Capitol Reef National Park
This park, which we hadn’t even heard of before planning the trip, was such a great surprise. When telling people about our upcoming trip before we went, I actually sometimes even forgot its name (Coral Reef? Canyon Ridge?), which does no justice to this cool park. The towering red rock canyons were amazing, and we wish we’d allotted more time here, rather than just the half day we had. We knew it was special as soon as we began the decent from Torrey, Utah into the Park’s western side and the panorama of the park stretched out in front of us.
A photo from one of our many “pull over, I want to take a picture” moments on the Scenic 8 mile drive
What We Did
If you, like us, are short on time and have to prioritize what you do, we highly recommend the (appropriately-named) 8 mile Scenic Drive. We drove slowly through the Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge both because of the gravel and because every turn of the road was just so magnificent.
Next time, we’ll make sure to visit the much more remote but intriguing area in the northern part of the park to see the “Temple of the Sun” and “Temple of the Moon,” which take time and planning to get to, whereas the Scenic Drive was so easily accessible from the highway.
There is a small cluster of orchards just past the Visitor Center, in Fruita. We stopped at the Gifford Homestead to get pie, which we finished like 3 minutes after sitting down at the picnic table.
Pie from the old pie shop in the park
Official proof we were there!
The scale of this place was incredible. Check out the pick up truck for scale.
We loved the distinct layers in the rock as well as their impressive scale
When it looks like you’re on Mars, you gotta take a jumping pic!
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Capitol Reef Resort in Torrey the night before visiting (it was our most expensive accommodation at $140 a night. We did feel lucky that when we arrived so late in the evening and they were out of doubles, we got to stay in one of their lovely cabins). There’s a pool, a hot tub, a restaurant, and all types of room options, including a covered wagon (though those seemed to be available only in summer). They also arrange llama walks through Capitol Reef.
Lovely views from the hotel
Cabin upgrade!