Utah is known for its sandstone arches, blazing orange hoodoos and otherworldly rock formations. The unique landscape explains why there are five national parks located in Utah—Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion—with the three most popular being Arches, Bryce Canyon, and Zion.
(For a list of all Utah national parks ranked and compared, click
here.)
Many visitors roadtrip through southern Utah hitting all five parks in one
spectacularly scenic vacation. But what if you have limited travel time? If you hit the main three can you skip Capitol Reef National Park and Canyonlands?
Of the lesser-known Utah national parks, Canyonlands is less than a 30-minute drive from Arches, so people often find it easy to squeeze that park into their Utah national park itinerary.
But what about
Capitol Reef? Is it a must-see?
Scenic and Savvy is here to weigh in on the topic and help you decide whether to include Capitol Reef in your trip itinerary or skip it altogether. Read on to see whether we recommend you… Trip It or Skip It.
Including
Capitol Reef National Park in your Utah itinerary requires tacking on an extra day to explore. This may not sound like a lot, but when planning an itinerary, every vacation day is valuable and you want to fill it with the most worthwhile sights and activities.
The park covers more than 240,000 acres, but only a small part of it is accessible by paved roads. Capitol Reef isn’t known for crazy looking hoodoos
rising up from the ground like Bryce Canyon. It doesn’t contain thousands of natural arches like Arches National Park. And it doesn’t have a world-renowned hike like Angels Landing in Zion. In fact, Capitol Reef gets 1.2 million visitors annually versus 4.5 million in Zion and 2.6 million in Bryce Canyon. Does this mean you should skip Capitol Reef National Park?
What does Capitol Reef offer?
Capitol
Reef’s landscape is made of multicolored cliffs, canyons, white sandstone domes and layered rock formations. Some of the parks natural attractions are located right off the main highway, while others require a high-clearance vehicle to travel onto remote dirt roads. Here’s a glimpse into some of the sights you’ll see in Capitol Reef:
* The park has its own popular arch (actually a
sandstone bridge, but who can tell the difference?) called
Hickman Bridge. The hike there is fun and scenic as you walk through sand, up stony steps, across slick rock and past smaller rock formations to explore along the way. The impressive structure rises 125 feet high and spans 133 feet across. Walking down into a little rocky valley in front of the arch provides a stunning vantage point looking back up.
*
Capitol Reef’s
Scenic Drive winds through the park past dark red hills, white domes and sheer cliffs. The route provides access to two dirt spur roads – Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge Road – that take you alongside massive striped canyon walls. The colorfully layered landscape creates a beautiful view against the backdrop of the deep blue sky.
* The 200-acre
Fruita Historic District in the heart of Capitol Reef is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Here you can wander through orchards containing close to 2,000 trees – apple, apricot, cherry, peach, pear, plum… and the best part? You can pick the fresh fruit in late summer to eat. The Gifford House, a renovated early 1900’s pioneer home, contains a gift shop and bakery
serving up locally made fruit pies and homemade ice cream. A historic one-room schoolhouse built in the late 1800’s adds to the appeal of this inviting area.
How is
Capitol Reef different from Utah’s other national parks?
Capitol Reef’s unique landscape and rural, pioneer feel exudes a charm not felt in the other parks. Arguably, that is its biggest draw. It’s less crowded, peaceful and strikingly scenic – creating an overall captivating experience.
Our verdict on visiting
Capitol Reef National Park
A Utah trip would be beautiful and worthwhile no matter how many of the state’s national parks you visit, but it would not be complete without a stop in Capitol Reef.
(Find out the BEST time to visit Utah here.)
Carve out time in your
Utah National Park’s itinerary for this often overlooked treasure and it will be well worth the effort.
Scenic and Savvy says: Trip it!
And then after you do, come back and tell us all about your experience.
Have you ever been to Capitol Reef National Park? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Which is better Canyonlands or Capitol Reef National Park?
If you need to choose one or the other, Canyonlands wins hands down (there is a reason why Capitol Reef is not that crowded). I would even say that if you can add one more day to your trip, spending it in Canyonlands is still a better choice than going to Capitol Reef.
Is Capitol Reef National Park worth seeing?
Capitol Reef National Park is the least visited of Utah's “Mighty 5” national parks. But while it doesn't get as many visitors as neighboring Zion, Bryce Canyon, or Arches, it has plenty to offer and belongs on your Utah road trip itinerary.
How many days Arches Canyonlands and Capitol Reef?
Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef National Parks are three spectacular parks to visit in Utah. With 10 days, you can visit each of them, plus a few more cool spots, on this epic road trip.
How much time do you need at Capitol Reef National Park?
Because Capitol Reef is such a compact park, it's fairly easy to see a lot in a short time. Although 2 or 3 days in the park would be ideal, it is possible to have an enjoyable time with just half a day or so. Because there are no food services in the park (except fruit in season), pack a picnic lunch.