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Capital Reef National Park might seem an odd name for a park without a body of water or proximity to an ocean reef. Plus it’s a long way away from any landmark or city resembling a capital. But once you’ve visited the park and understand its unique geological features and history, the name starts to make sense. And you’ll truly appreciate what this often overlooked National Park has to offer, in competition with other Utah show stoppers, Zion and Arches.
Capital Reef National Park: What’s in a name?
Capital Reef is the geological result of a waterpocket fold – a wrinkle in the Earth’s crust, extending nearly 100 miles from Thousand Lake Mountain to Lake Powell. It was created over time by three gradual, yet powerful forces: deposition, uplift, and erosion which created a one-sided fold of horizontal rock layers. From the east, the Waterpocket Fold appears a formidable barrier to travel, much like a barrier reef in an ocean. So there’s the reef part.
Most of the monocline fold presents as rock cliffs, layered in shades of red, orange, with a few horizontal lines of white. But the predominant color reflected is of a rusty glow, from which light flows at different times of the day. The one exception to the sandstone dominated landscape is the intensely white “Capital Dome”, named such by early travelers, for its inspired shape and color similar to the US Capital building.
Once you understand the story of its background, the inspired name “Capital Reef National Park” is actually quite inspired.
Planning Your Day in Capital Reef National Park
The day I toured Capital Reef National Park, I was on my way from Moab (about 2.5hrs to the west), while returning to Mesquite, to catch an early morning flight out of Las Vegas the following morning. While it would have been fabulous to have spent more time, I squeezed a decent day out of it with a super early morning Moab departure. Capital Reef National Park doesn’t always make it onto Utah’s National Park itineraries, but it’s that carefree air that promises wide open vistas, limited crowds, and some great hiking opportunities.
Unlike most national parks, Capital Reef does not have a park ranger entrance station. Instead, guests follow Hwy 24 through the park to the visitor’s center. I purchased an annual pass previously, so technically there was nothing further to do, but I was uncertain how to prove my entrance fee payment. “Just have the card with you,” I was told. Yet another reason to love Capital Reef. The place is just chill.
Park Highlights
If you’ve got a single day in the park, my recommendation is to start at the visitor’s center for any updates to trails and road conditions, then head out on the Scenic Drive through the heart of the park. At the end of the road, park and venture on a day hike to Capital Gorge Trail along the river wash trail of the canyon, and then hike up into “the tanks.” Then circle back to the pioneer village of Fruita, learn about the valley’s Mormon history, and finish off your day with another day hike to Hickman Bridge and lookout. If you still have time in the day and gas in your energy tank, be sure to check out the Park Petroglyphs, just a short drive east of the visitor’s center, on Highway 24. Check out the details for this plan below.
The Scenic Drive
All along the Scenic Drive you will witness the cliffs and fold in the earth. Grand Wash, Capital Reef’s most captivating canyon, is worth a stop just to walk between the sheer walls of the Narrows. The Navajo sandstone at one point towers 80 ft high.
The Scenic Drive follows the cliffs on a paved surface for 4.5 miles. There are a number of pull outs along the way for photos, which should be used since the road is narrow otherwise for passing traffic. Be mindful of the speed bumps before and after lower lying areas though! These are meant to not only warn you of possible flash flood zones, but to slow traffic on this beautiful stretch of road. Don’t allow your car to become an accidental rocket launch hitting them at speed!
Capital Gorge Road & The Tanks hike
Both the Capital Gorge Road Trail and the Tanks hike are a great window into the parks scenery. To access the trail, you drive to the end of the paved portion of the Scenic Trail, and then continue on a gravel road along the Capital Gorge Road for 2.4 miles.
The road is narrow in parts, and only appropriate for singe vehicles, although I did meet a couple larger camper vans navigating the corners with trepidation.
Once you hit the parking lot, take the Capital Gorge Trail – a flat walk through the gorge and river bed valley. The trail follows the historic wagon route past petroglyphs and 19th century pioneer names carved in the cliffs.
“The Tanks” refers to huge pot holes that were invaluable to earlier settlers as a water source, since the natural craters collected valuable rainwater and run off in an otherwise parched environment. Animals in the area also rely on them. History has it that Utah outlaw “Butch Cassidy” used Capital Reef as a hideaway area, with the Tanks offering a watering hole for his horses.
Don’t miss the Tanks sign!
Although the turn towards the Tanks tail and switch backs up though the rocks from the canyon is marked, it is not a huge sign. Expect to find it around 0.8 miles in. After ambling along through the sandy river bed valley, the sign can easily be missed, especially if you are looking down at your feet to prevent tripping over various rocks and boulders.
The Tanks is well worth a hike up to have a look though, since these natural water well traps formed in the rocks are an interesting phenomena. Usually these basins are pretty full, so the level was unusual for early April.
Depending how far you go up into the Tanks, it should take you a couple hours return trip from the parking lot, if your goal is just to see them and then turn around.
The Village of Fruita
Early Mormon settlers built the village of Fruita. It is located a mile past the visitors center, on the way out to the Scenic Drive. Much of the settlers pioneering spirit is on display at the Historic Gifford House and Museum. Mormon settlers farmed the area, and you can still see an old barn, horses and stable across from Gifford House.
Early settlers planted orchards in the area – thus the village name Fruita. The 2,000 fruit trees include apple, pear, apricot, cherry and plum. Guests are free to sample and eat single fruits while visiting the grounds, but a small fee applies for any fruit taken out of the orchard. Today, the orchards are preserved as part of the Fruita Rural Historic District, and National Register of Historic Places.
The School House
There is a small one-room school house across from the town center area. I found the building and story behind it fascinating, primarily because my Mom had also started her career as a teacher in a one-room school house. So I was already familiar with the challenges and unique ties the school would have to the families from the area.
While you cannot enter the school building, you can view the room set up through the windows. There’s a great interpretive display that you can listen to as well – featuring one of the original teachers, telling the story of educating the towns children, and the challenges of getting teachers to come to the remote area.
The one-room school house doubled as a community center and town hall, which might be hard to fathom, until you realize the town at its peak only had about ten families total.
The last resident left Fruita in 1969. But considering the first tractor only arrived in Fruita in 1940, and electricity eight years later in 1948, it’s not difficult to imagine the hard life that families lead in this remote area.
Hickman Bridge Trail
Hickman Bridge Trail is Capital Reef’s most popular hike, offering a canyon and desert wash walk, beautiful look out views as you ascend, and a natural bridge arch – just in case you haven’t seen enough arches already in other Utah parks. Access to Hickman Bridge Trail is just back along Highway 24, right before the turn off for the visitors center. There’s ample parking in the lot and roadside.
Starting at the Fremont River, to the side of the parking lot, the path ascends red rock cliffs through switchbacks, then opens up through desert vegetation, and eventually through slickrock, leading to Hickman Bridge.
The 400 ft elevation gain over a 2 mile return distance is a nice hike to end the day.
Come along for the ride in this quick video tour of the park!
Fremont Petroglyphs
The Fremont Petroglyphs are easily viewed from an area close to the parking lot, off Highway 24, just east of the visitor’s center. From 600 to 1300 C.E., native people of Fremond Archeological Culture made their home at Capital Reef. Archaeologists believe that the Fremont people were a group distinct from Ancestral Puebloans. If you squint and stare long enough, you can make out human-like figures, wearing headdresses, and surrounded by big-horn sheep.
More petroglyphs
If you will be touring Canyonlands Needles district, be sure to check out Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs in Bear Ears National Monument, a stop along the way to the Needles area entrance. While the Fremont Petroglyphs are cool, but harder to pick out, the Newspaper Rock petroglyphs cover an entire wall, and the detail and visibility will absolutely blow you away!
Multiple days in the park?
If you are staying in Torrey, and plan to return to the park for multiple days, you might be up for some more hiking. Each of these noted below would be classified strenuous.
Try Rim Overlook (4.6 miles return) featuring panoramas of Fruita and the Waterpocket Fold from atop a dramatic cliff. Another alternative is hiking the Navajo Knobs, a 9.4 mile return trail as a continuation of the Rim Overlook Trail, offering 360-degree mountaintop panoramas. Rim Overlook has an elevation gain of 1,100 ft, and to continue on the Navajo Knobs, the total elevation gain becomes 1,620 ft.
When to visit
Capital Reef National Park is open year round. Although it experiences fewer visitors compared to Arches, Canyonlands, Zion or Bryce, shoulder season is still a great time to avoid crowds, plus this it offers cooler temperatures for hiking.
If you’re lucky, you can catch the wildflower bloom in the spring, along with the fruit blossoms, just as Capital Reef starts to wake up.
During the summer the sun is scorching by midday, and monsoon rains often arrive by afternoon, which can present danger in some hiking areas, or flash floods.
The autumn brings a vibrant change of color to the landscape with trees turning color in addition to the radiant red and orange cliffs. The orchards are also ready for picking, and Gifford House serves up fresh-baked apple pies.
During the winter Capital Reef is mostly in hibernation mode except for a few solitude seekers.
Accommodation
Torrey, 11 miles west, is the closest town to Capital Reef National Park, and offers a number of accommodation options, restaurants and gas stations. Check out the map below.
Alternatively, if you are planning a stop in Capital Reef, but then are off to see Arches National Park or Canyonlands National Park on subsequent days, you may then wish to based out of Moab. Check out this map for accommodation options in that area.
Camping
Reservations are required for the campground in Fruita during high season March 1 – October 31. Otherwise from November 1 – February 28, space is on a first come first served basis. Check https://www.recreation.gov/ for camping and permits.
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