Capitol Reef National Park
add photosFrom their site: "The Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long wrinkle in the earth's crust known as a monocline, extends from nearby Thousand Lakes Mountain to the Colorado River (now Lake Powell). Capitol Reef National Park was established to protect this grand and colorful geologic feature, as well as the unique natural and cultural history found in the area."
The Visitor Center is open daily (except for some major holidays) from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with extended hours during the summer season.
3 Reviews for Capitol Reef National Park
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'11, '12
0 families found this helpful
"We Want to Go Back"
We stopped at this park on our way through from Arches to Goblin State Park and really enjoyed the short time we had there. We did not get the chance to explore the free(?) pick-your-own orchards, but we did take the long drive out to the end of the wash. The scenery was amazing, even after having just been to Zio, Bryce and Arches.
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1 family found this helpful
"Capitol Reef"
Love this park! There are so many trails to choose from and it's never busy. Stop by the visitors center on your way in to figure out where you want to go. There are many different levels of hikes you can do also, from ones perfect for little kids to long backpacking hikes. The views are amazing, you will not regret stopping by this park.
2 families found this helpful
"Avoid the Crowds at this Park"
If you find that your family is alone on a beautiful national park trail, you might be in Capitol Reef National Park. The only reason that there are lackluster crowds in this park is it is more isolated than Utah’s more famous Utah National Parks and does not get all of the tour buses travelling through. Do not let the isolation and lack of crowds deter you from this unique area. This is one place where families can definitely play, unite and enjoy away from it all.
Along highway 24 your family will see amazing red rock formations, Fremont Indian petroglyphs, a pioneer schoolhouse and cabin, and the unique still-active pioneer fruit orchards. If you travel during harvest season be sure to pick and consume as much fruit (cherries, apricots, peaches, pears and apples) from the orchards as you want while you stay in the orchards. What a great treat for the kids! Fruit removed from the orchards is charged a fee.
Be sure to visit the new Capitol Reef visitor’s center right off of highway 24. There are some great educational and informative displays for the kids. I still love looking at those relief maps and discovering the surrounding mountains, valleys and rivers. Sign your kids up for the junior ranger program for some educational fun and add to their collection of badges. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to hit the restrooms since the trailheads along this isolated park are usually just stocked with those awful pit toilets.
If you happen to visit during Easter, as my lucky family has, let your kid’s enjoy the park’s Gifford Farm House’s Easter egg hunt complete with old-fashioned Easter games. I just loved seeing my son roll Easter eggs, just like I did when I was a child. The Gifford Farm House also sells unique souvenirs. Be sure to try on those handmade pioneer bonnets on the little ones – something every little girl needs!
Capitol Reef National Park has some remarkable family friendly hikes to consider if you have the time. Some of my family’s favorite hikes are Chimney Rock, Hickman Bridge and Grand Wash. There is also the Cassidy Arch hike which is an unbelievable, huge payoff hike, but it is very dangerous for small kids (see my review of this hike for more information). I would recommend this hike only for experienced hiking families. If you have time, explore the even less crowded southern area of the park. One of my favorite viewpoints is the surreal Waterpocket fold along the Muley Twist Road. Did Mother Nature really do that? Note that 4 wheel-drive is recommended to access this area – great for adventurous families, but be prepared!
In summary, this is a unique national park, not because of the scenery (which is surreal), but because it is not crowded. Please don’t tell those tour bus companies, my family still likes to be the only ones on the trail.
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