I’d decided to skip Capitol Reef National Park during my five-week visit to Utah. But it was all the things I didn’t like about the other parks that made me go. I’m so glad I did. It ended up being my 2nd favorite Utah National Park.
Why? The number one reason Capitol Reef National Park is worth visiting is the crowds. This park doesn’t have any. My other reason is history. Oh, and the pie. Who am I kidding? It’s because of the pie.
What is Special about Capitol Reef National Park
This park is geologically diverse, with many different types of rocks make it special. But, it’s also historically fascinating, and some of that history is alive. The park has all the best features, such as canyons, cliffs, hoodoos, domes, petroglyphs, and arches. Other national parks typically have only one or two of these features.
It’s in the south-central part of Utah, not too far from the much more popular Bryce Canyon National Park. It’s broken into two different sections because it surrounds a long wrinkle or warp in the earth’s crust known as the Waterpocket Fold.
This “fold” created tilted layers of golden sandstone, canyons and various rock formations. There are red, white, black, brown, and gold rocks. Each section of the park’s 242,000+ acres is different from each other.
Fun Fact about why they call it Capitol Reef: The park’s name is from the white sandstone domes that look like capitol buildings and “reef” because it forms a 60-mile-long rock barrier.
A Park in Two Sections
The park is in two sections, one you need a pass for and the rest you can drive right through. There are even designated hikes and maintained trails on the section you can drive through for free.
There is a 10-mile scenic drive in the actual park, and you must pay to enter or have a park pass. This park gets so little traffic it’s still managed on the trust system. There isn’t anybody staffing the entrance. Imagine that at Arches National Park. Ha.
You’ll “enter” the park long before you actually enter it along Utah Highway 24. There are miles and miles of highway along the fold. You’ll see marked turnouts and trailheads as you get within a few miles.
Eventually, you’ll see the Visitor’s Center on your right. This is what I deemed the “main” section of the park, where it splits into two roads. There is the scenic (paid) road on the right and the free drive-thru road you came in on. Both are excellent and worth your time.
Orchards and Pie at Capitol Reef
Upon entering the scenic drive, you’ll be in the “Fruita” section. You’ll see cherry, apricot, peach, and apple orchards on the right. These historic orchards can be found throughout the park. I love that they just call it “fruita.” Say what you mean and keep it simple.
The grove is hundreds of years old and was started by Mormon settlers in the 1800s. The signage explains the history of the land settlement and these orchards are excellent Mormon history.
In recent years the park has repopulated the orchards, and now they grow a ton of different kinds of fruit. If you arrive when the fruit is ripe, you can even pick your own for a fee. And the best part? They make and sell pies!
Gifford Farm
In the Fruita valley, you’ll find the Gifford farm in the 200-acre Fruita Rural Historic District.
The park service has refurnished the Gifford farmhouse to showcase what an early Mormon settlement was like. Now, they even sell pies in honor of the farm’s history. There’s also a barn, smokehouse, and blacksmith buildings, a school and some other cabins. It’s very nearly like one of those historical reenactment places – but in a national park – say what?!
And yes, it’s so legit; the district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Inside the Gifford house, there are many items for sale, such as aprons, books, lotions, jams, ice cream, candles, toys and pie. Many of the items are from local craftspeople who make them the traditional way.
For just $6, you can get a little 5-inch pie made that day. Outside, families sit on picnic tables eating pie and ice cream and absorbing history most deliciously.
Capitol Reef Park Districts
Because of the many different geologic aspects of Capitol Reef, there are a lot of options for activity. Hiking, canyoneering, rock climbing, backpacking, camping and bicycling are some of the choices you have in the park.
Because I was alone and short on time, I spent most of my time in the Fruita District. But the park is big and has many different sections to show off the various aspects. There are the Cathedral Valley, Waterpocket District, Burro, Cottonwood and Sheets Gulch, and the Sulphur Creek area.
These sections feature river hikes, three slot canyons, monoliths, climbing areas and more for the experienced hiker or canyoner. This is where you want to go if you do some incredible hikes and avoid the mass crowds at the other national parks. Check out some of the hikes here.
Pioneer Register Trail
I, of course, did some hiking. There are 15-day hiking trails along Highway 24 and Scenic Drive. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I did a few super short trails and picked one with some very cool history.
The Capitol Gorge trail promised to lead me into a deep canyon with historical inscriptions. Its nickname is the “Pioneer Register.” I love history, so this was the hike for me. It requires driving to the end of the scenic drive until it ends and then going another mile or two on a dirt road. There you’ll come to a narrow canyon.
After walking about half a mile through the canyon, you’ll see the register high up on the canyon wall. Here are the many names, dates, and places carved, painted, and in one case, shot into the sandstone!
Park history says that prospectors, explorers, surveyors, cowboys, and settlers stood on wagons to carve into the canyon wall. Today, the names are so high up you’d wonder how they got them there – erosion. The canyon floor used to be much higher!
Rangers have researched the names and dates and you can even get the history and insight into these early settlers.
Visit Capitol Reef
This is a park you could easily spend a couple of days exploring and if you wanted to camp, this is one I’d put at the top of the list. There is much more to do and see, like the Cassidy Arch, petroglyphs, and so much more. This park is a true gem – go see it before the crowds from the other parks figure it out too.
Find Capitol Reef National Park, at HC 70, Box 15 Torrey, UT 84775.
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