How to Spend a Weekend at Utah's Capitol Reef National Park
Utah's main claim to fame, besides being the home of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), is The Mighty Five. Bryce, Zion, Canyonlands, Arches and Capitol Reef National Parks make up the Mighty Five and make for an incredible national park hopping trip. We ticked off Bryce and Zion a few years back with our son and his wife and then a few years later made it to Arches. Which left us with the two least visited, and most remote, parks of the Mighty Five still to visit. Last June, Mr. UR's brother and his wife were doing their own two week tour around Utah and invited us to meet up with them. We settled on a weekend in Capitol Reef National Park including the (fairly) nearby Goblin Valley State Park and Little Wild Horse Canyon. It is quite the unique area of Utah and as happens every time I visit, I was blown away by the sheer beauty of this underrated state. Here's the highlights of our visit there:
Goblin Valley State Park - Land of Mystical Goblins
Goblin Valley State Park sits in, really, the middle of nowhere. Pure desert. And it is one of the most unique state parks, and landscapes, I've been to. First discovered by cowboys looking for their cattle, this land of strange shaped rock formations and surrounded by cliffs was first called Mushroom Valley. There are thousands of unique geologic goblins which were created by erosion. You won't soon forget a visit to this unique state park.
Hike Amongst the Goblins -The main activity here is hiking - there are six miles of trails - though in recent years a disc golf course and mountain biking trail have been opened. Goblin Valley is divided into three separate areas: the first valley is mostly flat, the second here has several canyons - the further up the canyons, the taller the goblins - and the third valley is a mile south of the main observation point with no trails or markings of any king (it is suggested that you be highly experienced in desert back country navigation to hike here) We hiked a bit of the first valley but mainly stayed in the second valley. Be prepared for heat as there is very little shade but water and restrooms available at the main viewpoint.
See Some Dark Skies -The other pull to Goblin Valley is its Dark Skies program. In 2015, the National Park Services Dark Sky Team visited here and determined that Goblin Valley had one of the darkest skies on earth. As it virtually sits in the middle of nowhere, there is absolutely no light pollution and it offers unparalleled views of the Milky Way.
We stayed in the town of Green River, Utah which is approximately 50 miles away. If you'd like to stay closer, then the state park offers camping which consists of 25 sites and 2 yurts. The campground is not located in the Valley of the Goblins itself but in the rock formations outside of it. Note: there is no electric hook-ups and restrooms are closed during the winter season.
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| Can you spot the camper at the bottom of the hills? |
Little Wild Horse Canyon - Hike a Slot Canyon
Just down the road from Goblin Valley State Park is Little Wild Horse Canyon which is a classic slot canyon popular for hiking. The main attraction is a set of "narrows" where you have to turn sideways to make it through.
Capitol Reef National Park
The main feature of Capitol Reef National Park is the Waterpocket Fold, which is basically a wrinkle in the earth, extending some 100 miles through the second largest national park in Utah. The least visited of the Mighty 5 - also including Arches, Zion, Bryce, and Canyonlands - Capitol Reef is a mixture of sandstone cliffs, domes, canyons, monoliths and even petryoglyphs. And it's, quite frankly, some of the most unique scenery I've ever seen. ( Keep in mind that I grew up in the flat farmland of Ohio)
The park was originally settled by the Native American Fremont people. Believed to have abandoned the area after a decades long drought, the Paiutes moved in next. After the Civil War the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, also known as Mormons, claimed the land for missionary purpose and founding 3 towns. Only one of the towns prospered - Fruita (then known as Junction) - but by 1920 only ten families lived here. Capitol Reef was declared a national monument in 1937 - mainly to protect these lands from mining - and a national park in 1970.
Hike Amongst the Arches, Canyons and Bridges- There are 15 day hiking trails in the Fruita area. We had planned to do the easy Grand Wash trail but flash floods the day before we arrived made that impossible. So we chose to hike the moderate Hickman Bridge trail, a 0.9 mile trail to a natural bridge with canyon views.
We then decided to add on the moderate Fremont River trail which was an easy stroll along the river that led to a steep climb to a fantastic panorama. Full disclosure: My dislike of hiking in steep places and especially along ledges means I didn't hike all the way to the top. Still saw great views, though.
Take a Scenic Drive - Scenic Drive is a 7.9 mile paved road that starts at the Visitor Center and provides access to several areas of the park. Unfortunately, most of the drive was closed due to the flooding. This led us to the Fremont River hike since we couldn't do the drive. But we did manage to drive and take in several of the scenic overlooks in other areas of the park.
See Some Ancient Petroglyphs- Accessible by two wooden boardwalks, these petroglyphs from the Fremont people are from somewhere between 300 and 1300 and located along Utah State Route 24 in Fruita.
Pick and (maybe) Eat Some Fruit - Capitol Reef is one of the most unique national parks in that you may pick your own fruit from the orchards in Fruita. Fruit must be paid for and hours are 9 to 5. We did not pick fruit as there wasn't any available to pick at the time we were there.
Do You Like Pie? Have a Slice of Homemade Pie (In a National Park!)- Built in 1908, the Gifford Homestead was a 200 acre farm lying in the Fruita valley and is typical of the spartan nature of rural Utah farm homes of the early 1900's. The house has been renovated and refurnished "to interpret the early Mormon settlement in Fruita." Dairy cows, hogs, and sheep as well as chickens and ducks were raised here on the farm, the family ate whatever they raised, water was carried from the Fremont River and used untreated, a two hole outhouse served the family and electricity was installed in 1948. The National Park Service purchased the homestead in 1969 and today you may visit the gift shop, in what was the kitchen, to purchase reproduction utensils and household tools that would have been used in Mormon homes along with quilts, aprons, rugs and soap.
Most importantly, you may purchase homemade pie a la mode at the Gifford Homestead! In fact, it's the only national park that I know of that sells homemade pie. And get there early, because I've heard it sells out!
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| If you guessed that I went with the Cherry Pie, you'd be right! |
Green River, Utah
Our five hour drive from Denver landed us in Green River, Utah where we met up for our weekend jaunt. Within easy driving distance of three national parks (Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef), Green River is known for it's outdoor recreation opportunities and is home to the John Wesley Powell River History Museum. Powell was a soldier, geologist and explorer of the American West. He was the first to lead a daring expedition down the Colorado River in 1869 which would go down in history as the last great land exploration in the US. Upon emerging from the Grand Canyon, after a 99 day trip down the Colorado, Powell was hailed as a hero and the Grand Canyon became known as a world class natural wonder. Unfortunately, both our start and finish of the weekend in Green River saw the museum closed. But I would love to go back and visit it next time I'm in the area.
See the World's Largest Watermelon Slice (spoiler alert: it's made of wood)
The other hot spot in Green River is the Green River State Park. You can camp and golf here but it is really known for two things: it's the starting point for boating through Labryinth and Stillwater Canyons and it's the home of the Green River Melon Days Festival in September. The town transforms into a watermelon wonderland over this weekend which includes a parade, games, carnival rides, a town dinner and of course, sweet juicy watermelon - it's the best place to get watermelon in Utah! In fact, the world's largest watermelon slice is located in Green River - don't get too excited though. This 25 foot long slice of watermelon built in the 1950's is made of wood.
Have Some Tacos at an Old Gas Station
If touring has made you hungry then you have to stop at Tacos La Pasadita. Housed in an old gas station in town but close to I-70, this taco truck is well known in these parts for it's fantastic food. In fact, it's been rated as some of the best Mexican food in the state. We had to give it a try and I must admit, it was delicious! If you're in the area, and you like tacos, this is the place for you.
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| This is a vampiro - crunchy inside and filled with meat |
Where We Stayed:
The first night in Green River, Utah we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express - brand new - on the edge of town. Actually it was very nice and it was great to have breakfast so we could get up early and be on our way.
The other hotel we stayed at was in the small town of Torrey, Utah - at an elevation of 6,800 feet and the gateway to Capitol Reef - and it was called The Broken Spur. Independently owned, the Broken Spur has 52 rooms, an onsite steak house, an included breakfast buffet, an indoor pool and hot tub, great sunset viewing and the most cool thing...you can stay in a covered wagon. Accommodating up to 5 people, they are exact replicas of the original wagons used by pioneers. (There are no bathrooms in the wagon, however, each wagon has their own private bathroom in a building a few yards away) They say that they're quite popular so if you're interested, book early.
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