Utah is where it’s at! There is so much gorgeous layered red rock and it’s difficult to be tired of staring at it in wonder. Capitol Reef is a fun little park with a short scenic drive and several fun little hikes with gorgeous and colorful views of the canyons and cliffs.
We stayed one night in the small town of Torrey, UT at Wonderland RV Park (side note – the park used to be advertised as Wayne Wonderland named after the county) and had a day to get a flavor for the park named after its 100-mile-long Waterpocket Fold which was an impenetrable sandstone barrier until 1962 when the first paved road was built through it. Before we set up camp for the evening we drove west on that road which is Utah 24 and stopped at a few notable places en route after entering the park.
The Benhunin Cabin, built in 1882 is the first stop coming into the park from the east and apparently was home to a Mormon homesteader who only lasted here for one year because of the terrible flash floods that still exist today and close down trails often. He had 13 children and apparently the boys slept in the rock alcove seen above the cabin!
We then stopped at a parking area for Hickman Bridge and hiked the 2-mile round trip interpretive trail to the 133-feet-long and 125-feet-tall natural arch over an arroyo which is a small creek. I love the trails with the trail guides that teach and point out interesting findings along the way that I would have otherwise missed.
Mormon tea plant.
Here is rock blown here by distant inactive volcano used to make a foundation for ancient Native Americans.
After a rigorous hike with light cooling rainfall we then drove to the Petroglyph Pullout where a boardwalk follows the towering Wingate Sandstone peppered with creative etchings of the ancient Fremont people who left the area around A.D. 1300.
Before heading to our campsite, we made one more stop at the small Fruita Schoolhouse (the town never had more than 10 families at one time living there) which apparently became a community center and dance hall until 1941.
The next morning we headed east on Utah 24 and stopped at Chimney Rock and hiked up to the beginning of the loop trail to get a good view of the spire with a Shinarump capstone.
We turned in the Panorama Point turnoff before heading to the Visitor Center. We dropped our trailer in the parking area as vehicles greater than 27-feet are not allowed on the 1-mile bumpy dirt road to 2 separate short trails, Goosenecks Overlook and Sunset Point Trail, both of which we took to see stunning colorful views of the canyon, cliffs, valley and spires. My husband got a little nervous as a storm cloud hovered and we heard some thunder roll in. We avoided electrocution and it provided a refreshing shower and we dried quickly with the dry desert wind.
The Visitor Center provided an interesting history on the park and a volunteer pointed us to the Gifford Farmhouse which had fresh baked fruit pies. It was located near the start of the 18-mile scenic road that travels south into the park from the visitor center.
Driving to the Farmhouse we spied 2 large elk with huge racks grazing at the edge of the orchard. It was amazing to see such greenery amidst the desert compared to Canyonlands and Arches. Unfortunately they were out of the apple pies and cinnamon rolls so we opted for a mixed berry pie to eat with our lunch while parked at an orchard. It was fantastic with accompanying vanilla ice cream.
The rest of the drive was beautiful with imposing temples and steep red rock at every turn. A couple of the trails were closed due to washout so we didn’t stop at any additional places before turning around to drive back toward the visitor center. On the way back, right after we saw a marmot-Xing sign we saw a marmot crossing the road. I wouldn’t have been able to identify it had I not seen the sign!
This park was neat in that it had a fertile flood-plane produced by the Fremont River which was cultivated by Mormon settlers in the 1880s. So many fruit trees lined the beginning of the scenic drive and it was interesting to visit the late town of Fruita which was aptly named. Apricots were in season and we were able to pick our own! We stopped at the orchard before leaving the park. You could eat as much as you wanted on the property but if you took any fruit out it was $1 per pound. We packed out 20 apricots which were a pound even. I had fun watching my husband try to snag a few with their special picker-basket. Interesting to note also that the Mormon pioneers uncovered irrigation ditches from the ancient settlers in the fields where the orchards grow now.
There are other parts of the park I would have loved to see that are inaccessible without a 4×4 high clearance vehicle, including Cathedral Valley and the Notom-Bullfrog Road. We’ll save that for another time. Maybe when we take another sabbatical we’ll tow a Jeep? Still, we had a capitol time and will leave with happy reminiscing.
Class C M.D. 