Capitol Reef National Park

From Bryce Canyon, we continue our travels to Capitol Reef National Park on Route 12 to Route 24 (Torrey, UT) for 122 miles. It will take you around 2-1/2 hours to drive to the park if you are not also distracted by another extraordinarily scenic area:  The Grand Staircase-Escalante. We never had time to visit and hike the Grand Staircase-Escalante area, but it is definitely on our "Bucket List" to see soon. You might want to include this area in your travel itinerary if you have a few extra days. The problem is that Utah has so many scenic areas you can visit that sometimes it is hard to figure out where you want to stop for a day or two!

Now, back to Capitol Reef National Park…We usually stay at a hotel in Torrey, UT. 

Capitol Reef is less well-visited than the other four major Utah parks. However, it is unique, peaceful, and quite beautiful. And, most of all, this park is not at all crowded! Most people are very eager to drive right by Capitol Reef National Park to visit the wonderful and fun Moab area. (I do not blame them because I love the Moab area too!) 

However, this park is worth a stop. 

If you want to see beautiful mountains with so many different layers of color and slot canyons you can literally hike by yourself, 1,000-year-old petroglyphs, sandstone cliffs, spires, and monoliths, this is your park! And remember, you can see it all without all those crazy crowds of people around you!  

When we arrived at Capitol Reef National Park Visitor's Center, we were told by a Park Ranger to be aware of storms around the surrounding area (even the ones coming in from a good distance away) because this park can have flash floods (and they can happen very quickly)! Thank goodness we arrived at the park on a very clear, dry day. There was no rain in sight in all directions!  

Capitol Reef is full of massive domes, sheer cliffs, and twisting canyons and has one unique geographic feature. The "Waterpocket Fold."

The scientific definition of a Waterpocket Fold is "a buckle or wrinkle in the earth's surface." The buckle/wrinkle at Capitol Reef extends for nearly 100 miles! The "Fold" created a very extraordinary and unusual scenic landscape. 

The park consists of beautifully blended shades of red (and gray) colors among many rugged cliffs and canyons (with some arches and even natural bridges). And most of the trails lead you right to them!

We usually stay at least one day to hike some of this park's "less traveled" trails. Capitol Reef is a little off the beaten path and lacks a great infrastructure like the other four Utah National Parks. It has no food services within the park, so you must pack your lunch and/or snacks (also plenty of water) while visiting the park. The park has a nice Visitor's Center and an eight (8) mile scenic drive. Capitol Reef is officially open 24 hours; however, the Visitor's Center, on most days, is only open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. So, make sure you check the Visitor Center hours before you visit the park.  

So, even though this park is very underrated compared to the other Utah National Parks, it does pack a powerful scenic punch! The hiking trails are mostly rated easy to moderate, and we particularly love hiking the Grand Wash Trail (4.5 miles roundtrip – if you finish the entire trail) and Hickman Bridge Trail (1.7 miles roundtrip). The Grand Wash Trail has an excellent Narrows section where you can walk between towering walls on both sides of you. You can start your hike at the Lower Trailhead off of US 24, but before you go, make sure you stop by the Visitor's Center to get a park map and information from a Park Ranger regarding this trail and other trails in the park.

 We have stayed overnight at what is now called The Noor Hotel, 877 North State Road 24, Torrey, Utah. (I believe when we stayed at the hotel, it was actually owned by Best Western.) This hotel, however, is in a great location and has beautiful scenery of Capitol Reef National Park right out its backdoor (basically, in its backyard!). It also has a nice restaurant at the hotel, so you do not have to drive anywhere for a good meal. When we have a long day of hiking, we prefer to drive only a little bit for our dinner!  

So, if you want to feel like you are hiking a National Park all by yourself, stop by Capitol Reef National Park. This park is a place where you can wander around in wonder, looking at the beautiful scenery while you enjoy the fabulous, uncrowded, easy trails. Making a stop to see Capitol Reef National Park will make you feel, at times, like you are totally alone in the great outdoors! It rocks, so enjoy every minute of silence while hiking the beautiful trails!