Mighty Five Plus One – Part II: Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park

Posted on   September 28,2019   By John Compisi

On September first we launched our thirteen-day adventure into Southern Utah and its Might Five National Parks. As previously reported, we flew into Las Vegas from Northern California, picked up our rental car and drove a few hours to Zion National Park where we adventured for three days.

This is the second in a series of articles which will record the highlights and a few ‘not so’ highlights of our adventures. The Parks we visited, the Might Five, were Zion, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands and Bryce Canyon.  The ‘Plus One’ is Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

This one is focused on lesser known and visited Capitol Reef National Park which became a National Monument in 1937 and a National Park in 1971.

The drive to Capitol Reef is about 3 hours and 174 miles (depending on traffic) to the northeast. Upon arrival in the nearby town of Torrey and checking in to our hotel we drove the four miles to the Visitor Center. The Park Rangers gave us excellent guidance about what there was to do and which hikes were popular. To orient ourselves to the park we set out on a stupendous 22 mile (round trip – r/t) Scenic Drive which ends at the trail head for the Capital Gorge Trail. We had sufficient day light left so we set out on this fairly easy 2 mile (r/t) which features the Pioneer Register and old Petroglyphs.

The hike is along a broad nearly flat wash that the pioneers traveling west into Utah, and beyond, traversed in their covered wagons over 150 years ago. The assumption is that they would stand on top of their wagons or on ladders and carve their names and the date into the stone. The carvings are about 15-20 feet up the sheer walls of the Canyon. The petroglyphs along this trail are hard to spot but they are about .8 miles into the hike near where the canyon wall ends. The Petroglyphs are attributed to the local Native Americans, thought to be the Fremont Culture, existed between 600 to 1300 AD in areas of Utah. The Fremont people were contemporaries of the Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi).

We were there in early September so a late afternoon/early evening hike was perfect as it was cooler (only ~90°F). Always carry lots of water, wear hats and use sunscreen. In general, an SUV offers easier driving access to some trail heads like this one). Feeling energized that we had gotten off to a great start with orientation, the scenic drive, a short exploratory hike and a plan for the next day we headed back to our hotel and dinner.

The next day we got an early start and did our first hike, Hickman Bridge. This hike included a good 400’ elevation gain, almost immediately from the trail head but was not too challenging after that. The scenery was breathtaking, both figuratively and actually at times, and ultimately lead to a beautiful natural bridge, our first among the National Parks. Hickman Bridge is a 133’ span arching gracefully 30 – 50 feet overhead (you can walk underneath it).

Blown away by the bridge we were excited to get our 2^nd hike of the day started. We chose Cohab Canyon, named such because, allegedly, that’s where the polygamy practicing Mormon’s would hide from the authorities when needed. Cohab Canyon is about 3.5 miles roundtrip and features amazing rock formation and panoramic views, hidden canyons and another 400’+ elevation gain. These two trails (Hickman and Cohab) were ultimately my favorite trails in this Park.

Having accomplished our first two objectives and the day getting quite hot we decided to go to the Visitors Center and view the Park orientation film. Again, very pleased that we took the 20 minutes to do so. We went back to our room and enjoyed lunch (leftovers from the previous night’s Cafe Diablo dinner – more about that latter).

After resting up, we set out for the final hike of the day, the Grand Wash. Nearly four and a half miles, out and back, the Grand Wash features deep canyon and narrows, a 200’ elevation gain as well as access to the Cassidy Arch Trail (named after Butch Cassidy). The different formations and views as well as the varied rock types kept your imagination running wild.

We also enjoyed the Goosenecks (easy walk from the car park area) which offered dramatic views of amazingly deep canyon formations (nearly1,000’ down) and the Petroglyph Panel on Highway 24 just a mile or so from the Visitor Center. The Mormon history of the late 1800’s is also well preserved with the Fruita School, the Gifford House (Cinnamon Bun was exquisite) and the operational fruit orchards where you can pick your own.

Capitol Reef is nothing like Zion (except, perhaps, for that mystical quality) so my previous statement that you cannot assume, ‘if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all’ stands. So far each of these is so uniquely different and beautiful you would be doing yourself a disservice by skipping any, despite their common geological birth. We thoroughly enjoyed our two plus days at Capitol Reef, perhaps the perfect amount of time. Next up – Arches National Park!

What to do: Hike! Take the scenic drive.

We hiked over 11 miles in our two days in the park. Truly spectacular red rock formation, like Chimney Rock and the Hickman Bridge. In addition to the hikes we drove the amazing 10+ mile scenic drive and couldn’t have been more taken with the breathtaking views. A must do!!!

Where to Stay: There is no lodging in Capitol Reef but the nearby town of Torrey has plenty. We stayed at the Capitol Reef Resort (closest to the Park entrance) and were very satisfied. Breakfast is not included but reasonable in the on-site Pioneer Kitchen Restaurant. The resort offers standard motel rooms as well as Teepees or Conestoga Wagons, all very pleasant looking, which could be fun for a family or even at bit romantic.

Where to dine: We found the dining opportunities to be less touristy than at Zion. Our favorite (dined there both nights) was Café Diablo. The menu was appetizing and varied. Over the two evenings we had Rattlesnake Cakes (like crab cakes but with rattler) with pistachios and ancho-rosemary aioli, the Diablo Salad (delicious), Honey Bee Salmon (fresh and flavorful) and the Pomegranate & Chipotle Glazed Ribs (falling off the bone). The wine list was as good as any we saw the whole time in Utah and the cocktails were surprisingly good.

Where to obtain Adult Beverages: Considering Utah’s archaic alcohol laws we were able to obtain cocktails and wine with dinner. Torrey has two ABC stores.  Chuck Wagon General Store and the Fremont River Guides Outdoor Store & Fly Shop.

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