CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK

May – June, 2019

Who knew we would so thoroughly fall for “The Greatest Earth on Show?” Didn’t matter whether it was Bryce Canyon NP, Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell, The North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Marble Canyon Loop, or cookies (!); local hikes, daredevil climbs, driving to see cars stacked against a slot canyon wall, hiking to view dinosaur footprints, or our favorite National Park, Zion…it was all, short of time with grandkids, the best stop in this journey started so long ago.  Sadly though we had to leave…there were 3 more National Parks to visit in Utah before continuing on our way to Glacier NP.

Brian had thought that just maybe we could make it up to Capitol Reef National Park from our campsite in Kanab (it looked like a pretty easy 2 and 1/2 hours to the Park?). But then again, we figured, the Park is on the way to Moab, and Moab was our next stop – our base for visiting Canyonlands NP and Arches NP.  Hmmm – looking at the map the town of Richfield is 146 miles from Kanab and it’s 174 miles from Richfield to Moab.  Richfield is the closest town along a major highway to Capitol Reef NP, and there’s a well-rated campground in Richfield.  Easy decision!

On the morning we left, the weather prediction for the route from Kanab to Richfield was for overcast skies with a chance of rain, and Richfield was forecast to be clear by the afternoon.  OK – no big deal.  A little rain while on our short transit in Aimee, get to Richfield, set-up and enjoy a nice afternoon.  But Brian forgot the one rule about driving in the mountains – what is rain at lower elevations just might be snow at higher elevations. Time of year doesn’t matter!

Kanab’s at 4925 feet above sea level, and the road rises to at least 8,000 feet around Bryce Canyon. As the elevation increased the rain turned to sleet and hail, which then turned into a serious snow storm. At first the snow was immediately melting on the roadway due to the ground/road temperature, but when we reached the higher elevations and for a distance of about 5-7 miles the snow was sticking.  We dropped our speed and Aimee handled the road like the champ she is!  As soon as the elevation dropped down to less than a “mile high” the snow stopped, the sun eventually became our traveling companion, and we enjoyed our anticipated easy trip into Richfield.

We were up early the next morning to make the drive into Capitol Reef NP.  The first part of the drive was a substantial climb out of Richfield to connect with Utah Highway 24 which would take us through the small towns of Loa (population 585), Bicknell (population 327), and Torrey (population 241).  Torrey, Utah is the gateway into Capitol Reef NP.  Little did we expect to find one of the most scenic drives we’ve encountered in more than a year of being on the road.

Snow-capped mountain peaks on either side of the road with meadows of wild flowers and grasslands in between, beautiful vistas as far as the eye can see, deer romping, cows grazing, and a herd of bison!  Nature’s entertainment at its absolute best.

The area that is now Capitol Reef NP was the homeland for the Fremont Native American Peoples who settled in the area around 500 CE.  Petroglyphs etched in rock walls and painted pictographs remain as evidence of their habitation.  We found the Freemont Peoples pictographs and petroglyphs to be more sophisticated than others we had experienced in other locations.

 

 

Explorers, Mormon pioneers and others arrived in the 1800s, settling in what is now the Fruita Rural Historic District. They planted and nurtured orchards of apples, pears, and peaches. The trees still bear fruit that is harvested and used by a local merchant to make pies, jams and jellies.

The National Park Service as well as several of the written guides to the Park make it a point to recommend getting pie at the country store operating in Fruita. We couldn’t pass up such a high recommendation, and we do have to rate the strawberry-rhubarb pie as one of the best we’ve ever tasted. Get there early for an also highly recommended hot cinnamon roll, and to be sure to have your pick of pie as they do sell out by late morning to early afternoon.

Capitol Reef NP was designated a national monument on August 2, 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt; however, it was not until 1950 that the area officially opened to the public, and it wasn’t until 1971 that it became a National Park.

 

With little more than 1,000,000 visitors per year, the Park ranks 21st on the hit parade of national park popularity. Maybe it’s the location; maybe it’s because the other 4 national parks in Utah are supposed to be sexier or maybe it’s who knows what, but this is a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes, and bridges.

…a wonderful waterfall after the rain…

The Park is part of a geologic monocline called the Waterpocket Fold, which extends almost 100 miles in a sorta north/south direction.  The origin of the monocline begins with the deposit of “soft” Navajo and Wingate sandstone atop layers of sedimentary rock in an area surrounded by a giant sand sea.  Sand, pushed by incessant winds, slammed against the hills and mountains thinning the base of the rock and causing the top sandstone layers to lean “with the wind.”  Add in the movement of the earth’s tectonic plates pushing the hills and mountains upward, which accentuates the lean of the sandstone cap.  Now, toss in a deeply buried fault between 2 hill and mountain ranges and the carving effect of flash flood erosion. A geologic monocline or, in this case, the Waterpocket Fold is created. Not sure we get it either, but that’s Brian’s interpretation of what makes Capitol Reef NP so special.

…photo taken after the rain, the waterfall almost wiped out the road!…

If all else fails, it’s just a really cool place to visit. There are 2 driving tours; one of about 12 miles directly across the park on Highway 24, and the other an 8-mile “scenic drive” through the Historic Fruita District.  Each of the drives has a number of recommended stops for sightseeing and hiking trailheads. The Park Service has identified 15 hiking trails from 0.2 miles to 9.4 roundtrip miles in length, and of course rated from very easy to strenuous with elevation changes up to 1,620 feet.

For the more adventurous, there is an undeveloped roadway that runs just outside the entire length of the eastern boundary of the Park that gives the explorer another look at the “fold” and a chance to explore several canyons and one set of narrows. We tried to travel this way, but the recent rains had made the road impassable for our vehicle.

We did thoroughly enjoy touring the roadways of Capitol Reef NP, stopping to snap some photographs, and wearing ourselves out with a couple of hikes.

We hiked the 1.8 mile, 400-foot elevation change, rated moderate, Hickman Bridge trail our first day in the Park, and we made it all the way to the Bridge before the skies opened up and reminded us that we should always carry a couple of ponchos with us! On the way back Brian slipped a couple of times on slickrock – nothing serious, but our hike certainly became more treacherous during our descent.

After the rain, we hiked some of the easier trails leading to overlooks and icons like the Gooseneck Overlook, Panorama Point, Sunset Trail and Chimney Rock.

On our second day, we decided to hike the 4.6 mile, 1110-foot elevation change, rated the second most strenuous hike in the park:  Rim Overlook Trail.  We decided to have lunch at the summit.  If we haven’t talked about cairns before, these are small rock piles that previous hikers (and Park Rangers) have formed along the trail to let others know where the trail exists. Thank goodness for cairns as we’d have been lost many a time without them. Unfortunately rude hikers will destroy cairns or move them.  This was one of those trails with intermittent markers, but eventually you figure out where to go.

 

Why is it that the steepest part of a trail is the closest to the summit? Oh, well…  We sat ourselves down at the summit to one grand view, caught our breath and ate our picnic lunch. The hike up took more out of us than we imagined, and we felt that heading back down was more strenuous than we thought it should be.  Pretty exhausted but a real feeling of accomplishment when we finished.

In our opinion, Capitol Reef NP is way under-rated and far more enjoyable than many other National Parks, even others in Utah.  It’s compact enough to thoroughly enjoy with only one day to visit, and complex enough to spend 2-3 days (or more?) if you have the time.

And don’t forget to take a look around to see all of the beauty Mother Nature has brought to this Park!

We were so glad that we had the time to explore the wonders of Capitol Reef National Park.  It’s one of those places to consider adding to your bucket list.

Barbara and Brian