Other Resources

Capitol Reef National Park on the National Parks Service website - NPS.gov

Capitol Reef National Park - Wikipedia

Fremont Culture Petroglyphs in Capitol Reef - NPS.gov

Lodging Near Capitol Reef National Park- CapitolReef.org

Lodging Near Capitol Reef National Park - Utah.com

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - Wikipedia

Other National Parks and National Monuments Within a Day’s Drive:

Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park are 153 miles east and about a 3 hour drive if you take the interstate. A far more scenic trip would be to visit Natural Bridges National Monument on the way to these parks which would add 100 miles and another 2 hours plus whatever time you spend touring Natural Bridges.

Bryce Canyon National Park with its colorful hoodoo’s is 145 miles to the southwest and about a 3.5 hour drive on Highway 12 - one of the most scenic highways in America.

Zion National Park has its virtually sheer 2000 foot walls and is 270 miles southwest and about 6 hours drive if you take Highway 12. From Bryce Canyon Zion is 90 miles miles away and less than 2 hours from it.

Grand Canyon North Rim Dramatic in its own right with one-tenth the number of visitors it is 282 miles to the south and about a 5 hour drive.

These national monuments are on Navajo Tribal land and are as worthwhile to visit as any national park.

Monument Valley Tribal Park is about 190 miles southeast and about a 4 hour drive. This is a place you’ve seen in any number of Hollywood westerns.

Canyon De Chelly National Monument Ancient cliff dwellings carved into the sides of a steep canyon is about 273 miles southeast and about a 5.5 hour drive.
*N*P*Z*

Picture of the Waterpocket Fold in Capitol Reef National Park

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