Feedback on Capitol Reef National Park?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
Has anyone been to Capitol Reef in Utah? We're considering a trip there this fall and are looking for feedback/suggestions. We went to Zion and Bryce last fall. We loved them, but Zion was over the top crowded. Hoping that Capitol Reef will be a little more low key. We may do day trips from Capitol Reef but are considering making it our "home base" while we're there.
Thanks! |
Anonymous
I went about... four years ago now? We did a 10 day trip with stops at zion, bryce, capital reef, and the grand canyon. We LOVED Capital Reef. Very low key and uncrowded. Apparently it's one of the lesser-known, less-visited parks in the system. It was stunningly gorgeous. There's not much outside of the park though so be prepared for very long drives if you're doing day trips. I think there were two very small hotels, and maybe two restaurants nearby? The night we got there, we'd been driving for hours from Bryce, and we were starving when we got to the hotel. Ended up buying snacks at the local grocery store for dinner.  So plan accordingly, and enjoy!
|
MikeL
Member Offline
Member Offline
This is good advice. Beautiful park, not much nearby, which is fine, just be prepared. Have you thought of the other side of the state - Arches, Canyonlands? They are spectacular, too. And Moab is a cool little town. |
Anonymous
| We haven’t been yet, but are visiting in the spring, along with Canyonkands and Arches. I was just listening to a podcast hosted by a couple who visited all 59 national parks in a year, and they put Capitol Reef in their top ten because it has so many of the elements of the other nearby parks but with so many fewer visitors. The podcast is called Switchback, if you’re interested. |
Anonymous
| OP here. Thank you! I just downloaded the Switchback podcast and look forward to listening. I appreciate all the feedback and am even more excited about Capitol Reef. We really want a less visited park and this sounds right up our alley. We just returned from 5 days at Great Basin National Park in Nevada. It’s probably not a prime destination for a lot of people but we loved how quiet it was and the fact that we could hike without huge crowds. Thanks again for the feedback! |
Anonymous
| Capitol Reef is one of the best parks. There is a visitors center, and it’s not quite as desolate as canyon lands but PPs are correct about there not being much around. It’s great because it’s a giant playground that you can climb on and touch the rocks not just look at them |
Anonymous
|
We went last year over spring break - we did Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches. Highly recommend all of them.
For Capitol Reef we stayed at Capitol Reef Resort, which was great (we stayed in a cabin): https://capitolreefresort.com Some links I found useful: https://www.visitutah.com/places-to-go/most-visited-parks/capitol-reef/guidebooks/scenic-drives/ https://www.visitutah.com/places-to-go/most-visited-parks/capitol-reef/must-see-capitol-reef/ https://www.nps.gov/care/learn/historyculture/orchardscms.htm Capitol Reef has a really interesting history as a Mormon settlement, and there's a part of the park (Fruita) with orchards and a handful of historic buildings. |
Anonymous
|
We visited all five parks a couple of summers ago and Capitol Reef was amazing. I HIGHLY recommend it. We went on several long hikes where there was NOBODY on the trails. Maybe bumped into one or other couples on a five hour hike! Absolutely loved it.
Be sure to stop by the Gifford Homestead and get some pie! We also stayed at Capitol Reef Resort in a regular room. All five parks are beautiful and different, but you will definitely be away from the crowds at Capitol Reef. I also recommend a stay in Moab as there are lots of fun activities to do around there such as rapelling, 4-wheeling, mountain biking, etc. Enjoy!! |
Anonymous
|
Loved Capitol Reef. As others said, not crowded at all. It is one of the darkest places in the US. If I ever go again, I’m going to camp there so I can experience that.
I’d also consder Arches and Canyonland as well. Arches is pretty popular but we didn’t find Canyonlands to be very crowded. |
Anonymous
|
OP here. Thanks everyone! We plan to camp when we go, although Capitol Reef Resort looks lovely. I think we'll probably head over to Moab area and the other two parks briefly, as well.
Did anyone do any rafting when they were in the area? That's high on our list, as well. |
Anonymous
| Not the OP, but just booked at Capitol Reef Resort for our Spring Break trip. Thanks for the tip! If we were going later in the year, I would have loved to stay in one of their Conestoga wagon rooms, but they don't start booking those until June. |
Anonymous
Do you plan to rent camping gear, or ship it, or bring it in luggage? Would like to camp but logistics seem daunting. (Unless you are driving out...) |
Anonymous
OP here. We just did our first camping trip where we flew to our destination. We packed our tent (4 man), sleeping pads, sleeping bags, camping pillows, small stove without fuel, cooking equipment, and first aid kit in two XL Eagle Creek duffel bags: https://shop.eaglecreek.com/luggage-packs/no-matter-whattm-duffel-xl.html Since we flew into Vegas I preordered a cooler and three cheap camping chairs and had them delivered to a Walmart in north Vegas. We stopped there and picked up our items and did the grocery shopping. It was so much easier than I anticipated! We flew Southwest, so we were able to check five bags between the three of us for free. On the way back into Vegas we stopped off at Goodwill and dropped off the cooler and chairs. Honestly, it was one of the best trips I've ever taken, and the camping helped us save so much money. Let me know if you have other questions. |
Anonymous
Interesting, thanks! |
Anonymous
I've done one day and multi day rafting trips on the Green and Colorado rivers. There are a lot of outfitters in Moab that can meet your needs. Big group, private excursion, half day, 7 day, anything. |