Plan Your Visit to Capitol Reef National Park Travel Guide
Capitol Reef National Park is often called ‘The Land of the Sleeping Rainbow’. You will find colorful canyons, sandstone cliffs, white domes, box canyons, slot canyons, buttes, cathedrals, monoliths, arches, bridges, waterfalls, petroglyphs, orchards, mountains lions, and bighorn sheep. Capitol Reef National Park receives 1.25 million visitors annually and is the least visited of Utah’s Big 5 National Parks.
Capitol Reef is divided into three sections: Capitol Gorge, Notom-Bullfrog Road, and Cathedral Road. Highlights of Capitol Reef include the scenic drive, Hickman Bridge, Capitol Dome, and Chimney Rock. Popular activities are hiking, backpacking, camping, bicycling, horseback riding, rock climbing, and canyoneering. Visitors are free to pick cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, pears, apples, and almonds from March through October.
You are excited to visit Capitol Reef National Park and want to know the best time of year to visit, where to stay, what not to miss, and where to eat while there. Researching the best things to do while visiting Capitol Reef National Park while working full time is overwhelming and you don’t have hours to spend on the internet. Save time and plan an unforgettable trip full of top activities with this Capitol Reef National Park travel blog.
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Where is Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park is located in south-central Utah. This park is bordered by Grand Staircase Escalante National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The closest city is Torry Utah. The closest major airport is in Grand Junction Colorado (196 miles). Salt Lake City is 229 miles away and Las Vegas is 341 miles. Capitol Reef is 115 miles northeast of Bryce Canyon National Park and 130 miles southeast of Arches National Park. Many roads are unpaved and may require a high-clearance vehicle. There is no public transportation in this park.
Facts About Capitol Reef National Park
The area was called Wayne’s Wonderland in the 1920s. Pioneers began calling it Capitol Reef. They believed the Waterpocket Fold looked like a reef and the large white domes looked like the Capitol.
Capitol Reef became a national monument in 1937 to protect the 100-mile Waterpocket Fold.
It was not open to the public until 1950.
The area was designated a national park in 1971.
The area was designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2015.
The Waterpocket Fold is a 65 million-year-old fold in the earth’s crust.
Hickman Bridge is a 125 feet tall natural bridge.
The Fremont petroglyphs are 1000 years old.
Mormon settlers planted orchards still maintained today.
Best Time of Year to Visit Capitol Reef National Park
Spring temperatures are in the ’70s and wildflowers bloom late April through early June. The high season in Capitol Reef is May through September. Summer temperatures reach 100+ with little shade in the park. Monsoons are common in July and August. Temperatures fall below zero in the winter and snow is common.
Accommodation in Capitol Reef National Park
The Fruita Campground has 71 sites and accepts reservations from March through October. There are 2 undeveloped campgrounds in Capitol Reef: Cathedral Valley and Cedar Mesa. Both are primitive with pit toilets and no running water. Backcountry hiking requires a permit. National Forest campgrounds are available on Boulder Mountain. Additional campgrounds and hotels are located in nearby Torrey, Blanding, and Hanksville.
Things to Do at Capitol Reef National Park
Drive the 15.8 mile RT Capitol Reef Country Scenic Byway stooping at the viewpoints on Hwy 24.
Let the children explore the educational activities at the Ripple Rock Nature Center.
Photograph Behunin Cabin, Capitol Dome, Chimney Rock, the Cathedral Valley monoliths, and Goosenecks Overlook.
View the petroglyphs along Hwy 24.
Pick fruit at the Fruita Orchards and check out the schoolhouse.
Buy a pie at the historic Gifford Homestead, cherry is amazing.
View the petroglyphs from Panorama Point.
Watch the sunset from Sunset Point.
Drive Capitol Gorge Road to view the names on the Pioneer Registry.
Go for a swim in the Sulphur Creek Waterfalls.
Drive the Waterpocket Fold Loop: Notom-Bullfrog Road, Burr Trail Road, Hwy 12.
View the Milky Way with the naked eye.
Be sure to check the Capitol Reef National Park Service for current events.
Hikes in Capitol Reef National Park
Hike 2 miles RT on the Hickman Bridge Trail to a natural bridge.
Hike 2 miles RT on the Capitol Reef Gorge Trail through a narrow gorge to the Pioneer Registry.
Check out Surprise Canyon on an easy 2-mile RT trail.
Take the steep 3.5 miles RT hike through Grand Wash to an overlook of Cassidy Arch.
Explore Chimney Rock on the 3.6-mile loop.
Hike 4.4 miles RT through a slot canyon on Grand Wash.
Hike 4.5 miles RT on the strenuous Brimhall Natural Bridge Trail through a canyon to a natural bridge.
Take the 8.8 miles RT Frying Pan Trail past Cassidy Arch, Grand Wash, and Cohad Canyon.
Hike 12.4 miles RT on the Sulphur Creek Trail past waterfalls and through a slot canyon.
Take 22 mile Halls Creek Narrows backcountry hike.
Visiting Capitol Reef’s Cathedral Valley
Cathedral Valley’s 58-mile scenic loop is in Capitol Reef’s backcountry. Less than 1% of visitors to Capitol Reef see Cathedral Valley. There are no services in this area. Begin the trip with a full tank of gas, plenty of water and food, and emergency supplies including a shovel. A high-clearance vehicle is needed to drive sections of this road with thick sand and to cross the Fremont River. Storms in the Spring and Summer can make the road impassable and it is not plowed in the winter.
Plan to spend 6 hours exploring Cathedral Valley. Must-see sites include Bentonite Hills, Lower South Desert Overlook, Upper South Desert Overlook, Upper Cathedral Valley Overlook, Gypsum Sinkhole, Temples of the Sun and Moon, and Glass Mountain.
One Day in Capitol Reef National Park Travel Guide
Drive Hwy 24 stopping at Chimney Rock for the 1.8-mile hike. Cross the street at Panorama Point and continue on to the Goosenecks Overlook.
Watch the informational video at the visitor center and drive the scenic road.
Check out the Mormon pioneer exhibits at the Gifford Homestead and buy a pie.
Drive Grand Wash through a walled canyon and hike to Cassidy Arch, 3.4 miles.
Take the Capitol Gorge Spur Road and hike a 2-mile RT to the Pioneer Register.
Hike 2 miles RT to the Hickman Bridge.
Stop to see the petroglyphs on the way to the orchards and historic Fruita School.
Tips for Visiting Capitol Reef National Park
The nearest gas stations are in Torrey and Hanksville.
There is limited cell service in the park.
Temperatures vary through the day, dress in layers.
Bring water shoes if you plan to hike Sulphur Creek.
The desert sun is harsh, bring sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses, and a brimmed hat.
Do not enter slot canyons if there is a chance of rain.
Download a Dark Sky App or a Star Map.
Leashed pets and bicycles are allowed only on paved roads.
Be on the lookout for rattlesnakes
Many roads are unpaved, washboard, and remote with no cell service.
Bring twice the water you think you will need and stay hydrated.
The Visitor Center and Gifford House close for lunch between 12 and 1.
There is a picnic area next to Gifford House.
There is no charge for U-Pick fruit consumed in the orchard. Call 435-425-3791 to find what fruit is in season in Fruita Orchards.
Practice Leave No Trace Principles.
Purchase an America the Beautiful Pass and keep exploring National Parks.
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