Utah's "Magnificent" Five: Capitol Reef
Of the Mighty (or Magnificent) 5, Capitol Reef National Park is the least visited. By far. This is partly due to location - it doesn’t cluster together like Arches and Canyonlands or Zion and Bryce Canyon and there’s no cute town nearby, at least not one of a sufficient size to support much tourisim. It is also smaller, making it less of a multi-day destination and thus (some may think) not prominent enough to justify an entire trip, but also not exactly on the way to anywhere. It’s often the first thing to drop off of the itinerary when planning a southern Utah trip. This is a mistake. It is, in my opinion, worth adding an extra day or two to your trip specifically to visit this singular park. On day four of our road trip, we set out to do just that.
day 4
7:30 am: By our current standards, we basically slept the day away. By normal people standards, 7:30 am is still pretty early to be on the road after packing up, eating one last hotel breakfast, and checking out of our first accommodation of the trip. Our ultimate destination was a place I was so excited to stay for two nights. But first, we would make a stop at Capitol Reef NP! One thing that repeatedly struck me as we drove was just how frequently and drastically the scenery changed. There was always something new and completely unique to see.
10 am: We arrived at the edge of Capitol Reef, best known for the Waterpocket Fold, an almost 100 mile long fold in the earth, but also unique for including the 19th century Mormon settlement of Fruita. One of our first stops was to see a petroglyph panel and then an old one room school house.
The next order of business was apple pie. I’m all about a national park where one of the can’t miss stops is for pie. You want to stop at the Gifford House as close to their opening time as possible to ensure you don’t miss out on their homemade pies, often made from the fruit harvested from nearby fruit trees. In season, it is free to pick a snack from these trees, a remnant of the early settlement only possible thanks to its prime location next to the Fremont River.
11 am: We did the scenic drive through the park, planning to end at the trailhead for the 2-mile out and back Capitol Gorge Hike. I was really looking forward to this easy canyon hike that would take us past petroglyphs, a historic register of pioneer signatures, and another arch. Unfortunately, the trail was closed, I suspect because of recent floods. We considered doing the Grand Wash hike instead, but ultimately Harrison needed something more relaxed, so we headed west and did the short Goosenecks and Sunset Point hikes. We ate some lunch while enjoying the scenic overlooks and decided to go ahead and begin the drive to Escalante, where we would be staying for the next two nights. This is definitely a place I would like to revisit, so I’ve shared some of my “next time” list below.
3:30 pm: We arrived at the incredible Yonder Escalante, where we would be staying for two nights. I built in these two mid-trip nights to relax, do some laundry, and just generally reset in the middle of a pretty intense trip. We were quickly settled into our adorable Airstream and jumping into the pool to cool off.
6:00 pm: We ate the best meal of the trip thus far at the tiny but delicious Georgie’s Outdoor Mexican Cafe.
Sunset: We watched a stunning desert sunset and then hopped into a classic car to watch a drive in movie to end our day.
Summary: We spent the day exploring Capitol Reef National Park, enjoying a drive along the scenic route (again with an audio tour from GuideAlong), apple pie at the Gifford House, and a couple short hikes. We checked in for a unique and relaxing stay at Yonder Escalante and had a perfectly delicious dinner at Georgie’s before ending the day with (the start of) a drive in movie and the sunset.
Day 5
8:00 am: We all slept so well in our cozy Airstream that we managed to sleep later than 6 am. We had a lazy morning before heading to the common area where there was coffee and some complimentary breakfast treats. We ordered something more substantial from the on-site food truck and were all very happy with our breakfast. I was especially impressed by the vast selection of hot sauces.
9:30 am: I had intentionally made no plans for the day, but we all felt like getting out to explore. Yonder had several recommendations, but the very nearby Escalante Petrified Forest State Park seemed like an ideal spot. We did both of the short trails in the park, for a total of 1.75 miles. This was a really unique place that is much less visited than other parks, but we really enjoyed it. It was a nice contrast to the various enormous rocks we had been exploring for the past few days.
Noon: After our morning of hiking, we were ready for lunch, so we stopped for burgers at Nemo’s. I can recommend a stop here, as well.
1:00 pm: Parents everywhere will understand what I’m about to say - doing laundry was the most relaxing part of my trip. One of the perks of staying here was access to quality laundry facilities, which we all needed after 5 days of hiking. I sat for two hours, ALONE, reading a book while Brandon managed nap time and then headed to the pool. This was a highlight of the trip. I’m only kind of kidding.
3:30 pm: I joined my boys at the pool and then we stopped by the Yonder General Store to pick up a dinner and cocktail kit to prepare at our campsite.
6:00 pm: We made a gourmet campfire dinner and enjoyed a simple evening together, going to bed early to be ready for the next adventure. The next day would be another early one.
Summary: We had a relaxing day. We slept in, had a leisurely breakfast, and then decided to do a nearby hike at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. After a delicious lunch at Nemo’s, I did laundry while Brandon managed nap and pool time. We ended the evening with a campfire dinner and an early bedtime.
Where we stayed
If you know me, you probably know that one of my goals in life is to have a small Airstream for camping. As of now, our budget doesn’t support that, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t live out my Airstream dreams by staying at the almost too cool glamping resort, Yonder Escalante. In addition to the Airstreams, there are cozy cabins, tent camping spots, and RV spots. They recently added deluxe cabins with en suite bathrooms, but most sites share a luxurious bathhouse, one of which has the perfect outdoor showers. The bathhouse has all the amenities to make camping feel practically like staying in a fancy hotel.
The Airstream was comfortable and was well supplied with basic kitchen amenities. My one complaint is that the air conditioner could not keep up with the combination of midday heat and metal trailer, but most travelers probably aren’t worried about accommodating afternoon toddler naps, so this likely isn’t an issue. As much as I loved the Airstreams, I would probably book a cabin if I were traveling with a young child during the heat of the summer.
The on-site amenities were next level, too - the general store sold delicious dinner and cocktail kits, along with other necessities and cute clothing and accessories. In the morning, there were snacks and coffee in the common area and the food truck breakfast was so good. The pool was the perfect spot to cool down after a day outdoors (or a hot nap). Most fun of all was the drive in theatre. Harrison loved exploring the antique cars, even if he struggled to stay awake for the actual movie. Would stay here again.
For next time
Of course, there is more we didn’t see that is at the top of my list for the next trip to this area of Utah:
Hickman Bridge Trail. There was more to see at Capitol Reef than we could fit into a day, so next time would include more hikes, including this one.
Cassidy Arch. Another next time hike.
Capitol Reef is another area for off-roading and more rugged drives. A popular route is Looping the Fold. The 124 mile drive, mostly on roads, if rough ones, offers unparalleled views of the unique geology of the park.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. At 1.87 million acres, this remote area of Utah offers lots of adventure. We didn’t even begin to scratch the surface.
Anasazi State Park.
Hells Backbone Grill & Farm. You know a restaurant would be on my list of regrets. This farm to table restaurant may be the best dining experience in the entire state. I really wanted to eat here, but it just didn’t work this time.
Circle D. This was the first “must eat” spot to pop up in every search. Apparently the pizza is amazing. Unfortunately, they were closed for a summer break while we were there.
Stargazing. The nearby town of Torrey is an International Dark Sky Community, so there are few places in the US better for stargazing. In the park, there are ranger led events that happen after dark, if you (or your tiny human) can stay awake that long.
Where else to stay:
Other spots I would recommend staying in this area are the Capitol Reef Resort - the covered wagons would be especially fun - or Cabins at Capitol Reef, both in the very small town of Torrey, Utah. Escalante has some cute home rentals, but hotels are sparse.