Capitol Reef

Overview

Capitol Reef is a geologic masterpiece. There are many awe inspiring and photographic formations throughout the national park. The most famous of course is the Waterpocket Fold, which is a 100 mile long bulge in the earth's crust.

Like many of the national parks in Utah there are quite a few things that you can see from your automobile as you travel through the park. Below is a list of the most popular drives with the accompanying pullouts as well.

• Highway 12 All American Road

Highway 12 is a famous all encompassing scenic byway that runs through Red Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and then over to Boulder Mountain in the beautiful Dixie National Forest, and then it moves on to its ending location at the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park.

Tropic is a small town on U-12 next to Bryce Canyon National Park. Right by the northern boundary of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. There is a visitor center in the nearby Cannonville. From Cannonville you can head south on a 7 mile road that will take you to Kodachrome Basin State Park.

You also have the option of checking out the Petrified Forest State Park. The town of Escalante actually borders the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

When you get close to the town of Boulder, Highway 12 will turn into and out of Hogsback. In Boulder there is also a museum of a prehistoric Native American village at Anasazi State Park.

After you hit up the summit of Boulder Mountain, the road takes you on a very scenic route that passes the beautifully majestic and colorful views of Capitol Reef National Park, as well as the Circle Cliffs and Henry Mountains. The Highway 12 All American Road is a multi-purpose route that gives access to many of the popular parks as well as some of the best scenery around in an auto touring capacity.

The All American Road Highway 12 also has some fun backcountry routes but they require a vehicle with high ground clearance and more than likely four wheel drive. The following are some of the backcountry trails available in the area: Burr Trail, Cathedral Valley Loop, and the Notom-Bullfrog Road.

• Highway 24

This Highway runs through the park and has great access for many of its most popular attractions. A great reason to use this route is that the highway doesn't require any fees for access. There are also many exciting pulloffs that auto tourers can take advantage of. Below is a list of some of the most popular.

• Fremont River Waterfall:

The Fremont River Waterfall is located near the national park's west boundary. The waterfall is not natural as it was created when the river was diverted a different direction to allow for the growth of Highway 24.

• Fruita Schoolhouse:

The Fruita Schoolhouse is a historic schoolhouse that has been restored and refurbished. The schoolhouse is located along Utah Highway 24, about 1 mile east of the park visitor center.

• Hickman Bridge Trailhead:

The Hickman Bridge Trailhead is located about two miles east of the visitor center. The trail itself is only about a mile or so.

• Historic Orchards:

The Historic Orchards have a really rich history. They were used a lot during the pioneer settlement in Utah's early history. They still to this day produce great fruit every year, which is available to the parks visitors. They are also relatively close to the visitor center too at only a couple miles away.

• Rock Art Panels:

The rock art panels are a series of carvings made by the ancient Fremont people. You can see them while visiting the spectacular Fremont River Valley.

• Scenic Drive

The scenic drive is a 25 mile paved road that stretches south from the park's visitor center. It's called the Scenic Drive because it has some of the most beautiful scenery in the area.

There is a $5.00 fee to visit this section of the national park. Some of the historic sites along the drive are The Blacksmith Shop and the Historic Gifford Homestead. Both of these sites offer interesting history information about early Mormon pioneer communities.

Map & Directions

Distances to Bryce Canyon National Park from...

• Grand Junction, CO - 219 miles
• Green River, Utah - 144 miles
• Moab, Utah - 156 miles
• Las Vegas, NV - 192 miles
• St George, Utah - 85.4 miles
• Salt Lake City, Utah - 217 miles

• Automobile

If you are coming from Grand Junction Take I-70 west to US-89 (exit 23), then go south to UT-12 (Scenic Byway, then go east to UT-63.

If you are coming from Salt Lake City Take I-15 south to UT-20 (exit 95). Travel east on UT-20 to US-89. Follow US-89 south to UT-12. Travel east on UT-12 to UT-63. Take UT-63 south to Bryce Canyon National Park.

If you are coming by automobile from Las Vegas Take I-15 north to UT-9 (exit 16) east which takes you through scenic Zion National Park (or you can take UT-14 (exit 59) east as an alternate) to US-89, then go north to UT-12 (Scenic Byway) then go east to UT-63 which is in entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park.

• Airplane

The closest major airports to Bryce Canyon National Park are Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah and Las Vegas (LAS), Nevada. They are both about 275 miles from the national park. If you don't need to use one of the major airports then Cedar City (CDC), Utah and St. George (SGU), Utah also have some great smaller airports.

Passes & Fees

The most economical pass if you're going to visit more than one park a year, is the America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. This pass gets you into any national park or federal recreational land, and costs only $80. You can [purchase it online].

If you walk in, use a motorcycle, or a bicycle to enter Bryce Canyon, the fee is $12.00 per person for a 7 day pass, which may not exceed $25.00 per family. However if you enter in a vehicle, all of the vehicles occupants get in for $25.00 and can stay for up to 7 days. Each entrance includes unlimited use of the park shuttle system during its normal operating hours.