This is a national park located in Utah about 2.5 hours drive from Moab. Stop in their Visitor…read moreCenter so you can get a trail map. They also have guides on hand that will help you plan your adventure and answer any questions. We chose to hike Hickman Bridge and Colab Canyon Trails. We also drove out to see Bentonite Hills. The trails were moderately difficult and we enjoyed the challenge. We had a capable vehicle so we were able to make the treck to Bentonite Hills. Capitol Reef Park is somewhat overshadowed by the big ones so be sure not to miss it!

Truly a hidden gem with mountains of stunning colors - ribbons of orange, white, grey running…read moreacross and sculpted by wind and water over millions of years. We went end of April and it was not too crowded. We started with Hickman's Bridge trail at 8:30 am after a short stop at the Visitor Center. We stayed at Capitol Reef Resort which gave us a nice handout summarizing the trails as well. For Hickman's Bridge, the small parking lot had a bathroom. It is rated as an easy-moderate trail. The trail was about 250-300 feet up switchbacks and stairs then an easier area before lots of rock scrambling to see the stone arch. Hiking poles were helpful navigating the ascent/descent and rocks until I went on all four's for some areas of tilted, uneven rocks. We almost missed seeing the bridge; we were so intent on trying to find footholds on the rocks and climbing. I think the left side of the loop would have been easier. Even though it is only 0.9 miles with a 400 elevation gain, it took us 1.5 hours round trip at my stopping to breath and carefully climbing/descending the rocks. Capitol Gorge Trail (2.3 miles, 80 ft elevation change) was more my speed being mostly flat and walking on small stones (hiking boots were helpful) through a canyon. (If it is going to rain; beware of flash flooding). The highlight was seeing faint petroglyphs and Mormon pilgrim signatures (from the 1800's) on parts of the rock walls. If you don't like climbing up rocks, I would say skip the optional hike up the mountain to see the water "tanks" or areas in the stone where the water collects. I saw some on the HIckman Trail and never finished that part since my thighs were getting too tired. My husband had difficulty finding the actual trail among the rocks and had to backtrack. The next day, my husband left at 6:45 am to do Navaho Knobs so he could be back by 11 am (we got a late checkout). Driving around the park, you can see the beauty without effort and the number of stunning rock formations and colors was truly something to behold.

The Escalante Interagency Visitor Center is a terrific place to start your explorations of wondrous…read moreGrand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. Alright, well I'll start abbreviating, lol...GSENM. It covers a huge area of Southern Utah, specifically, 1.9 million acres of public land. If you don't come prepared ahead of time, it can be an intimidating adventure and you can stumble on how to efficiently navigate your way around this remote, yet beautiful part of the country. That's why I believe if you start at the Interagency VC...you can handcraft the places and stops you'd like to see and best of all, when I visited, there were multiple park rangers standing behind the counter patiently waiting to assist tourists with their questions. Inside the VC...it's relatively small in stature...and there's a tiny little gift shop for picking up GSENM souvenirs. Plus, they have various stamping options to put into your Parks Passport. Of course, for myself, the ritual is to punch every page (front and back) even including using the Junior Ranger stamp, lol. Speaking with the park rangers was necessary because...I arrived here on a whim without a set game-plan. What I never realized about GSENM is that about half of the territory can only be accessed by 4x4 - off road vehicles. And that I did not have with me. So...certain attractions, landmarks and hikes are off-limit to cars not accommodative for dirt/gravel roads. And...this was informative because I was able to better design my itinerary with the park ranger once I told him I only had a midsize car with me. Still, here were some fun highlights that the ranger recommended.... - Hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls. - Hike to Escalante Natural Bridge. - Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. - Anasazi State Park Museum. - Walk among the Toadstools. - Kodachrome Basin State Park. Another good aspect to this Interagency VC is that it's located in the quiet town of Escalante, Utah...good for convenience stores, filling up your gas tank, purchasing supplies/necessities and sitting down at restaurants. After stopping here midday and before venturing out on my journey, I drove down the road to the Escalante Outfitters Restaurant for homemade pizza and cold beer. Overall, I'm really happy I made the effort to stop in at this Escalante Interagency Visitor Center before attempting to explore GSENM on my own. It was worthwhile to speak with the park rangers and to narrow down the activity options appropriate for my participation level.

The Escalante Interagency Visitor Center checks all the boxes for an excellent visitor center -…read moreample parking, easy to access location, clean bathrooms, interesting exhibits inside, functioning air conditioning, and plenty of information available. This was a stop on our road trip to the "big 5" national parks in Utah, and it was definitely worth it. The building and facilities were all clean and new-looking, with a modern look that apparently has sustainability in the design. The rangers here were helpful and were apparently glad to have someone to talk to, as when we drove through over Labor Day there weren't too many people around. Fortunately things were more or less open despite COVID-19, and everyone followed proper safety protocols - masks, distancing, hand sanitizer, etc. Though the exhibit space in the building was closed, temporarily. We were able to have our junior rangers participate in the junior ranger program, so they got their badges. Note if you ever visit a national park center with kids, ask about this program. They can do a few activities and get a neat souvenir reward.

This is a must stop if you are planning a trip out west to hike, bike, horseback ride, or just…read moreenjoy the scenery at one of our nation's stunning national parks. We stopped at the Visitor Center to learn about the protected prairie dogs that reside in the park. This was a special focus that day. They had tables where you can learn about the varieties of prairie dogs in the US as well as why the ones in the park are endangered. We then got to use their provided binoculars to view some of the prairie dogs that live near the visitor center. The highlight of our day was taking a horseback ride. Definitely look into this as an added activity during your visit!

I am so glad I got to see the one of a kind, incredible landscape of hoodoos (largest concentration…read morein the world) at Bryce. I wasn't prepared for the how large the area was. We first visited Capitol Reef, then Bryce, then Zion. I am glad we did it in that order. I will share my favorite hike, whether I thought the Queen's Garden Trail was worth It and a must-do. The park is 6,600 - 9,000 ft above sea level, so be prepared for less oxygen by walking on a inclined treadmill or hills and colder weather. We spent one day arriving around 8 am to get a parking space. I greatly enjoyed the Sunrise Point to Sunset Point Rim Trail (easy trail)- great for non-hikers, flat, paved and different view of the hoodoos. It is about 1 mile and wheel chair friendly. Midway is a sign to the Bryce lodge. That provides a nice stop for lunch. We had good hamburgers. We did the Queen's Garden trail which descends farther down into the hoodoos, you walk past a few down. It is more gradual than the Navajo Loop and easier of the two. It is 1.8 miles round trip and can take an hour each way depending on how well you do climbs coming up especially at 8,000 - 9,000 ft with less oxygen. I saw a man pushing a wheelchair with his mother down the Queen's Garden Trail. I wouldn't want to be in that chair without a seatbelt and just in case the man's hands slips. I hope he made his way up pushing that chair, since I imagine that was super hard up the steep inclines. I don't enjoy hiking or hills, so for me, it wasn't worth the effort walking back up Queen's Garden Trail and I had been training on a treadmill with a 13 degree incline for a few weeks; I turned around before I made it to the bottom. Looking down at Navajo Loop later, although steeper, I think it would have taken me more into the hoodoo level. My husband did the Figure 8 loop which is both trails. He said after Queen's Garden, there was a boring area then several up and down the hills below before you got to the Navajo Loop. The Wall St section was closed, so look for warnings before you go. A must do is to drive to Rainbow point at 9,115 ft and then stop on the way back. If you are pressed for time, the best stops were: - Natural Bridge - Biggest, tallest natural bridge I have ever seen. - Inspiration Point - 8,100 ft - the columns and rows of hoodoos was beautiful - Bryce Point (must do) - you can see both Sunset and Sunrise points and have the most panoramic view If you have time, stop in the Visitor Center with a small gift shop and watch the short film on how the hoodoos are formed. Bryce Canyon is a unique, bucket list kind of experience and whether you are a non-hiker who loves nature or enjoy challenges of hills and hiking, there is something for everyone.

Bryce Canyon national park is another great national park in Southern UT…read more The visitor center is large, has restrooms, and plenty of souvenirs. There was a food truck setting up in the parking lot, I think selling coffee and donuts. The rangers were friendly and helpful answering questions about road closures and offering suggestions. A great national park to check out if you are in the area. Check out my photos.

I would never recommend anyone to go here. I was just visiting Zion National Park with my family…read moreand decided to come here at our own risk. Big mistake. The park itself is very beautiful - there are no words. The lack of organization and rudeness from the staff is what really pissed me off. At the entrance, a rude park employee wanted to charge us (3 people) almost $400.00 instead of $35.00, mistaking us for foreigners. I am a US citizen and so is my entire family. I had to show her a California driver's license to get into the park and avoid creating a line. The visitor center is also crowded - a mess and there are no park maps in English - but there are plenty of maps in 10 languages. The buses (shuttles) are old ruins and dirty inside and out. The stops have no information. In general, I do not recommend wasting your time. Especially after Zion.

Such a dope vista point! The Goosenecks Overlook is located just a couple miles before you reach…read morethe Capitol Reef National Park Visitor's Center. Goosenecks Canyon is filled with limestone and sandstone dating back to over 270 million years old! You will have a clear view of the millions of years of erosion right from this viewpoint. The canyon is about 800 feet deep and Sulphur Creek runs along the bottom. It's almost like a mini Grand Canyon. In fact, some of the oldest rock layers of this canyon are the same rock layers that you'll find within the Grand Canyon (Kaibab Limestone). You'll have to drive a short distance up a rough and unpaved road to get here, but it's absolutely worth it for the views. From the parking lot, it's a short little hike up to the actual vista point. There's lot of room to roam around and explore the areas beyond the vista point. You'll be presented with stunning views with each and every turn. 360 degrees of pure bliss right before your eyes. If you're planning a trip to Capitol Reef National Park, this is an excellent place to stop on your way into and out of the park.

7-21-21 Gravel road to the right of panorama can very bumpy…read morebut our little Nissan made it when we drove slowly. Dead ends with a 600foot uphill/rock to beautiful views. Unfortunately this was our only stop in the park on our way to Salt Lake. Gorgeous views but no shade.

They don't make it easy to find, but it's not really hidden…read more I don't remember if the signage on the road indicates that this is the Sunset Point Trail, but if you're coming down the highway you will see signs for the Goosenecks overlook, and that's your indication. Once you exit the highway, you'll want to go left past the first parking area that's ahead, and down a dirt road that's a half mile or so. You'll go down that road, and then come to a parking area. You'll be tempted to go up to the right a bit to the overlook, and that's a good idea, you should do it, but that's not the Sunset Point Trail. The trail you seek is on the left (west) side of the parking area. We made our way here a bit prematurely before sunset, but I'm glad we did. We rolled in on a holiday weekend and still found parking in the small lot that probably holds no more than 20 cars. By the time we left, it was packed and there were cars parked all along the dirt road. The hike is pleasant, with only mild elevation gain and it goes for just about 1/3 of a mile each way. The views are stellar, though not as dramatic as that Goosenecks Overlook, they are still sweeping and majestic. You can see the red fingery cliffs to the north, the white-capped peaks to the west (is that Fern's Nipple?) and the canyon to the south. Funky rock formations and spires greet you at the terminus of the trail and you can sit along the way and there at the end on a couple of benches. Sunset is the right time to visit; it's aptly named. Red and orange cliffs were just aglow with amber light in the late, late afternoon. The red cliffs become their own new colors and it's really special.

Very easy & perfect for a sunset trail. We were lucky not many people came to this hike…read more HOW TO GET THERE & PARKING: if you're driving in from town to the park, the road that leads you to the parking lot is right before the visitor center so be sure to keep your eyes peeled on your right hand side. Once you got it, there's a lot of gravel & you think you're going the wrong way, but soon, you will reach the parking lot. There's plenty of parking so don't worry about that. Considering this is also a very short hike, people come in & out of there pretty often. HIKE: very easy. Pretty much 0.5 miles RT without any strain/incline challenge so any level hiker can do this. The path is pretty smooth & the end result is gorgeous view of the park. There are a lot of tall rocks that you can easy climb on to see a higher view of the park. There's a couple of benches at the end of the trail so very nice to just sit, relax & enjoy the color changes of the rocks & mountains as the sun sets. Very beautiful. And at such an easy hike, the reward is pretty big! I'd suggest bringing your dinner, hike the short hike & enjoy nature's beauty.

Definitely a strenuous hike on the way up, but totally do-able and worth it for the views. We were…read moreon a time crunch, so we didn't do the full hike - we just hiked up to chimney rock and back down instead of doing the full loop. So I imagine if you did the full loop the views would have been even more beautiful, but even the modified hike we did was amazing. Whenever I looked up hikes for Capitol Reef, this one was often overlooked, but after experiencing it, I feel it's one that should be included much more often. We did read in a couple places that this was good for sunset - we didn't get that chance, but I imagine it would be beautiful. Trail was not crowded at all, but there is little shade cover so be prepared with plenty of water and a hat.

I am very excited to talk about Chimney Rock Trail!!! Alright, I have been on hikes throughout the…read moreUnited States within all sorts of national parks, etc...but, I need to urge everyone who visit Capitol Reef...it is imperative for you to hike this Chimney Rock Trail! I am serious. Although I don't have an official ranking system, I'd place this hike at least within my Top 10 - 15 BEST HIKES OF ALL TIME! Everything about being here was simply epic. If you want to immerse yourself and understand the true power of what makes the state of Utah so famous for its colorful landscape terrains, then hiking Chimney Rock Trail will give you everything you could possibly ask for! Besides Angels Landing at Zion or the Queens Garden/Navajo Loop at Bryce...I'd then put Chimney Rock just behind them. It's a MUST SEE AND DO while here at Capitol Reef! Alright, enough gushing let me just go into details and what makes Chimney Rock special... Chimney Rock Trail is a very accessible and convenient 3.5 mile loop gaining almost 600 feet in elevation. I believe 3.5 miles is ideal in distance...not too long and not too short. Then, the maybe 580 feet in elevation is also perfect. It's not really difficult whatsoever but at the same making it to the plateau area along Chimney Rock instantly provides you with stunning views of the Capitol Reef landscape. Basically, you don't have to work hard along the hike. You're not huffing and puffing. It's extremely manageable. While reading the park pamphlet and hiking guide about Capitol Reef...it mentioned that coming here to Chimney Rock was worthwhile for hiking in late afternoon and during sunset time. I couldn't agree more with that! When I arrived, the sun was at my back which allowed for very clear photo taking opportunities of the grand setting from high above. Plus, when I was here back in late July of this year, 2021, the daytime temperatures were brutal ranging in the mid to upper 90's. Having the chance to hike here when things cooled down made a huge difference. Btw, I'd also like to point out the trailhead. Finding the start to Chimney Rock was very simple. It's located right off Highway 24 (the main road that cuts through the heart of Capitol Reef) as you're heading west from Torrey, UT going east. When I arrived in late afternoon the parking lot was empty and quiet. I was surprised by this because it specifically stated Chimney Rock was appropriate for hiking during sunsets. Good thing, better off in my opinion not having other tourists around. And, that was also another terrific aspect about exploring Chimney Rock. I was virtually the only hiker here! I had the entire trail to myself. I was grateful for this as it just allowed me to collect my thoughts and feel totally separated from reality. Before I give my interpretation of what Chimney Rock is all about...I'll just take a little highlighted piece from a page I found at americansouthwest.net/utah/capitol_reef/chimney-rock-trail.html... "Chimney Rock Trail is perhaps the best short path in the national park, as it is relatively short, not too steep, provides the shortest hike to a high elevation viewpoint, and passes varied surroundings; besides Chimney Rock itself, an eroded pillar of red sandstone, the trail encounters colorful badlands, tall cliffs, and the mouth of a narrow canyon." I really liked this introduction/description. Along the 3.5 miles...I couldn't stop taking pictures. Each curve I passed, each winding turn I crossed, each climb or descent I made...was another humbling chance for picture moments. I couldn't stop, like an addicted kid at a candy store, lol. Over the course of the hike it covered every nook and cranny within Capitol Reef Park you could ask for. Granted, I did the 8 mile Scenic Drive, I hiked other trails, I ventured all around... But coming here and along Chimney Rock I felt like I had found my calling, like I discovered true fulfilment and better understood why Capitol Reef is part of Utah's "Mighty 5". I'll admit, I had moments where I felt tears of joy because here I was standing high above the ground looking down upon glorious Capitol Reef, feeling like I'm a small piece in the big scheme of history. Having infinite time made me feel like I had paused all my worries and troubles and was living in a "dreamland of sandstone cliffs, badlands, multicolored boulders and vertical walls!" And eventually the pathway leads back down to the flat base section but you're still afforded more stunning mounds of colored shades of purple, red and brown. Every step along the way felt like a new adventure. I can't say enough good things about here along Chimney Rock Trail. And because I was so infatuated with the hike, I used every last bit of fading sun to enjoy my time. I probably stayed along the trail for at least 3+ hours until it was pitch dark out before returning back to the parking lot. Lastly, that's it. Can't say anymore. Chimney Rock Trail, memories that will live with me forever.

We took this as a side trip and we really should have given this more time. If you are thinking of…read morecoming here, I recommend looking at all the activities offered to see how much is here to do so you won't feel as though you missed out on some of what makes this park FUN! As for us, we ran around the valley, played hide and seek, marveled at how these "goblins" were made and just had a great adventure with the time we had.

A triumph of both western topography and federalism. This is one of those awesome parks that would…read morein some ways be less special if it were "upgraded" to a national park. It's great the way it is. Just a few notes: -- the campsite is just amazing; you are nestled in among caves and washes, and your kids can merrily wander off "to the kids cave" or climb up onto a crest and watch the sunset or the rhythm of the campsite. They do have a shared bathroom with running water, which keeps the place just civilized enough for moderately experienced car campers. -- at the same time, this place is really remote. If you realize at campside that your propane stove doesn't work, you would have to drive an hour each way to Green River to get more. Instead, you will just have to figure out how to boil coffee and macaroni and cheese over a campfire. -- the stars. The city lights are far far far away, and the desert sky is clear, so you can see so so many stars. And if you sit and stare at them you see more. The only place I have ever seen so many stars in my life is standing on the side of the road outside Marfa, TX. -- two decades ago this was one of the first camping trips of my life, and it remains a special place in my heart.

This review is for Cassidy Arch Trail which was a ~3.1 miles round trip that took ~2 hours to…read morecomplete. Steady inclines mostly near the beginning. Follow the rock cairns for the last stretch to the arch. Amazing views throughout the hike! Required to drive ~1 mile on dirt road to reach the trailhead. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/4rdkNmKmd5M

This is a very popular hike in Capitol Reel National park. It is understandable why it is popular…read more The Cassidy Arch is really nice. The way to the trailhead on dirt road is already really scenic. Then trailhead to the arch is all great view. Every step is wonderful. This hike goes to the top of the arch, but on the way the entire arch is visible. Not difficult and long. Half a day's nice hike.

The day between visiting Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP, I decided to take a few detours. The first…read moredetour was to hike the Willis Creek slot canyon. The drive along Highway 12 was straightforward and it's easy to spot the turnoff onto Main St Cannonville. The Cannonville Visitor Center was easy to find as well. There were plenty of parking spots nearby. The visitor center looks very modern and comfortable inside. The employees were very helpful. They provided maps and useful tips on how to find Willis Creek slot canyon, including accurate number of miles to drive before making turns. The employees also suggested driving along scenic Highway 12 to see the views within Grand Staircase-Escalante, but I didn't have the time. Maybe on my next visit?

The staff here were extremely helpful and I recommend anyone visiting the slot canyons to first go…read morehere. They look up the weather data as well, to make sure that there are no impending heavy rains or thunderstorms that may potentially flood the canyons. They also give you the maps and directions.