I’ve been on a quest to see all 63 U.S. National Parks.  I had seen ten of some of the western National Parks on a road trip when my children were in Elementary School and we went to 4 of the Utah Mighty Five.  My first four was Bryce Canyon, Zion, Canyonlands and Arches NPs.  Capitol Reef has been on my list for about twenty years so that I could complete the Mighty Five.  It did not disappoint.

As I look at a map of Utah, I can see why Capitol Reef did not make that original road trip. It’s farther north than the other four and, as with most National Parks, you can’t get there from here. The drive to Capitol Reef reminded me of the endless drive to Big Bend NP in lower western Texas. It’s a lot of driving on a narrow two-lane highway with absolutely no services. Utah state route 24 has no vegetation and winds through the high desert. As you get within 20 miles of the visitor center suddenly the rocks turn from sand and gray to red. Formations stand like sentinels along the roadside. There are several turn outs along the road so that you can really appreciate  formations with names like Navajo Knobs, Petroglyph Panels and Pectols Pyramid. This part of route 24 follows the Fremont River and there are cottonwoods and vegetation along the river bank.

Once I arrived at the visitor’s center, I watched the film, “Watermark” which details the history and geology of the “Waterpocket Fold” that is Capitol Reef NP. The Waterpocket Fold is an enormous 100-mile geologic wrinkle in the Earth’s crust which creates a rugged landscape of colorful knobs, cliffs, towers and bridges along its length. It was a hot, sunny afternoon when I arrived so I decided to head out along the scenic drive that goes into the heart of the national park the next day.  When driving a large vehicle (25 feetI) like my RV, Abeona, I love to head out early to explore when there are less crowds. 

The next morning, I headed out at 8 AM to explore several viewpoints and the scenic drive. Panoramic Point had been recommended by the ranger at the visitor center and was close to my campground. It was a magnificent overlook of the Waterpocket Fold as it carves through the valley. It was raining a little and then as it stopped there was a huge rainbow that came out. It was all quite stunning. 

I went up the scenic drive and I was glad I got out there early as the road was quite narrow and at times I was driving through a narrow slot canyon. I kept thinking “thank goodness I am the only one out here”. Since no one else was on the road and there were very few pull outs, sometimes I just stopped the RV and got out to take pictures. It’s hard to describe all the formations. When you go to Bryce Canyon, it’s all hoodoos, when you go to the Grand Canyon, it’s sheer drop offs and in Arches, it’s…all arches. In Capitol Reef there are all those things but in small quantities and in an ever changing landscape. 

I hiked the Chimney Rock trail and it did not disappoint. There was plenty of parking and it was raining when I arrived but it cleared as I headed up the trail. Chimney Rock is a flat tall red formation. Like someone built a large red four-story free-standing wall jutting out from a cliff. 

The entire National Park is quite stunning; both the drive in and drive out. It’s hard to decide if and when the beauty stops because it’s all so varied and stark.  While it’s off the beaten path, I highly recommend heading there if you want to see some unique formations. I also recommend heading out early in the morning to beat the crowds as the roads are narrow.