A Capitol Reef National Park Itinerary
Our trip to Capitol Reef National Park has been a long time in the making. It has occupied a top spot on our trip wish list for quite a few years, because it’s a bit under the radar and has been designated as an International Dark Sky park, meaning its night sky can be equally as impressive as its daytime wonders.
One of Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks, Capitol Reef is one of its least visited parks as compared to popular Bryce Canyon N.P, Zion N.P., Arches N.P, and Canyonlands N.P.
When visiting other national parks, we typically wake at the crack of dawn to secure trailhead parking to avoid the mass crowds (hello Glacier and Yellowstone!).
For this trip, we were hopeful that a mid-week, early fall visit to a self-described “less crowded” Utah national park in the middle of southern Utah’s red rock country would afford a more leisurely and peaceful experience for our family.
Drum roll… it did not disappoint! We had a simply awesome trip, and we share all the details here!
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Is It Worth Visiting Capitol Reef National Park?
Yes, Capitol Reef National Park is definitely worth visiting. While researching our trip to Capitol Reef National Park, I was surprised how often I came upon this question.
Of the 5 Utah national parks, Capitol Reef seems to be a brief stop on the way to somewhere else. Which is fine, but I do think this was one of the easiest national parks to visit, especially with kids in tow.
Although I concede it doesn’t hold up to the majesty of Zion; Capitol Reef is, however, a great national park for a family who doesn’t want the logistics of coordinating the park shuttles of Zion, waiting in the entrance lines of Arches, or negotiating the crowded parking areas at the popular trailheads of Bryce Canyon.
Capitol Reef provided scenic beauty, plenty of easy hikes, and while we were there, minimal people.
After a 3 day visit (which seemed just about right), we came away refreshed, not frazzled, and certainly awe inspired. For us, it was absolutely worth it!
How Many Days Should You Spend in Capitol Reef National Park?
From our experience, a two day visit would be more than enough to see the park, but you could easily spend at least an additional day visiting nearby areas or simply enjoying the peaceful solitude and grandeur of the night skies here.
If you have only one day, I would prioritize hiking the Grand Wash Trail (see below) and stopping at the Gifford House to pick up a delicious pie to enjoy at the picnic area. Read on to learn more!
Closest Airport To Capitol Reef National Park
Getting to Capitol Reef National Park isn’t necessarily convenient but that distinction inherently lends itself to fewer visitors.
It is located a few hours drive from any nearby airport–4 hours south of Salt Lake City International Airport or 3 hours west of Grand Junction Regional Airport in Colorado.
If you are combining it with visits to other southern Utah national parks like Bryce Canyon or Zion, you might consider flying to Las Vegas which is a little over 5 hours from Capitol Reef National Park.
If you are exploring more of southwest Utah, check out our Hiking The Narrows In Zion With Kids.
We flew to Salt Lake City, rented a car and spent the night in the nearby ski resort town of Park City.
We enjoyed seeing the magnificent yellow hues of the aspen trees in the mountains around Park City before proceeding south to red rock country the next day. Utah’s varying landscape is truly amazing!
Closest Town To Capitol Reef National Park
The tiny town of Torrey, Utah is your home base for exploring the area of Capitol Reef National Park. Torrey’s recent designation as Utah’s first International Dark Sky Community will almost guarantee amazing stargazing opportunities during your stay there.
During our stay, we were thrilled to see the Milky Way each night and the number of stars visible in the night sky were more than any we’ve ever seen at home.
Though small, the tree-lined Main Street of Torrey offers everything you need, and it’s located just 15 minutes from Capitol Reef’s Visitor Center.
You have plenty of lodging options here and enough restaurants to make it interesting.
Best Time To Visit Capitol Reef National Park
Note that fall and late spring would be the best times to visit, as summer might be unbearably hot (July average temp is 91 degrees) and would certainly have more crowds. Hope you get to enjoy this special place sometime. It’s worth it!
Where To Stay Near Capitol Reef
VRBO 564942 was awesome!
We stayed 3 nights in a two bedroom vacation rental (VRBO 564942) near Main Street in Torrey. The vacation rental was one of the best we’ve stayed at, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Located on a quiet residential road, the location was terrific (20 min to the Visitor Center and 6 min to Austin’s Chuck Wagon & General Store) and the views from every window were outstanding.
Sunrises and sunsets were wonderful, and the host even supplied stargazing chairs for the evenings.
If I wasn’t staying at this particular VRBO or the 1 bedroom property next door (VRBO 969884 which is managed by the same owner), I would probably stay at either Capitol Reef Resort for its variety of lodging options (teepee, anyone?) or the Red Sands Hotel.
Both look like nice options based on reviews and location. However, all the hotels along Torrey’s Main Street looked nice enough for a base camp, and all are located close to the park entrance and the restaurants in Torrey.
Restaurants Near Capitol Reef National Park
You’ll find plenty of restaurants in Torrey and a pretty good general store for basic provisions but not a large grocery store. If you have specific/unusual items on your list, you should scout out a grocery store on your way here.
Austin’s Chuck Wagon Lodge & General Store in Torrey had everything we needed for grocery provisions including fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and your usual staples.
Although the selection is limited, all the fresh offerings looked presentably good. They also have a good deli in the back of the store for breakfast and lunch. It even has a nice beer selection for us craft beer fans.
Foodie Tip: Capitol Burger food truck also sets up in Austin’s Chuck Wagon and General Store parking lot most evenings, and they make a truly fantastic burger. Don’t miss it!
Although we didn’t personally try them, the Rim Rock Restaurant and Hunt & Gather Restaurant were also noted as standouts. Make sure to check their websites as many restaurants in Torrey are only open seasonally.
The Best Things To Do In Capitol Reef National Park
Day 1- Overview
Day 1 is spent exploring hikes and overlooks within Capitol Reef National Park. Our favorite easy hike is the Grand Wash Trail but we also loved the high elevation view of Cohab Canyon (a steeper hike for sure!)
We’ve given a brief overview of each Activity- below, but see our “Easy Hikes in Capitol Reef” for more specific details about each hike.
Day 1- Hike Grand Wash Trail or Cohab Canyon Trail
To keep everyone in the family happy, we try hard to select really good “bang for your buck” hikes that are less than 5 miles roundtrip, involve a realistic elevation gain, and offer a great view or memorable experience along the trail.
Fortunately for all of us, we found some fantastic hikes on this trip that everyone loved.
Important Note: Check with the rangers at the Visitor Center for trail conditions, road conditions, weather forecasts, and flash flood watches before hiking. Flash floods are a real danger here.
“Call 435-425-3791 to reach the automated phone tree, which has the weather forecast recorded daily; updates on road conditions as they change; and the fruit hotline for flowering and harvesting information.”
— Capitol Reef National Park
Grand Wash Trail- Our Favorite Hike In Capitol Reef
Of the easy hikes we did, Grand Wash Trail was our favorite hike in Capitol Reef National Park. This is a super easy walk through a beautiful canyon with towering walls rising straight up on either side of you. This hike was a hands down winner!
As you proceed through the canyon, it eventually narrows to about 16 feet wide at just over the 1 mile mark.
This can be a good turnaround point if desired, but we chose to continue exploring and backtracked for a total of 4 miles.
Cohab Canyon Trail
Cohab Canyon Trail is another interesting and beautiful canyon to walk through and explore. Unlike the super flat and easy Grand Wash Trail, this hike offers the bonus of high elevation views of Capitol Reef along with a stroll through a beautiful canyon.
Fortunately, the steep part of Cohab Canyon with its 22 switchbacks involves only a very short section (1/3 of a mile) of the trail and it occurs at the very beginning.
Once you reach the canyon entrance, it is a relatively flat walk. The canyon floor is sandy in spots with some areas of smooth slickrock. All is easy going here with lots to explore and admire.
The “swiss cheese rocks” embedded in the colorful canyon walls are particularly prolific here.
Get Detailed Info On These Hikes Here
We enjoyed several more easy and short hiking trails at Capitol Reef that we recommend. See our Easy Hikes In Capitol Reef for more hiking ideas. Other easy hikes we enjoyed include:
Day 1- Eat Delicious Pie At Gifford House
The Gifford House is located 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the Visitor Center on the Scenic Drive and is typically open from March 14 (Pi Day) to late November (closing dates and operating hours may vary).
Park in the small parking lot adjacent to the Gifford yard and follow the signs and trail from the picnic area.
Fruita Valley produces cherries, peaches, and apples in season and you get to benefit from their seasonally baked homemade pies. So fun! Also a gift shop with items from local artisans.
Day 1- See the Petroglyphs
While in the park, be sure to make a quick stop to walk along the wooden boardwalks along Highway 24 to view the Fremont Culture Petroglyphs.
Some of the petroglyphs are hard to see, so it might be helpful to bring a pair of binoculars to get a closer view.
Day 1- Watch the Sunset At Gooseneck Point and Sunset Point Overlooks
Gooseneck Point and Sunset Point are two overlooks just off Highway 24 that require a super short walk to take in some mighty incredible views.
Day 1- Optional: Drive the 7.9 mile Scenic Drive to Capitol Gorge Trail
Before or after completing either the Cohab Canyon or Grand Wash Trails, you also have the option of driving the 7.9 mile (fee required) Scenic Drive.
We had originally planned to drive Scenic Drive to its terminus and take the Capitol Gorge Road to hike the easy 2 mile round-trip Capitol Gorge Trail.
Day 2- Overview
Day 2 takes you to a beautiful must-see area outside of Capitol Reef: Goblin Valley State Park, Little Wild Horse Canyon, and Temple Mountain Wash Pictographs. This 90 minute drive from Torrey makes for a simply awesome day.
These three gems of Utah can be visited all in one day due to their close proximity to each other.
Although Goblin Valley State Park seemingly sits in the middle of nowhere, it has two fantastic attractions within 20 minutes of it: 1) Little Wild Horse Canyon and 2) Temple Mountain Wash Pictograph Panel.
Goblin Valley State Park and Little Wild Horse Canyon Trail might possibly be the most memorable experiences of our trip to Capitol Reef National Park, so I hope you can carve out some time to visit them if you’re even remotely close to this area.
See our blog “The Perfect Day Trip From Capitol Reef National Park” for more details on these three simply awesome sights. A brief overview is provide below.
Day 2- Goblin Valley State Park
The photos of this unique place simply cannot capture its uniqueness and beauty.
Day 2- Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon
Located just 20 minutes from Goblin Valley State Park, Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon Trail offers the unique opportunity to experience a non-technical slot canyon.
Little Wildhorse Canyon Trail is 3.3 miles long end to end and apparently contains 3 sets of narrows with the first set being the narrowest.
Be sure to check at the Visitor Center at Goblin Valley State Park for weather and trail conditions as this hike is a flash flood risk. Do not hike it if there is a chance of rain. Seriously. Tip: They also have a trail brochure with directions and a map.
Day 2- Temple Mountain Wash Pictograph
Also nearby and a super quick and accessible stop, the Temple Mountain Wash Pictograph Panel is found right off the side of the road.
If You Have An Additional Day in Capitol Reef National Park
I’m pretty sure that these activities mentioned below would have been wonderful, but rain socked us in on our last day, and we ended up hiking nearby on Capitol Reef’s short and popular Hickman Bridge Trail. (Not nearly as impressive as Grand Wash or Cohab Canyon Trails and much more crowded, even on a rainy day!)
Note that the activities below are located outside of Capitol Reef National Park and would be best grouped together.
Scenic Biway 12
Our original plan for our last day was to drive 37 miles south on Scenic Biway 12 from Torrey toward the town of Boulder, Utah to visit the Anasazi State Park Museum and then continue on to check out Singing Canyon on the Burr Trail (Note- this is not a hiking a trail).
Scenic Biway 12 offers amazing views of Capitol Reef National Park, Dixie National Forest, Boulder Mountain and high elevation turnouts at Larb Hollow Overlook.
Although our end point was Boulder, Utah, the highway continues on through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and on to Bryce Canyon National Park located about 2.5 hours from Capitol Reef.
Tip: Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm is apparently THE place to eat in Boulder. Be sure to check their website for hours. They were only open for dinner at the time.
Anasazi State Park Museum
Anasazi State Park Museum looks like an interesting stop on this drive. For a $10 family pass, you can explore the artifacts and dwellings of the 200 + Anasazi people who lived there between 1050 and 1200 AD.
After exploring the artifacts that were excavated from the site, you can go outside to tour a life-sized, six room replica of an ancient dwelling and view a portion of the original site.
Afterwards, eat lunch at Magnolias Street Food, a well-reviewed food truck (actually a Chevy Bluebird Bus!) that serves breakfast and lunch at the state park 7 days a week (except in winter season).
The Burr Trail and Singing Canyon
From Anasazi State Park, you can reach Singing Canyon on the scenic Burr Trail Road in about 25 minutes. From Boulder, the Burr Trail Road is paved for the first 18 miles until it reaches the border of Capitol Reef National Park.
At this point, the road becomes a graded rugged dirt road with a series of switchbacks that look terrifyingly thrilling. Visit the NPS Guide for an excellent mile-by-mile guide.
We traveled about 11.5 miles on the paved section of the Burr Trail to Singing Canyon (a super short slot canyon with amazing acoustics) and then returned to our home base in Torrey.
Singing Canyon is not signed or marked but look for a small, unmarked paved pullout on the left side of the road.
Follow a wide, flat trail for about 5-10 minutes to the entrance of the canyon.
See Visit Utah’s website for more detailed info on visiting Singing Canyon.
Capitol Reef Hiking Books That I Used
Capitol Reef National Park: The Complete Hiking and Touring Guide– By Rick Stinchfield
Beyond Capitol Reef: South-Central Utah: a Hiking and Touring Guide to the Area Surrounding Capitol Reef National Park– By Rick Stinchfield, Lynne Stinchfield
I also liked the detailed trail descriptions on “Live and Let Hike’s” website.
Happy Trails!
I would love to return to Capitol Reef National Park one day. I would rent the same house, hike more trails, and watch the sun rise and set each day. It would also be amazing to plan a trip to coincide with a major celestial event or star gaze during a new moon.
