CAPITAL REEF
TORREY, UTAH Visited: November 2020
Capital Reef was established in 1971. Capital Reef is only two hours east of Bryce Canyon and 2 hours west of Arches and should not be missed! This easily overlooked National Park felt like a hidden gem when we arrived! The towering sandstone cliffs mixed with the green oasis valleys made for some breathtaking views on the scenic drive. The park is 378 square miles though majority of it’s visitors stick to spots around UT-24 Scenic Byway.
FRUITA HISTORIC DISTRICT
The Fruita Historic District is right in the center of the park and offers a little flashback of how things use to be.
My travel buddy and I came through during the COVID pandemic. Everything was shut down including camp grounds so I cannot speak to what kind of activities are in the historic district, but there were some cute horses and little farm houses!
SCENIC DRIVE
The scenic drive starts at the Visitor Center and takes you through Fruita and through a couple miles of the park. The best time to take this drive is right before sunset!
CASSIDY ARCH
Distance: 3.7 miles Elevation Gain: 1,300ft Hiking Time: 2.5 hours
The trailhead was at the end of the road, south of Fruita District. Because of the pandemic and the remoteness of the trailhead, there were almost NO people on this hike!
The hike was strenuous for sure! 90% of it was in the sun. Even though it was in November, it was toasty. This would not be a hike I would do in the middle of summer without the necessary essentials.
The hike started in the valley before winding up the cliff sides. Cassidy Arch can be seen from a distance. However, we found that the end of the hike is actually on the cliff on TOP of the arch. There may have been a way to the bottom of the arch, but we could not find it!
We arrived at the top about an hour before sunset. The view was remarkable and gave a great overlook to the southern part of Capital Reef. Overall, I would definitely do this hike closer to the sunset again!
HICKMAN BRIDGE
Distance: 2 miles. Elevation Gain: 430 ft Hiking Time: 1 hour
Hickman bridge was an easy in and out hike. We were able to do this hike on our way out of the park. The hike was good, and ended at a HUGE arch. Overall the hike was in 90% sun. but we did it in the morning so it wasn’t too bad!
DISPERSED CAMPING
Because we were here during the pandemic, all the campgrounds were closed. However, we preferred dispersed camping anyway. In there area, there were tons of site right off Highway-24 right outside the park.
