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

I combined the Rim Overlook trail with the trail to Hickman Bridge to get the most out of my hike…read more Unfortunately, the sky was threatining rain so I didn't want to risk it hiking to Navajo Knobs. The Hickman Natural Bridge is a 125-foot-tall natural bridge in Capitol Reef National Park. It's an 1.8 mile out-and-back trail, with some switchbacks, but it's an easy trail if you don't have any trouble climbing a few flights of stairs as baseline daily activity. The first part of the trail is the steepest with some stairs, but it gets more level afterwards as it follows a dry riverbed. You are hiking from the canyon floor to the rim! On the way up, you get to see the rock formation that reminded travelers of the Capitol dome that inspired part of the national park's name. It's a much better name than "Wayne Wonderland" which was what the region was called before it became a national park. The natural bridge is absolutely amazing. Climbing on it is prohibited, but you get to go up close and personal with the bridge to satisfy your photo-taking cravings. Vault toilets are at the trailhead, otherwise you're on your own.

This is a lovely hike. It's not too steep, not very hard, and the bridge is pretty massive and…read morebeautiful when you reach it! It was recommended to me by friends and the volunteer at the visitor center because it's easy to do in a short time/on a short trip. There was plenty of trailhead parking as well. Would definitely recommend if you're passing through Capitol reef NP!

Found at the end of the Scenic Drive, Capitol Gorge begins with a dirt road that weaves through the…read morebeautiful rocks and mountains of Capitol Reef. While the scenic drive in and of itself was wonderful, this dirt road to the Capitol Gorge trailheads had that beat. We drove this in a compact car without any issue, just make sure to take it slow as there are some tight, blind turns on this two-way road. If it's busy, parking can be a bit difficult at the end of the road to hike the trails. We came to hike to The Tanks, and the trail to the beginning of the The Tanks portion is super easy. You'll get to see some petroglyphs as well as the Pioneer Register - which is a cool section of rocks with signatures dating back 100+ years. There's plenty of shade in this area as you're walking between two mountain walls, and it can get pretty windy. I'd recommend bringing a jacket for this area if you're going on cooler days. The actual The Tanks hike we had planned to do was super disappointing. This 0.2 miles add-on is probably considered a moderate hike. While it had nice views, there was nothing special about the views, and you would be better off spending your time at another one of the better hikes in Capitol Reef. The other part of the Capitol Gorge Trail I previously discussed is worth it, just not the additional hike to The Tanks.

This is the wondrous Capitol Gorge area of Capitol Reef National Park at the end of the paved road…read moreportion of the Scenic Drive. This Capitol Gorge is fantastic for grasping the true essence of what makes Capitol Reef NP so special. The red rocks and canyon cliffs are simply stunning! I was visiting here in late July 2021 and unfortunately the overcast skies did darken the scenic setting somewhat, but I was still able to capture some beautiful examples of vintage Utah scenery. I'd put the Scenic Drive to arrive at this Capitol Gorge along with hiking Chimney Rock Trail as 2 of the best activities I did while exploring the park. The Scenic Drive starts right beside the Visitor Center and runs for 10 miles each way into the heart of the Capitol Reef landscape. Along the drive there'll be plenty of opportunities to pull your car off to the side, get out and snap amazing picture moments including standing at Capitol Gorge. Also of note...the Scenic Drive runs on paved road for about the first 7 - 8 miles and the last 2 - 3 miles are set on dirt/gravel road. Unfortunately, I had a compact car with me and didn't want to chance driving on the rough road in this remote part of the country. So...after stopping here at Capitol Gorge, I turned around and headed back the 7 - 8 miles towards the Visitor Center. It is a $20 fee to drive the Scenic Road, otherwise to enter and do anything within Capitol Reef it's absolutely free! You pay an attendant during normal business hours that they're open but when the Visitor Center closes, they use the "honor system" and ask you to drop the $20 into a box as proof of payment. Btw, the Visitor Center is great for buying souvenirs and picking up a park pamphlet and map of all the trails. I highly recommend stopping at the VC for any questions you may have and general advice about exploring around. Lastly, while in this Capitol Gorge area...I'd suggest hiking the Grand Wash Trail as well as the Rim Overlook Trail for 2 different, yet unique perspectives for appreciating Capitol Reef from high above and also down below in between the rugged canyon walls. Alright well, this is the Capitol Gorge section of Capitol Reef National Park!

This is the only place to stay for 50 miles. Clean, family owned. Rooms quite attractive. EVs can…read moreplug into 110V. No good near by.

Cathedral Valley is noted for its solitude, because nobody goes there…read more Well, almost nobody. I went there once. Only once -- I haven't gone back. Why? Probably because its in a tough neighborhood: too much competition from the Great Circle's nearby (in Red Rock Country reckoning) Horseshoe Canyon, Canyonland's Maze and the Golden Staircase, and Capitol Reef's own canyons, the Waterpocket Fold and the ghosts of Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch. What we have here is a monotonous, backcountry desert of gypsum clay, with a slippery 4WD track that eventually leads you to a range of red rock cliffs. Near their foot are some tall, freestanding sandstone obelisks, resembling cathedrals (see photos). In the mid-day sun the resemblance may not be too striking. You should take photos in early morning or late afternoon when strong shadows are at play. You would need to arrive in the afternoon, set-up camp away from the temples (pictures including your own tent are uncool). Then scout out the temples with an eye to the afternoon sun and set-up your tripod position(s) accordingly -- follow the interplay of light and shadows on the obelisks as the sun goes down. When the evening light finally fades, figure out where you're going to set-up for the morning light. To do this in the gypsum clay desert means that you're going to get really close to solitude. Also, you're going to use at least a day and a half of trip time that you could be spending in Horseshoe Canyon, the Maze, et al. It doesn't rain there often but when it does, the clay becomes impassable and you can easily lose a couple of days getting out. When the rain water rages down through the canyons from the West, it carries red silt into the Fremont River (along Hiway 24, the Southern edge of the desert). With the sun behind it, the river boils blood red. Cormac McCarthy wrote about a river like this in "Blood Meridian," but I didn't believe it until I saw the Fremont River turn to blood.

I combined the Rim Overlook trail with the trail to Hickman Bridge to get the most out of my hike…read more Unfortunately, the sky was threatening rain so I didn't want to risk it hiking to Navajo Knobs. This 2.3 mile trail is okay if you don't have any trouble climbing a few flights of stairs as baseline daily activity. The NPS site officially lists this trail as strenuous, but I saw plenty of young kids hiking this. The trail has some stairs as you ascend. You are hiking from the canyon floor to the rim! On the way up, you get to see the rock formation that reminded travelers of the Capitol dome that inspired part of the national park's name. It's a much better name than "Wayne Wonderland" which was what the region was called before it became a national park. At the end of the hike, you're rewarded with panoramas of Fruita and the Waterpocket Fold. Vault toilets are at the trailhead, otherwise you're on your own.

This Rim Overlook Trail is a decent hike within Capitol Reef National Park. What makes it better…read morethan average though, is that you can pare it with a little side trek to Hickman Bridge, and for those interested, hike even further past the Rim Overlook to Navajo Knobs for grander views of the surrounding Capitol Reef landscape from high above! For myself, I was content with just making it here and completing the Rim Overlook Trail portion. I did not have enough strength and energy to attempt to go deeper along the path to Navajo Knobs. In fact, I visited here at Capitol Reef back in late July of this summer, 2021, and since I first wandered off to see Hickman Bridge and then returning to this main trail towards Rim Overlook...it was late morning to midday and while hiking upwards, the temperatures were scorching hot!!! I'd say at least mid to upper 90's. Wow...so getting here (at least for me) was difficult. I was certainly slurping down plenty of water. And that's because officially from the parking lot and trailhead to here at Rim Overlook, it's a 2.3 mile one way trek gaining at least 1000 feet in elevation. Surprisingly I struggled to arrive at the top. Plus...starting at the trailhead and veering off almost 1 mile each way to see the sights at Hickman Bridge was sort of an extra mini voyage of its own. For those who care, I'd describe Hickman Bridge as this giant arch/bridge embedded in the rugged Capitol Reef rocks, similar to what you'd expect to find at a place like Natural Bridges National Monument. Still, it's worthwhile (and in tandem with) to check out Hickman Bridge and then return to this main trailhead and continue on towards Rim Overlook. For those adventurous hikers...there's always Navajo Knobs Point at the end of it all. I used about half the day to visit Hickman Bridge and then come here to Rim Overlook. And for continuing to Navajo Knobs and returning would take up a majority of the day. Along the pathway up here to Rim Overlook, there really weren't any signs as I went along. What I had to follow was keeping track of the little piled rocks as sort of guide marks along the hike. These rockpiles are very typical of what you'd expect to discover on remote hikes. It's nice of the park services and rangers to create them and it certainly helped assist me heading in the correct direction. This Rim Overlook Trail didn't get strenuous until the last 1 mile of the grind higher. This is where I had to pause a few times for water. Overall, along the entire 2.3 miles one-way...there weren't too many opportunities to stop for photos. Other than heading off to Hickman Bridge, this Rim Overlook Trail was a pretty standard path unlike other hikes where along the way I'd be stunned by glorious views and it'll take me forever to make it to the peak, lol. Not here, not on this hike. It's only until you arrive at the official Rim Overlook, where you'll appreciate the scenery. And yes, from the top of Rim Overlook and looking down upon the Capitol Reef landscape, my best memory were the colors, so vintage of Utah's wondrous landscapes. I think the reddish rock tones really stood out to me. I also liked how Highway 24, which cuts straight through the heart of Capitol Reef, was pretty visible from here at the rim. I used 20 - 25 minutes admiring the setting. It gave me a chance to take some panoramic photos as well as record a video. It was refreshing gazing down upon Capitol Reef, realizing how far I had climbed while having a moment to reflect and simply catch my breathe from the hard journey. One thing I'd like to point out for any photography enthusiasts...from here at Rim Overlook it's situated right along the edge of the cliff. So...(for me) I usually bring a tripod for my camera to place down on the ground, but I was pretty cautious of my steps up here at Rim Overlook. Basically there's no room for error and it's a straight fall if you move too close to the edge. Just keep that in mind. I'd suggest crouching or sitting down for optimal photos. That's what I did. Otherwise if you stand, you'll appear out of proportion within the context of the beautiful backdrop behind you. That's just me trying to be nit picky when it comes to picture taking, lol. Just enjoy the vista point regardless. Lastly, I'd like to mention that coming here to Rim Overlook was nice and pleasant and yes I managed the tough climb to the top while paring it off with venturing to Hickman Bridge. Though...if there's just one hike for you to attempt at Capitol Reef, my favorite without a doubt hike is....Chimney Rock Trail! I can't recommend that hike enough, one of my favorites of all time! Chimney Rock should be first and foremost on your priority list and if you're still having fun and looking for more ways to explore, then sure coming here to Rim Overlook is just fine.

Very flexible. Storms were threatening, and Mike allowed us to push back our ride by an hour and a…read morehalf to allow things to clear up. We received great riding instructions, the views from the trail were spectacular, and we even saw a rattlesnake and coyote along the way. We could have done without the ten minute Toby Keith lesson or the political commentary. That partially ruined the experience for me. Giving two stars since the business owner likes to leave nasty replies to honest reviews. Not a great way to run a business.

What a great day we had riding horses right in Capital Reef National Park! Marylou was so helpful…read moremaking our reservations and answering all our questions. Brett was our guide, he treated us like family (the kind you like) we had a blast with him, he was knowledgeable about the area and his love for the horses really showed. The horses were so well cared for and happy. They were fun and easy to ride. You will not be disappointed booking with them!

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.

Thanks to Mark and Fremont River Guides for getting my son into his first catch on a fly…read more We had an excellent day on Meeks Lake. The damsels were hatching, and the fish were taking dry and wet flies. The boat was perfect for the lake. Mark was great at teaching my son a few casting methods, and how to land a fish. Mark also knows the area well. We can't wait to go out again. "The tug is the drug".

great time with randy got us on fish and shared the area knowledge…read morebeen 2x and will return again

Great fly shop, Mike is very knowledgeable about the area and went out of his way to teach me a few…read morebasic cast techniques and in no time I was knew how to cast my fly . I went out the next day and was having a great time fly fishing and guess who show up? Mike.... he stay with me showing me where the fish hide out and I actually caught my first brown trout with his guidance. Thank you Mike for spending the time with me I recommend anyone wanting to learn to fly fish he is the man!!!! Thanks Ed