Capitol Reef is one of my favorite national parks so far. It has tons of awesome hiking. It’s super close to other awesome parks. It has delicious cinnamon rolls and ice cream. And it’s highly overlooked. I just wanted to share some of my favorite pictures from my visits, my favorite posts from the park, and some of my top tips for visiting.
Best posts
The Desert Narrows: Sulphur Creek in Capitol Reef
A Pit Stop In Capitol Reef: Hiking To The Pioneer Register And The Tanks
A Little Taste Of Fall In Capitol Reef
Searching For Petroglyphs In Capitol Reef
Top tips
- Definitely, check the schedule of when the fruit will be ripe. If there is something in season during your visit, make a stop in the orchards! It might actually be my favorite thing to do there.
- Some of the must-do hikes in the park are Sulphur Creek, Hickman Bridge, Pioneer Register and The Tanks, Headquarters Cayon, Surprise Canyon, Cohab Canyon, Lower Muley Twist (or part of it) in the Waterpocket District, and Chimney Rock.
- Some other cool things to do that aren’t hiking are overlooking the Goosenecks, driving the Cathedral Valley Loop or Upper Muley Twist (high clearance and 4WD is necessary), pick fruit in the orchards, enjoy pie and ice cream at the Gifford Homestead, and admire the milky way at night.
- It gets super hot here, so make sure you stay hydrated and bring lots of water.
- Don’t forget to lather up in sunscreen all day, too.
- If you’re camping here or staying in nearby Torrey, make sure you go into the park one night to do some stargazing. It’s wonderful out here.
- If you have time and will be in the park a few days, try and get down to the Waterpocket District one of the days. It’s at the end of Notom Road. Parts of it are washboard-y and dirt, but we did it in a Smart Car last year and made it, so you should be OK, just go slow. It’s also much less busy in the area.
- Most important of all, just don’t skip over it on your Utah road trip. It’s extremely bucket list worthy and it’s the perfect stop between Moab and Zion, so why not?
Have you been to Capitol Reef? What is your favorite thing to do there? Do you want to go?
