Cassidy arch is one of the most popular hikes in CRNP and for good reason! It's a very memorable…read morehike. Kind of nebulous at one point in the first 1/3 of it when you reach this kinda rocky/brushy clearing (I lost a good 30 min wandering around in that area trying to find the actual trail) but once you figure that out it's easy to follow the rest of the trail. The views along the way are lovely and of course the vista at the end is stunning!! I had no issues with parking, there was plenty at the trail head on a week day in April. Just come prepared for finicky weather; I got lucky that it was just cloudy and only misted for like 10 min before stopping but it definitely could rain/get cold quickly.

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

I combined the Rim Overlook trail with the trail to Hickman Bridge to get the most out of my hike…read more Unfortunately, the sky was threatening rain so I didn't want to risk it hiking to Navajo Knobs. This 2.3 mile trail is okay if you don't have any trouble climbing a few flights of stairs as baseline daily activity. The NPS site officially lists this trail as strenuous, but I saw plenty of young kids hiking this. The trail has some stairs as you ascend. You are hiking from the canyon floor to the rim! On the way up, you get to see the rock formation that reminded travelers of the Capitol dome that inspired part of the national park's name. It's a much better name than "Wayne Wonderland" which was what the region was called before it became a national park. At the end of the hike, you're rewarded with panoramas of Fruita and the Waterpocket Fold. Vault toilets are at the trailhead, otherwise you're on your own.

This Rim Overlook Trail is a decent hike within Capitol Reef National Park. What makes it better…read morethan average though, is that you can pare it with a little side trek to Hickman Bridge, and for those interested, hike even further past the Rim Overlook to Navajo Knobs for grander views of the surrounding Capitol Reef landscape from high above! For myself, I was content with just making it here and completing the Rim Overlook Trail portion. I did not have enough strength and energy to attempt to go deeper along the path to Navajo Knobs. In fact, I visited here at Capitol Reef back in late July of this summer, 2021, and since I first wandered off to see Hickman Bridge and then returning to this main trail towards Rim Overlook...it was late morning to midday and while hiking upwards, the temperatures were scorching hot!!! I'd say at least mid to upper 90's. Wow...so getting here (at least for me) was difficult. I was certainly slurping down plenty of water. And that's because officially from the parking lot and trailhead to here at Rim Overlook, it's a 2.3 mile one way trek gaining at least 1000 feet in elevation. Surprisingly I struggled to arrive at the top. Plus...starting at the trailhead and veering off almost 1 mile each way to see the sights at Hickman Bridge was sort of an extra mini voyage of its own. For those who care, I'd describe Hickman Bridge as this giant arch/bridge embedded in the rugged Capitol Reef rocks, similar to what you'd expect to find at a place like Natural Bridges National Monument. Still, it's worthwhile (and in tandem with) to check out Hickman Bridge and then return to this main trailhead and continue on towards Rim Overlook. For those adventurous hikers...there's always Navajo Knobs Point at the end of it all. I used about half the day to visit Hickman Bridge and then come here to Rim Overlook. And for continuing to Navajo Knobs and returning would take up a majority of the day. Along the pathway up here to Rim Overlook, there really weren't any signs as I went along. What I had to follow was keeping track of the little piled rocks as sort of guide marks along the hike. These rockpiles are very typical of what you'd expect to discover on remote hikes. It's nice of the park services and rangers to create them and it certainly helped assist me heading in the correct direction. This Rim Overlook Trail didn't get strenuous until the last 1 mile of the grind higher. This is where I had to pause a few times for water. Overall, along the entire 2.3 miles one-way...there weren't too many opportunities to stop for photos. Other than heading off to Hickman Bridge, this Rim Overlook Trail was a pretty standard path unlike other hikes where along the way I'd be stunned by glorious views and it'll take me forever to make it to the peak, lol. Not here, not on this hike. It's only until you arrive at the official Rim Overlook, where you'll appreciate the scenery. And yes, from the top of Rim Overlook and looking down upon the Capitol Reef landscape, my best memory were the colors, so vintage of Utah's wondrous landscapes. I think the reddish rock tones really stood out to me. I also liked how Highway 24, which cuts straight through the heart of Capitol Reef, was pretty visible from here at the rim. I used 20 - 25 minutes admiring the setting. It gave me a chance to take some panoramic photos as well as record a video. It was refreshing gazing down upon Capitol Reef, realizing how far I had climbed while having a moment to reflect and simply catch my breathe from the hard journey. One thing I'd like to point out for any photography enthusiasts...from here at Rim Overlook it's situated right along the edge of the cliff. So...(for me) I usually bring a tripod for my camera to place down on the ground, but I was pretty cautious of my steps up here at Rim Overlook. Basically there's no room for error and it's a straight fall if you move too close to the edge. Just keep that in mind. I'd suggest crouching or sitting down for optimal photos. That's what I did. Otherwise if you stand, you'll appear out of proportion within the context of the beautiful backdrop behind you. That's just me trying to be nit picky when it comes to picture taking, lol. Just enjoy the vista point regardless. Lastly, I'd like to mention that coming here to Rim Overlook was nice and pleasant and yes I managed the tough climb to the top while paring it off with venturing to Hickman Bridge. Though...if there's just one hike for you to attempt at Capitol Reef, my favorite without a doubt hike is....Chimney Rock Trail! I can't recommend that hike enough, one of my favorites of all time! Chimney Rock should be first and foremost on your priority list and if you're still having fun and looking for more ways to explore, then sure coming here to Rim Overlook is just fine.

This is one of those hiking trails that sorta becomes what you make of it. Want an easy little…read morestroll along the river? Go for it. This trail leaves directly from the campground and heads downriver along the Fremont, wandering past the orchards, the group campground, and eventually enters a small canyon with walls. If you've got little ones, you could easily stop here and it will have been a nice, flat stroll. But waiting for you downstream, and atop those walls, is a nice panoramic view of the Fremont River valley, orchards, and main hub of Capitol Reef National Park. Once you reach the narrowed canyon walls, you start an ascent that rises above the river and gives you some great looks at the downstream vista. You can stop at the first overlook and no one would judge you for it, and you'll get great views. But press on to the full mile and after departing that overlook, you'll again rise on a less rocky trail before summiting out on a point that overlooks the campground valley in one direction, and the canyons in all others. From there, you go back out a mile on the same trail you came in on, and you're back at camp. The park lists this one as "moderate" in its scale of difficulty. That feels like a bit much until you do that climb to the overlook. But it does wind around some rugged rocks and you will pant a bit, so take that seriously, especially if it's warm out. There's no cover once you pass the riparian corridor and head into the rocks, so it will be hot. Sunblock and water are highly recommended. It's not the most written-about or awe-inspiring hike in the park, but it will probably take you less than an hour (and that includes the time you will walk from your campsite) so if you've got the time, grab a camera and go for a little hike along the river.

This is the only place to stay for 50 miles. Clean, family owned. Rooms quite attractive. EVs can…read moreplug into 110V. No good near by.

Cathedral Valley is noted for its solitude, because nobody goes there…read more Well, almost nobody. I went there once. Only once -- I haven't gone back. Why? Probably because its in a tough neighborhood: too much competition from the Great Circle's nearby (in Red Rock Country reckoning) Horseshoe Canyon, Canyonland's Maze and the Golden Staircase, and Capitol Reef's own canyons, the Waterpocket Fold and the ghosts of Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch. What we have here is a monotonous, backcountry desert of gypsum clay, with a slippery 4WD track that eventually leads you to a range of red rock cliffs. Near their foot are some tall, freestanding sandstone obelisks, resembling cathedrals (see photos). In the mid-day sun the resemblance may not be too striking. You should take photos in early morning or late afternoon when strong shadows are at play. You would need to arrive in the afternoon, set-up camp away from the temples (pictures including your own tent are uncool). Then scout out the temples with an eye to the afternoon sun and set-up your tripod position(s) accordingly -- follow the interplay of light and shadows on the obelisks as the sun goes down. When the evening light finally fades, figure out where you're going to set-up for the morning light. To do this in the gypsum clay desert means that you're going to get really close to solitude. Also, you're going to use at least a day and a half of trip time that you could be spending in Horseshoe Canyon, the Maze, et al. It doesn't rain there often but when it does, the clay becomes impassable and you can easily lose a couple of days getting out. When the rain water rages down through the canyons from the West, it carries red silt into the Fremont River (along Hiway 24, the Southern edge of the desert). With the sun behind it, the river boils blood red. Cormac McCarthy wrote about a river like this in "Blood Meridian," but I didn't believe it until I saw the Fremont River turn to blood.

We had an absolutely amazing time on our Cathedral Valley tour today. Not only did we have perfect…read moreweather, we had a perfect guide in Tallon. Tallon is an excellent driver, on roads and most especially off road. In addition to taking us to breathtaking views(which we expected), we had the really interesting conversations, which was not really expected. Tallon shared his knowledge and love of Capitol Reef...from the views to the geology to the history. We've been on a number of tours across the States and we've been on ones we wushed we could end early...but not this one! We were in a comfortable enclosed jeep, had water and snacks, and a great guide. Thank you, Sleeping Rainbow!

We had a great Jeep tour with Sleeping Rainbow Adventures. It was easy to book and the person we…read morebooked with answered all my questions and was very friendly and helpful. The driver was very knowledgeable and told us all about the geology of the area and historical facts. She was also fun and funny. She stopped lots of places for us to take photos. I really appreciated having an experienced Jeep driver navigating the mountain switchbacks and knowing where to go. I would not have felt confident doing that drive on my own. I highly recommend them.

I've heard a few different people tell me about Fish Lake National Forest and encouraged me to…read morevisit. So I expected it to be much busier than it was on a holiday weekend. Surprising, and happily, I found it to be almost void of any people, with the exception of a few stragglers by the water and recreating about. There are beautiful trees throughout and plenty of viewing points along the road to get some lovely pictures. Watch out for cattle-I was purely delighted to come across a large herd making their way across the road.

The ranger at the ranger station was very nice. Inside the station are bathrooms and informational…read morepamphlets about the area, as well as maps and a small corner with swag for purchase. Aside from Fish Lake (from which the forest takes its name), there are mountains and meadows that are equally beautiful. If you're interested, you can visit Pando. Pando is a quaking aspen that has multiple stems but they're all connected by a root system and all the "trees" have the same DNA. Pando is more like a iceberg where the below the surface portion is the significant bit. It is the world's largest tree (and perhaps organism) by mass. It is estimated to be at least several thousand years old, with some estimates being 16,000 years old. It feels so humbling to be visiting the forest since you feel like you're just a speck of dust compared to Pando around you. Mind blowing.

I booked this tour the night before - super last-minute for our party of six. It cost $450 for all…read moreof us to go on a tour from 10am to almost 1pm. Our tour guide was so amazing and very personable. He was so knowledgeable about the area and he let us out multiple times to take photos and stretch our legs. We were given lots of freedom to ride around, and the tour was so much fun. It was definitely the highlight of our trip! Don't pass up a chance to do this tour, you will be missing out so hard.

Expect to pay extra fees weeks later. Here's the owners response when I questioned the extra charge…read morebilled exactly 30 days later - "I guess that maybe this comes as a surprise, but we let everyone know that equipment is included. Flies and leaders are not. It's also included in the description and confirmation that is sent out to everyone."

I would rate this experience higher if I could. My daughter and I booked the tour with no…read moreexperience and wanting to learn. Our guides Trent and Elsie are top notch and very gifted in teaching and guiding others. When we needed more instruction they were patient and gave us options that felt best for each of us. They cheered us on as we got better and better the whole day was amazing. If I could give any suggestions it would be that the site we booked from made the trip look like it was in Moab where we stayed. "Moab Robber's Roost Canyoneering Adventure" If we hadn't carefully read the instructions that came after booking we would have misted our reservation. It was a 1 hour and 40 minute drive away. And we have not visited before and didn't know the distance. Helpful hints for a fun day... take more water than you think. You will be exerting yourself like no other. Packets of electrolytes are very helpful. When the guide talks to you about how much water to pack it's important! Second do NOT wear shorts or a t shirt. Do not wear your favorite pants! Plan wisely and cover your knees and elbows and don't be mad when you wear a hole in anything it's part of the fun! You will get dirty. Very dirty! You will be starting at the top of rock formations and traveling down... the fun part! However you will walk back to the starting point and need to be prepared for the hike as well! It's a good one! If you love adventure and a challenge book this now!

We absolutely LOVED our guided tour with Get in the Wild! Our guide Tyler was the best, he taught…read moreus so much about the history of the area & the rock formations and we learned so much about canyoneering as beginners this was everything we hoped for and more! We did the Goblin's Lair Tour and Tyler was a pro at giving us all the tips of how to repel & even did a demo + practice which we loved and found extremely helpful of how to repel before we did the real thing into the Goblin's Lair! This was the coolest experience ever, we are definitely going to do more guided tours with Get in the Wild! This is an unforgettable experience, thank you Tyler & Get in the Wild! :)