As part of our quest to visit all 63 U.S. national parks, we set off on a six week road trip. I…read morehave a personal rule: I only count a national park as "visited" if I actually spend time there, hike or walk through it, and truly experience it. On this trip, we visited 14 national parks, and Capitol Reef National Park became one of the most beautiful surprises of the entire journey. The drive from Death Valley to Capitol Reef was already an adventure, with constantly changing landscapes along the way. But nothing prepared us for the moment we arrived. Suddenly, the desert opened up into an incredible world of red rock formations, towering cliffs, and colors that seemed almost impossible. It was breathtaking. Capitol Reef is a smaller national park compared to some of the giants we visited, but it has a beauty and personality all its own. In fact, it became my husband's favorite park of the entire trip. There is something about the combination of landscapes, colors, history, and peacefulness that makes this park truly special. The scenery changes dramatically throughout the park. One area is filled with the famous red rock formations, cliffs, and sandstone walls that look like they were painted by nature. Then, as you explore other areas, the landscape changes into lighter limestone formations, with shades of yellow, cream, and gray. Everywhere you look there is a different view, a different texture, and a different color. One of the unique things about Capitol Reef is the historic Fruita area, where early settlers planted orchards along the Fremont River. Today, visitors can still see these beautiful fruit groves, which feel almost magical surrounded by the desert landscape. There is also a historic building in the Fruita area where they sell homemade fruit pies, and it is incredibly popular for a reason. The pies are absolutely delicious. We could not resist and enjoyed having pie and ice cream one morning for breakfast. When you are traveling, sometimes breakfast rules become a little more flexible! The park also has fascinating history, including ancient petroglyphs left by the Fremont people. Seeing these markings carved into the rock walls was a powerful reminder that people have been connected to this landscape for thousands of years. The hiking was another highlight. I especially enjoyed hiking through the Narrows, where I was able to explore on my own and experience the beauty and quiet of the canyon. Walking through the towering walls, surrounded by the colors and textures of the desert, was unforgettable. Capitol Reef feels like nature's own painting. The reds, oranges, yellows, blues, turquoise, and greens all come together to create a landscape that is constantly changing depending on the light. It is a park that invites you to slow down, look around, and appreciate the incredible creativity of the natural world. Capitol Reef may not always get the same attention as Utah's more famous parks, but it deserves it. It is beautiful, peaceful, full of history, and absolutely worth the visit.

This is an amazing national park. One thing I noted about the park is that it offers things for…read morepeople to do regardless of their activity level. If you're super fit and want to do hikes, good for you as there's plenty of strenuous hikes! If you aren't as active or use a mobility assistive device, you can travel on the very, very scenic drive and also learn about the ghost town of Fruita (although the NPS employees live there). If you time your visit right, you can even pick fruits from the orchards. I combined the Rim Overlook trail with the trail to Hickman Bridge to get amazing views, as well as hiked the Cassidy Arch trail. The trails weren't too crowded, so it was a great place to listen to nature and focus on hiking. You're rewarded with amazing views. Definitely hit up Gifford Homestead for fruit pies. They often sell out in the afternoon.

The Escalante Interagency Visitor Center is one of four visitor centers in the Grand…read moreStaircase-Escalante National Monument. Yup, this national monument is so large, it needs multiple visitor centers! This national monument seems to be overlooked as its neighbors seem to get a lot more attention. This visitor center focuses on the geology, ecosystem, and fossils of the area. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask the rangers for some hiking recommendations. I heard there were some hikes that lead to exposed fossils, but wasn't able to get much information online. Oh well. I found that the exhibits were quite informative, and some of them were hands on-great for little ones. There are exhibits both indoors and outdoors. If you want to rest and enjoy a snack, there's a covered picnic area which sits directly across from the restrooms.

The Escalante Interagency Visitor Center is a terrific place to start your explorations of wondrous…read moreGrand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. Alright, well I'll start abbreviating, lol...GSENM. It covers a huge area of Southern Utah, specifically, 1.9 million acres of public land. If you don't come prepared ahead of time, it can be an intimidating adventure and you can stumble on how to efficiently navigate your way around this remote, yet beautiful part of the country. That's why I believe if you start at the Interagency VC...you can handcraft the places and stops you'd like to see and best of all, when I visited, there were multiple park rangers standing behind the counter patiently waiting to assist tourists with their questions. Inside the VC...it's relatively small in stature...and there's a tiny little gift shop for picking up GSENM souvenirs. Plus, they have various stamping options to put into your Parks Passport. Of course, for myself, the ritual is to punch every page (front and back) even including using the Junior Ranger stamp, lol. Speaking with the park rangers was necessary because...I arrived here on a whim without a set game-plan. What I never realized about GSENM is that about half of the territory can only be accessed by 4x4 - off road vehicles. And that I did not have with me. So...certain attractions, landmarks and hikes are off-limit to cars not accommodative for dirt/gravel roads. And...this was informative because I was able to better design my itinerary with the park ranger once I told him I only had a midsize car with me. Still, here were some fun highlights that the ranger recommended.... - Hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls. - Hike to Escalante Natural Bridge. - Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. - Anasazi State Park Museum. - Walk among the Toadstools. - Kodachrome Basin State Park. Another good aspect to this Interagency VC is that it's located in the quiet town of Escalante, Utah...good for convenience stores, filling up your gas tank, purchasing supplies/necessities and sitting down at restaurants. After stopping here midday and before venturing out on my journey, I drove down the road to the Escalante Outfitters Restaurant for homemade pizza and cold beer. Overall, I'm really happy I made the effort to stop in at this Escalante Interagency Visitor Center before attempting to explore GSENM on my own. It was worthwhile to speak with the park rangers and to narrow down the activity options appropriate for my participation level.

This place is so amazing. I drove to Rainbow Point (great views on the way and at the end for those…read morewho don't want to hike) as well as the Figure-8 Combination hike, which combines three amphitheater hikes, Queen's Garden, Navajo Loop, and the Peekaboo Loop. Wall Street was closed when I visited due to trail conditions, boo. It was a clear and perfect two days during my visit though. Most people visit for the hoodoos, but Bryce Canyon National Park also has International Dark Sky status. Its high elevation, clean air, and remote location equals some of the darkest skies in the country. Coincidentally, I went during a new Moon with clear skies and wow, I had never seen so many stars before. I brought binoculars and it was enough to see what felt like like thousands upon thousands of stars. I saw the Milky Way Galaxy too! It was amazing, and I felt like such a small speck of dust in comparison to the skies above. Definitely check out Bryce Canyon at night, although it was also kind of...different... to be driving in the middle of the dark. If you have bad night vision you might want to pass on this. It made me realize how much light pollution there is where I live.

How lucky are we to live in a country with natural wonders like this? This Earthen landscape…read morebrought me to tears with it's magic. We did a cool 3.7 mile loop down into the canyon & then back up again. I would rate it a moderate hike, doable even in sneakers. Although I would recommend hiking boots. Be sure to layer up - traversing down will heat you up a lil, hiking up will heat you up a lot, & the windy overlooks will cool you down immediately. The folks at the visitor center are incredibly helpful & the bathrooms are extraordinarily clean. Overall a wonderful park. I can't wait to return.

This visitor center has all of the things that make a visitor center great: a large parking lot,…read morebathrooms, exhibits, helpful people, and a gift shop. It's also quite large, perfect for the hordes of guests during the busy season. The layout is literally perfect. As you enter, you see the washrooms marked to your left. It's perfectly out of the way if people have to queue, and doesn't disrupt the flow of the other parts of the building. Straight ahead is the NPS ranger desk, which has excellent sight lines from the entrance. You're not going to be confused where to ask for help! The rangers were super helpful with my night sky viewing questions. There is a large gift shop to the right, and then to the left are the exhibits. The gift shop has an extended selection of things to buy, probably due to its large size. It has the usual offerings of NPS items plus clothing, etc. The exhibits focus a lot on the geology of the area (which makes sense, people visit for the hoodoos!), but also on the ecosystem and the native Americans who live here. Great information.

Bryce Canyon national park is another great national park in Southern UT…read more The visitor center is large, has restrooms, and plenty of souvenirs. There was a food truck setting up in the parking lot, I think selling coffee and donuts. The rangers were friendly and helpful answering questions about road closures and offering suggestions. A great national park to check out if you are in the area. Check out my photos.

Definitely cool overlook that lets you take in the unique landscape of a very squiggly Sulphur…read moreCreek that is slowly and surely carving out the canyon it meanders over. It's such an amazing view, as the canyons have bands of yellow, red, and browns. They denote (from descending order) the Moenkopi formation, Kaibab limestone, and the White Rim sandstone. It's such a dramatic vista. It was also snowing a little bit when I visited, so everything was capped with a thin layer of white snow too. Such a beautiful view. It's an easy hike with a roundtrip distance of 0.6 mi and minimal elevation gain. The hardest part was the unpaved road to get to the trailhead! I did it in a 2WD sedan, but there were some pits in the road I had to navigate around. Not too hard though, just go slow.

Such a dope vista point! The Goosenecks Overlook is located just a couple miles before you reach…read morethe Capitol Reef National Park Visitor's Center. Goosenecks Canyon is filled with limestone and sandstone dating back to over 270 million years old! You will have a clear view of the millions of years of erosion right from this viewpoint. The canyon is about 800 feet deep and Sulphur Creek runs along the bottom. It's almost like a mini Grand Canyon. In fact, some of the oldest rock layers of this canyon are the same rock layers that you'll find within the Grand Canyon (Kaibab Limestone). You'll have to drive a short distance up a rough and unpaved road to get here, but it's absolutely worth it for the views. From the parking lot, it's a short little hike up to the actual vista point. There's lot of room to roam around and explore the areas beyond the vista point. You'll be presented with stunning views with each and every turn. 360 degrees of pure bliss right before your eyes. If you're planning a trip to Capitol Reef National Park, this is an excellent place to stop on your way into and out of the park.

They don't make it easy to find, but it's not really hidden…read more I don't remember if the signage on the road indicates that this is the Sunset Point Trail, but if you're coming down the highway you will see signs for the Goosenecks overlook, and that's your indication. Once you exit the highway, you'll want to go left past the first parking area that's ahead, and down a dirt road that's a half mile or so. You'll go down that road, and then come to a parking area. You'll be tempted to go up to the right a bit to the overlook, and that's a good idea, you should do it, but that's not the Sunset Point Trail. The trail you seek is on the left (west) side of the parking area. We made our way here a bit prematurely before sunset, but I'm glad we did. We rolled in on a holiday weekend and still found parking in the small lot that probably holds no more than 20 cars. By the time we left, it was packed and there were cars parked all along the dirt road. The hike is pleasant, with only mild elevation gain and it goes for just about 1/3 of a mile each way. The views are stellar, though not as dramatic as that Goosenecks Overlook, they are still sweeping and majestic. You can see the red fingery cliffs to the north, the white-capped peaks to the west (is that Fern's Nipple?) and the canyon to the south. Funky rock formations and spires greet you at the terminus of the trail and you can sit along the way and there at the end on a couple of benches. Sunset is the right time to visit; it's aptly named. Red and orange cliffs were just aglow with amber light in the late, late afternoon. The red cliffs become their own new colors and it's really special.

Very easy & perfect for a sunset trail. We were lucky not many people came to this hike…read more HOW TO GET THERE & PARKING: if you're driving in from town to the park, the road that leads you to the parking lot is right before the visitor center so be sure to keep your eyes peeled on your right hand side. Once you got it, there's a lot of gravel & you think you're going the wrong way, but soon, you will reach the parking lot. There's plenty of parking so don't worry about that. Considering this is also a very short hike, people come in & out of there pretty often. HIKE: very easy. Pretty much 0.5 miles RT without any strain/incline challenge so any level hiker can do this. The path is pretty smooth & the end result is gorgeous view of the park. There are a lot of tall rocks that you can easy climb on to see a higher view of the park. There's a couple of benches at the end of the trail so very nice to just sit, relax & enjoy the color changes of the rocks & mountains as the sun sets. Very beautiful. And at such an easy hike, the reward is pretty big! I'd suggest bringing your dinner, hike the short hike & enjoy nature's beauty.

Definitely a strenuous hike on the way up, but totally do-able and worth it for the views. We were…read moreon a time crunch, so we didn't do the full hike - we just hiked up to chimney rock and back down instead of doing the full loop. So I imagine if you did the full loop the views would have been even more beautiful, but even the modified hike we did was amazing. Whenever I looked up hikes for Capitol Reef, this one was often overlooked, but after experiencing it, I feel it's one that should be included much more often. We did read in a couple places that this was good for sunset - we didn't get that chance, but I imagine it would be beautiful. Trail was not crowded at all, but there is little shade cover so be prepared with plenty of water and a hat.

I am very excited to talk about Chimney Rock Trail!!! Alright, I have been on hikes throughout the…read moreUnited States within all sorts of national parks, etc...but, I need to urge everyone who visit Capitol Reef...it is imperative for you to hike this Chimney Rock Trail! I am serious. Although I don't have an official ranking system, I'd place this hike at least within my Top 10 - 15 BEST HIKES OF ALL TIME! Everything about being here was simply epic. If you want to immerse yourself and understand the true power of what makes the state of Utah so famous for its colorful landscape terrains, then hiking Chimney Rock Trail will give you everything you could possibly ask for! Besides Angels Landing at Zion or the Queens Garden/Navajo Loop at Bryce...I'd then put Chimney Rock just behind them. It's a MUST SEE AND DO while here at Capitol Reef! Alright, enough gushing let me just go into details and what makes Chimney Rock special... Chimney Rock Trail is a very accessible and convenient 3.5 mile loop gaining almost 600 feet in elevation. I believe 3.5 miles is ideal in distance...not too long and not too short. Then, the maybe 580 feet in elevation is also perfect. It's not really difficult whatsoever but at the same making it to the plateau area along Chimney Rock instantly provides you with stunning views of the Capitol Reef landscape. Basically, you don't have to work hard along the hike. You're not huffing and puffing. It's extremely manageable. While reading the park pamphlet and hiking guide about Capitol Reef...it mentioned that coming here to Chimney Rock was worthwhile for hiking in late afternoon and during sunset time. I couldn't agree more with that! When I arrived, the sun was at my back which allowed for very clear photo taking opportunities of the grand setting from high above. Plus, when I was here back in late July of this year, 2021, the daytime temperatures were brutal ranging in the mid to upper 90's. Having the chance to hike here when things cooled down made a huge difference. Btw, I'd also like to point out the trailhead. Finding the start to Chimney Rock was very simple. It's located right off Highway 24 (the main road that cuts through the heart of Capitol Reef) as you're heading west from Torrey, UT going east. When I arrived in late afternoon the parking lot was empty and quiet. I was surprised by this because it specifically stated Chimney Rock was appropriate for hiking during sunsets. Good thing, better off in my opinion not having other tourists around. And, that was also another terrific aspect about exploring Chimney Rock. I was virtually the only hiker here! I had the entire trail to myself. I was grateful for this as it just allowed me to collect my thoughts and feel totally separated from reality. Before I give my interpretation of what Chimney Rock is all about...I'll just take a little highlighted piece from a page I found at americansouthwest.net/utah/capitol_reef/chimney-rock-trail.html... "Chimney Rock Trail is perhaps the best short path in the national park, as it is relatively short, not too steep, provides the shortest hike to a high elevation viewpoint, and passes varied surroundings; besides Chimney Rock itself, an eroded pillar of red sandstone, the trail encounters colorful badlands, tall cliffs, and the mouth of a narrow canyon." I really liked this introduction/description. Along the 3.5 miles...I couldn't stop taking pictures. Each curve I passed, each winding turn I crossed, each climb or descent I made...was another humbling chance for picture moments. I couldn't stop, like an addicted kid at a candy store, lol. Over the course of the hike it covered every nook and cranny within Capitol Reef Park you could ask for. Granted, I did the 8 mile Scenic Drive, I hiked other trails, I ventured all around... But coming here and along Chimney Rock I felt like I had found my calling, like I discovered true fulfilment and better understood why Capitol Reef is part of Utah's "Mighty 5". I'll admit, I had moments where I felt tears of joy because here I was standing high above the ground looking down upon glorious Capitol Reef, feeling like I'm a small piece in the big scheme of history. Having infinite time made me feel like I had paused all my worries and troubles and was living in a "dreamland of sandstone cliffs, badlands, multicolored boulders and vertical walls!" And eventually the pathway leads back down to the flat base section but you're still afforded more stunning mounds of colored shades of purple, red and brown. Every step along the way felt like a new adventure. I can't say enough good things about here along Chimney Rock Trail. And because I was so infatuated with the hike, I used every last bit of fading sun to enjoy my time. I probably stayed along the trail for at least 3+ hours until it was pitch dark out before returning back to the parking lot. Lastly, that's it. Can't say anymore. Chimney Rock Trail, memories that will live with me forever.

We took this as a side trip and we really should have given this more time. If you are thinking of…read morecoming here, I recommend looking at all the activities offered to see how much is here to do so you won't feel as though you missed out on some of what makes this park FUN! As for us, we ran around the valley, played hide and seek, marveled at how these "goblins" were made and just had a great adventure with the time we had.

A triumph of both western topography and federalism. This is one of those awesome parks that would…read morein some ways be less special if it were "upgraded" to a national park. It's great the way it is. Just a few notes: -- the campsite is just amazing; you are nestled in among caves and washes, and your kids can merrily wander off "to the kids cave" or climb up onto a crest and watch the sunset or the rhythm of the campsite. They do have a shared bathroom with running water, which keeps the place just civilized enough for moderately experienced car campers. -- at the same time, this place is really remote. If you realize at campside that your propane stove doesn't work, you would have to drive an hour each way to Green River to get more. Instead, you will just have to figure out how to boil coffee and macaroni and cheese over a campfire. -- the stars. The city lights are far far far away, and the desert sky is clear, so you can see so so many stars. And if you sit and stare at them you see more. The only place I have ever seen so many stars in my life is standing on the side of the road outside Marfa, TX. -- two decades ago this was one of the first camping trips of my life, and it remains a special place in my heart.

Cassidy arch is one of the most popular hikes in CRNP and for good reason! It's a very memorable…read morehike. Kind of nebulous at one point in the first 1/3 of it when you reach this kinda rocky/brushy clearing (I lost a good 30 min wandering around in that area trying to find the actual trail) but once you figure that out it's easy to follow the rest of the trail. The views along the way are lovely and of course the vista at the end is stunning!! I had no issues with parking, there was plenty at the trail head on a week day in April. Just come prepared for finicky weather; I got lucky that it was just cloudy and only misted for like 10 min before stopping but it definitely could rain/get cold quickly.

This review is for Cassidy Arch Trail which was a ~3.1 miles round trip that took ~2 hours to…read morecomplete. Steady inclines mostly near the beginning. Follow the rock cairns for the last stretch to the arch. Amazing views throughout the hike! Required to drive ~1 mile on dirt road to reach the trailhead. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/4rdkNmKmd5M

Unfortunately, the Cannonville Visitor Center is closed until further notice. :( It's usually open…read morefrom mid-March to mid-November, but with the budget cuts from the current administration, there's no one left the staff the ranger desk. You can still stop by and enjoy the outdoor interpretive displays on human history in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It seems like it was a lot of hard work to survive here! Water had to be hauled in from the muddy Paria River. The botanical garden outside the visitor center showcases 19th century agricultural practices including how durable fencing was built with the most minimum of materials. A peek indoors reveals information about historic settlements in the area. I hope this place opens back up soon!

The day between visiting Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP, I decided to take a few detours. The first…read moredetour was to hike the Willis Creek slot canyon. The drive along Highway 12 was straightforward and it's easy to spot the turnoff onto Main St Cannonville. The Cannonville Visitor Center was easy to find as well. There were plenty of parking spots nearby. The visitor center looks very modern and comfortable inside. The employees were very helpful. They provided maps and useful tips on how to find Willis Creek slot canyon, including accurate number of miles to drive before making turns. The employees also suggested driving along scenic Highway 12 to see the views within Grand Staircase-Escalante, but I didn't have the time. Maybe on my next visit?