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Capitol Reef is definitely the most underrated national park in Utah.  It gets overlooked on road trips through the area (guilty) for the much more popular Arches and Zion. 

While I love the hiking of Capitol Reef and how close it is to where I live in the summer, I really, really love picking fruit in the orchards and it makes a weekend trip to Torrey that much better.

I went for the first time last year when my parents came to visit, then made another trip to pick peaches this summer, though we ended up picking apples again.  Today I’m going to share with you everything you need to know about the Capitol Reef orchards.

Side note: If you’re visiting Page, Arizona, too, there are orchards at Lees Ferry, too!

National Park Goodies

• If you’re planning to visit three or more national parks within a year from your trip, definitely get the America the Beautiful pass. It will save you money in the long run if you’re going to more than three parks in a year. Buy the pass here.
• If you’re planning on doing a lot of hiking on your trip, or even at home, check out AllTrails! This is my favorite app to find, keep track of, and track my hiking activity. And it’s FREE! Sign up here.
• This Ultimate National Park Planning Bundle is a must-have. You get two ebooks and a planner, saving 50% by getting them as a bundle! If you want all the details, this is the bundle for you. Buy the Ultimate bundle here.
• This National Park Planner (one of the ebooks from the bundle above) is perfect if you just want some guidance in your planning. Buy the planner here.
• Get yourself a little National Park notebook to write all about your adventures while you’re on the road. These from Field Notes are all very cute! If you want one for all of the NPS sites (400+!) then this one is for you!
• Before your trip, get some national park apparel for your trip!
• Consider reading some of these books set in national parks before your big trip, on your adventure, or once you get home to take you back to the parks until next time.

About the Capitol Reef orchards

The orchards in Capitol Reef are all in the Fruita District in the heart of the park.  Within a mile or two of the visitor center, you’ll be in fruit picking paradise. 

The trees in the orchards are remnants of the early settlers in Fruita.  There wouldn’t be more than ten families living here at any one time and the last residents moved away in 1969.

Today, the orchards are protected under the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Fruita Rural Historic Landscape.  There are about 3,100 trees total in the orchards that are now maintained by the park service.

You’ll find cherry, apricot, pear, apple, plum, mulberry, almond, and walnut trees in the park.  This is definitely a bucket list worthy experience since you can’t do it in any other parks.

What to pick + when

There are two seasons for the trees in the park: flowering and harvesting.  Flowering comes first and would be just as cool to see, you just don’t get to pick the fruit since it hasn’t grown yet.  I would love to visit during that time, too.  Picking fruit and seeing the blooms are both bucket list-worthy.

You can get updated flower and harvest information on the parks information line.  After the introduction, press 1, then 5 for the fruit hotline.  You can also find updates on Capitol Reef Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Flowering
Cherries: March 31 – April 19
Apricots: February 27 – March 20 (early)
March 7 – April 13 (regular)
Peaches: March 26 – April 23
Pears: March 31 – May 3
Apples: April 10 – May 6

Harvest
Cherries: June 11 – July 7
Apricots: June 27 – July 22 (early)
June 28 – July 18 (regular)
Peaches: August 4 – September 6
Pears: August 7 – September 8
Apples: September 4 – October 17

How do the orchards in Capitol Reef work?

As long as an orchard is unlocked, you’re free to wander through, but you can’t pick fruit until it’s posted as open for picking.  There are big U-Pick Fruit signs outside of the orchards that are open.  There will also be a sign telling you what is available in that orchard.

While you’re in the orchard, you can eat all the fruit you want.  If you want to take anything with you to eat fresh or make something like these delicious looking vegan apple turnovers, you’ll have to weigh and pay at the orchard entrance.

There are little scales and a pay box.  They are cash only, so make sure you have some on hand.  If you don’t, don’t worry.  You can still enjoy the fruit while you’re there.  You’ll also need to bring your own bag.

There are ladders and hand-held fruit pickers to help you pick the fruit that is out of reach.  I would highly recommend giving the fruit picker a try.  I don’t know why, but I think those are so fun to use that I even helped strangers get some fruit down.  Just don’t climb the trees.  It is strictly prohibited.  Also, don’t pick fruit that isn’t ripe yet.

What to bring to Capitol Reef

Hiking poles – These will be helpful on longer hikes that are on the steeper side.  They’ll be good if you have bad knees for when you’re going downhill and will give you something to lean on going up the hills.

Snacks – These are more important for long hikes, but you never know when you’ll get hungry!  I like EPIC bars (kind of like beef jerky but different), Sahale nut mix things, and Moon Cheese.  There’s always the good old Clif Bars and trail mix, too.

Water bottle – It’ll be hot and humid and you’ll need to stay hydrated.  A Hydro Flask will keep your water ice cold all day long.

Sunscreen – If you plan on being outside, you’ll want sunscreen.  I like the Neutrogena a lot, but if you’ll be visiting a beach soon, you’ll want a reef-safe sunscreen.

Hat – You’ll want some kind of hat to keep the sun out of your eyes.  A baseball hat should be fine but a bucket hat or sun hat could help keep the sun off your neck.

Sunglasses – This is a must, especially with the strong desert sun.  Sunglasses are best paired with a hat on those really bright days.

Light Jacket – Because you just never know.  Weather can change quickly depending on where you are and if you’ll be in any slot canyons, they can get cool depending on the time of day and season.  I usually use my rain jacket for this.

Headlamp – I tend to carry my headlamp around all the time when we’re hiking.  This isn’t the exact one I have, but it’s similar and if I needed to replace mine, I’d probably get this one.

Things to do nearby

• Hike to Hickman Bridge
• Check out the petroglyphs on the main highway
• If you have a whole day, hike Sulphur Creek
• Check out the Pioneer Register and the Tanks in Capitol Gorge at the end of the scenic drive
• Hike Cohab Canyon
• Stop into the Gifford House for pie, ice cream, and cinnamon rolls.  The salsa is really good, too.
• Admire the goosenecks and Chimney Rock
• If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, spend some time on the Cathedral Valley Loop.
• Head down to the Waterpocket Fold for fewer crowds and awesome hikes, like Headquarters Canyon, Surprise Canyon, or Lower Muley Twist.
• Go Geocaching just outside of the park
• If you’re here overnight, make sure you check out the stars.  Capitol Reef is a Dark Sky Park.

Torrey hotels

• Capitol Reef Resort
• Skyridge Inn
• Rim Rock Inn

Tips for visiting the Capitol Reef orchards:

• Make sure you have cash if you want to take any fruit with you.  The apples, from my experience, have been $1-$2 per pound.  The apples are small, but the best apples I’ve ever had.
• Don’t climb the trees or pick unripe fruit.
• You can find updated orchard information on Facebook, Twitter, or on the park information phone line: 435-425-3791.
• Bring a bag to keep the fruit you’ve picked in if you plan to take any with you.
• As delicious as this fruit is, don’t hog all of it.  Save some for the rest of us.