Buy a pie! Buy two. Also, the ice cream is homemade. You won't be disappointed, but shop early as…read morethey sell out most days.

It seems like everyone talks about the pies at Gifford Homestead - while we were in the Capitol…read moreReef visitors center, almost every single person in line to talk to the rangers asked where to pick up pies! Of course we got into it as well, dropping in a bit before lunch on a overcast Monday morning. As we waited in line, the cashier told us that last year, the store sold over 81k pies! We ended up picking one plus a delicious looking cinnamon roll in the cabinet. Mixed Berry Pie ($8.50) - This is a mini, personal sized pie, with an extremely flaky pie crust, filled with plenty of sweet and tangy mixed berry compote, and then topped with some baked crunchy oat crumble. I believe the crust uses shortening instead of butter or lard considering the taste, but the texture is pretty much perfectly flaky. It's thin on the bottom of the pie, but doesn't get soaked through with the berries. The sides are a bit thicker to give more baked crisp texture with the flake. There's a good filling to crust ratio and the filling is quite good. It's not too sweet and filled with blueberries, strawberries, and other berries. I was honestly surprised that such a tourist trap could actually have a good pie. (4/5) Cinnamon Roll ($4) - Unfortunately this one is a miss. The cinnamon roll is dry, hard, and dense inside, making it not a pleasant eat. It's topped with sweet cream cheese frosting. (3/5) Gifford Homestead is basically a must visit attraction inside the park. I don't think the food is going to blow anyone's socks off, but considering the fact that it's in the middle of the National Park and the business has so much history, I certainly don't regret visiting!

This is a national park located in Utah about 2.5 hours drive from Moab. Stop in their Visitor…read moreCenter so you can get a trail map. They also have guides on hand that will help you plan your adventure and answer any questions. We chose to hike Hickman Bridge and Colab Canyon Trails. We also drove out to see Bentonite Hills. The trails were moderately difficult and we enjoyed the challenge. We had a capable vehicle so we were able to make the treck to Bentonite Hills. Capitol Reef Park is somewhat overshadowed by the big ones so be sure not to miss it!

Truly a hidden gem with mountains of stunning colors - ribbons of orange, white, grey running…read moreacross and sculpted by wind and water over millions of years. We went end of April and it was not too crowded. We started with Hickman's Bridge trail at 8:30 am after a short stop at the Visitor Center. We stayed at Capitol Reef Resort which gave us a nice handout summarizing the trails as well. For Hickman's Bridge, the small parking lot had a bathroom. It is rated as an easy-moderate trail. The trail was about 250-300 feet up switchbacks and stairs then an easier area before lots of rock scrambling to see the stone arch. Hiking poles were helpful navigating the ascent/descent and rocks until I went on all four's for some areas of tilted, uneven rocks. We almost missed seeing the bridge; we were so intent on trying to find footholds on the rocks and climbing. I think the left side of the loop would have been easier. Even though it is only 0.9 miles with a 400 elevation gain, it took us 1.5 hours round trip at my stopping to breath and carefully climbing/descending the rocks. Capitol Gorge Trail (2.3 miles, 80 ft elevation change) was more my speed being mostly flat and walking on small stones (hiking boots were helpful) through a canyon. (If it is going to rain; beware of flash flooding). The highlight was seeing faint petroglyphs and Mormon pilgrim signatures (from the 1800's) on parts of the rock walls. If you don't like climbing up rocks, I would say skip the optional hike up the mountain to see the water "tanks" or areas in the stone where the water collects. I saw some on the HIckman Trail and never finished that part since my thighs were getting too tired. My husband had difficulty finding the actual trail among the rocks and had to backtrack. The next day, my husband left at 6:45 am to do Navaho Knobs so he could be back by 11 am (we got a late checkout). Driving around the park, you can see the beauty without effort and the number of stunning rock formations and colors was truly something to behold.

We saw a sign on the road, and I have always been interested in the Anasazi Indians, so we stopped…read more I was hoping to see ruins, but I didn't see any signs to let us know there were any, so we only saw the indoor museum part. There were some nice displays of arrowheads, pottery, statues, mini replicas of dwellings, etc. The gift shop seemed well stocked, and I bought use ancient Utah sea salt (no iodine). It was free entry, and I made a donation. Clean bathroom. No movies. What I got most of out of this visit, that Anasazi is not politically correct anymore. The Navajo who were helping excavate used this term but it means "enemy," so the correct term is "Ancestral Puebloans" or "Pueblo people" (such as the Hopi, Zuni, etc). Outside was a food truck. Nearby was a gas station.

My wife was very interested in coming to this museum based on her vacation research. It was quite…read morethe hike to get here from our rental, but it was a nice museum. The museum explains the Anasazi Indians and their life here at one time. All artifacts were excavated in the area or donated. They also have a conservation area. Unfortunately, a lot of the interactive exhibits were non-operative. There is an outside attraction of an actual excavation. They also have a gift shop, a lot of very nice paintings for sale, and a 20 minute video you can sit and watch. They also had legit Navajo woven blankets if you had almost $2000 to spend. $10 family rate to come in. Original Artwork ranged from $85 to $1500. We spent about an hour and a half checking things out. Staff was friendly and was able to answer our questions.

Saw this area in the fall. It was bursting with golden yellow. A lovely little side trip to see…read morethe largest living tree/organism.

What an amazing natural wonder!! Pando is a single male Aspen clone - it spans 108 acres and has…read moreover 40,000 trunks all on one giant shared root system - one giant tree!! It weighs 6000 tons and is the heaviest known organism in the world! And if all that isn't interesting enough, the root system is estimated to be several thousand years old!! :-o Pando used to be the largest known organism in the world period - but was booted from the top spot by the discovery of the Oregon fungus mats lol. Still the heaviest though and well worth a visit. Pando is a "quaking" or trembling Aspen and is also known as The Trembling Giant. The leaves will tremble collectively, sometimes even without wind - very interesting experience!! (See my video attached to the review). You can find Pando just south of Fish Lake near Richfield Utah. There are some viewing pull-offs on the way in, small parking areas and campgrounds nearby with restrooms and a few hiking trails. Fish Lake is also a great place to explore - the whole area is just gorgeous - Highly recommend!!

Absolutely amazing. It can be intimidating when you're in an unfamiliar remote area, but our Jeep…read moreTour guide Dave not only made me feel comfortable and safe but he was funny as hell and made the trip really fun in addition to providing a lot of good info in the area. We did the Sunset Capitol Reef tour which was beautiful and included a nice lunch in the desert shade. He was also extremely knowledgeable about the area, and we immediately knew we were in good hands.

Excellent customer service. These guys really went above and beyond to make us comfortable and to…read morehave a great expereince on our UTV's.

Incredible state park in Utah…read more As part of our family trip to Utah's National Parks, we stayed at Utah State Parks since they had openings. It was a good choice. This is a nice state park with friendly staff and clean facilities. There are clean restrooms with showers and even a laundry room. Just be sure to bring quarters if you arrive after the visitor center closes. In addition, the park itself has some recreational activities available and is located on historic land with pictographs to find. Very good state park.

Do you like petroglyphs? Do like short and reasonable hikes? Then Fremont Indian State Park is for…read moreyou. As a solo traveler with some mobility issues, I was worried about how much access I would have to various stops on the map from the visitor center. The crew in the gift shop were delightful! They high lighted the ones I could definitely do and I did!! I loved the paved little loop at the visitor center itself that is ADA approved. My favorite was probably the 100 Hands Cave. Just a neat little walk by the creek and a small hill to get to the sight. I forgot my binoculars, so if you go bring some with you! I went on the second weekend in May, so not quite the summer season yet, so it wasn't crowded at all and I spent a couple of hours there.

There is some very interesting history at Cove Fort and we really enjoyed our visit. And it is…read morefree! Elder & Sister Isom were friendly and informative tour guides -- they each provided details about Cove Fort's origins and subsequent happenings here while allowing us space to look around and read the interpretive plaques on our own. The tour started with a good, short film shown in a restored cabin across the road from the fort. Then we proceeded to the rock fort with its 18-foot walls and huge thick gates. All of the rooms inside have each been decorated as they would have been when this outpost was functioning in the mid-1800's. We had passed by this place on the freeway several times previously, but thought it would be a long drive to reach the historical spot. Not so! It's close to the off ramp on a well-paved road. Plenty of parking and clean restrooms help make a visit here a very positive experience.

There's a 14 minute video that gives a bit of how the "fort" came to be. I can see how it served a…read morepurpose for travelers passing through, especially if the weather was particularly bad. They had a scavenger hunt for the kids, too.

Sweet town. Complete with a Main Street, busy rigs and open scenic areas…read more This Covid period, I love how the town posted flags on the street lights with the pictures of their 2020 graduates. This is what being in a tight knit smaller town is all about. Of course, lots of outdoorsy things to do around the area.

A very quaint town that definitely has it appeal. It seems like a throw back into time that we…read moreenjoyed spending time grabbing a bite to eat, filling up with gas, and driving around to take in the historical building and it's charm. Perfectly located near the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park.

A great spot for good coffee and browsing their shop for any little extras one might need. The…read morestairs to the second floor area are amazingly intricate and well made by the previous owners from years past. A great historical little house.

Awesome business in Escalante. They have everything including some of the best coffee in Escalante…read more I travel the country and I am a coffee expert and this place does it right. Must stop in Moab for coffee. I just wished they opened the coffee shop earlier than 9.

I really loved this viewpoint that Bryce National Park. I would definitely recommend to anybody…read moretaking the scenic drive to stop here and takes some photos. This is a very different view where you can see more of the forest side with the canyon. From my experience, you don't see much of this view when you do the trails. There is a parking lot and I suggest visiting in the early morning or late afternoon. I visited around 3pm. There is probably about a 0.1 - 0.2 walk to the actually overlook which is all flat with railings. Paria View is a stopping point for you!

Paria view is located off the same access road as Inspiration Point and Bryce Point. The other/…read morepoints look out at the amphitheater, whereas this view looks the opposite direction. As such, it is not as crowded as the other 2 viewpoints. Just a parking lot here. No services and no shuttle bus stop. In the field bordered by Paria View Road and the main road- one of the best spots to spot pronghorns and prairie dogs.