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7. Scenic Drive
Marvel at the park’s spectacular scenery as you drive along the Scenic Drive! Learn about the geology and history of the area as you travel deeper into the Waterpocket Fold.
What You Need to Know
The Scenic Drive is the only part of Capitol Reef that charges an entrance fee. Drive slowly along this 8-mile road and enjoy the views!
You don’t want to be driving or hiking in this area at all if there is a chance of flash flooding, so check with the Visitor Center before you go.
Getting Here
From Torrey, take Highway 24 east for 11 miles to the Visitor Center. Turn right toward the Visitor Center and continue along the road past the picnic area and campground to the entrance booth at the beginning of the Scenic Drive. Pay your entrance fee, and then get ready for a beautiful drive.
8. Cassidy Arch Trail
A hike to Cassidy Arch is a unique experience that you don’t want to miss. This arch is named after Butch Cassidy, a true American outlaw — rumor has it that he used this area of Utah as a hideout!
What You Need to Know
This 3.4-mile round-trip trail is moderately strenuous, mostly due to the switchbacks at the beginning. After completing the switchbacks, the trail levels out considerably.
Bring plenty of water with you. The hot desert sun and dry air make it easy to become dehydrated.
Walking up and down the slickrock is required. As you get closer to the arch, you will need to follow cairns to find your way. Cairns are small stacks of rocks that mark the route, so for the safety of other hikers, please do not tamper with them or build your own.
When you reach the arch, if you’re feeling brave, you can walk on top of it!
Pets are not permitted on this trail.
Getting Here
Follow the directions above to get to the Scenic Drive. After 2.2 miles along the Scenic Drive, turn left onto the Grand Wash Road. When you get to the end of this road, you will find the parking area and trailhead. Walk along the wash for 0.3 miles until you see a large sign for the Cassidy Arch Trail on your left.
9. Capitol Gorge
Get ready to be shocked at how close your car will be to the canyon walls and how high the cliffs are above your head! This short drive takes you through the canyon and provides spectacular views of the Golden Throne.
What You Need to Know
This is a narrow and curvy dirt road suitable for most vehicles, but not for anything over 27 feet in length. At the end of the road, there are a few picnic tables under a pavilion and a pit toilet. No water is available.
Getting Here
Capitol Gorge Road is at the end of the Scenic Drive, where the road curves to the left at a parking area with restrooms. Continue down the dirt road for 2.4 miles to reach the end of the road.
10. Pioneer Register Trail
Take a step back in time as you travel the trail that was used by the pioneers to get through the Waterpocket Fold! Along the way, look for the signatures of those who passed through in the 1800s and early 1900s, as well as a few petroglyphs that have been around much longer.
What You Need to Know
No signs or indications of where the signatures are inscribed are provided along the trail, making this one big game of “I-Spy”! See if you can find the historical writing etched into the canyon walls.
You’ll find the petroglyphs toward the beginning of the trail on the left side, and the names and dates show up about 0.3 miles in. At the main wall with many of the signatures, you will see a sign that discourages people from etching their names into the walls.
WRITING ANYTHING ON THE ROCKS IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE, so do not add your own writing to the walls.
This trail is 0.8 miles round trip if you turn around after the Pioneer Register, or 2 miles round trip if you continue to the tanks. Pets are not permitted.
Getting Here
Use the instructions above to get to the Capitol Gorge Road. Drive to the parking area at the end of the dirt road, and pick up the trail from the inside of the pavilion. The Golden Throne Trail also leaves from this parking area, so just make sure you are walking in the dry wash to get to the Pioneer Register Trail.
11. Petroglyph Panel
Take a look at these petroglyphs beautifully etched into stone. Look for warriors, bighorn sheep, and other markings that tell the story of the people who inhabited this area long ago!
What You Need to Know
From the parking area, you will see two boardwalks. The shorter one right next to the parking lot has binoculars provided and takes you to the petroglyphs that are the easiest to find. The longer one to the right of the parking lot doesn’t provide any signs or a definitive place to see the petroglyphs, and you’ll have to hunt for them.
Pets are not permitted on this trail.
Getting Here
From Torrey, travel east on Highway 24 for 11 miles, at which point you will see the Visitor Center. Stay on the highway, passing the turnoff to the Visitor Center. Shortly after passing the Visitor Center, you will see a small parking area for the Fruita Schoolhouse. Pass the Schoolhouse, and the Petroglyph Panel will be the next parking area on the left.
12. Cohab Canyon Trail
Cohab Canyon has something for everyone — gorgeous views, perfect “hideouts”, strange formations, short slot canyons, and fewer crowds than the other two trails on this list.
What You Need to Know
After you’ve fueled up for your hike with pies at the Gifford House, walk over to the Cohab Canyon Trail and hike high into the cliffs!
The switchbacks at the beginning of this trail scare off a lot of people, but those who are willing to work through the elevation are rewarded with gorgeous views of Capitol Reef. I love hiking to the North and South Overlooks before returning back the way I came.
If you hike that route, your trail is 3.3 miles roundtrip with about 500 feet of elevation gain.
Getting Here
From Torrey, travel 11 miles east on Highway 24. Turn right toward the Visitor Center and continue along that road for another mile to reach the Gifford House and Museum. Park in the large gravel lot across the street from the Fruita Barn, then walk on the path along the road (toward the campground) until you see the Cohab Canyon Trailhead.
Have a great time at Capitol Reef National Park! Happy Trails!
I love your itineraries and articles. Thank you! I’m wondering if anyone can give me information about the parking lot at Hickman Bridge Trail. Is there possibly room for an RV towing a vehicle? We will be there in early April. Thanks!
There is an area of the parking lot for larger vehicles. Spots are limited, but they are available for that trailhead!
I didn’t see the Grand Wash hike listed. What are your thoughts on this trail versus the others you listed?
It’s nice! You’ll hike a portion of it if you hike to Cassidy Arch :)
Hey Ash,
Love everything about the Dirt In My Shoes website – so helpful! Planning on being in Capital Reef in June 2022 with my family (kids are 16 down to 10). We’re definitely planning on doing the Sulphur Creek hike, but if you had to pick one more between Cassidy Arch and Hickman Bridge what would you say???
Thanks,
Joe
I personally prefer Cassidy Arch because it’s so unique to be on top of the arch instead of underneath!
it is the best of the mighty five we visited this May. We loved every bit of it, we bought mugs and aprons to keep our memory. Capitol Reef we will come back for more!!!
That’s awesome! It’s my favorite Utah park as well!
I LOVE your itineraries! Thank you for the work you do! We are planning on going in August of this year, but I just learned I have to work very late on the day we were supposed to arrive. I’m wondering if there is a night hike you suggest. Is there anything you suggest to maximize our time and save our short trip? :)
Thanks Emily! I’d pick a hike that is well-defined…it’s easy to get lost in the dark while you’re hiking on slickrock. Something like Hickman Bridge would work well!
We just got back from Capitol Reef, had a great time. Stunning scenery. We were there for a day and a half. Cassidy Arch, Hickman Bridge, the Castle and Chimney Rock everything was great. We left there to go to Moab. Never realized we could have taken a side trip to the Temple’s sounds like a second trip is in order. Thanks for a wonderful article.
Of course! I’m glad you enjoyed Capitol Reef!
Hi,
What a great article! I am already looking forward to our trip next year. For the jeep rental, did you call in advance or did you just walk up and hired one the day you were planning to do the Cathedral Valley loop?
You’ll want to call in advance…they are a small operation and don’t have many jeeps to rent out!
Great article! I am excited to visit this summer! We will only have an afternoon and evening there unfortunately. . How much of your list do you think we could squeeze into that short amount of time? Which hikes would you prioritize if we only had time for 1 or 2 hikes? It all sounds wonderful! We will have our 3 kids with us–ages 13, 10, 10. Thanks!
You should be able to get to a couple of things, though that’s only enough time to scratch the surface. Hickman Bridge is a great hike. Kids also tend to love the secret hike. The Scenic Drive to Capitol Gorge is a must-do as well. Have a great time!
Best article I’ve read on this park. Great info!
Thanks Tim! I appreciate the feedback. Enjoy your trip!
Thank you! I always check out your page before we head to a new National Park. We will be here in a few weeks and your suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Thanks so much Angela…that means a lot! Have a fabulous time in the park!
Do you know if dogs are permitted on the secret hike? We are going this weekend and it just dawned on me that we do not have pet coverage. The hotel allows dogs but not sure if our 12-pounder is allowed on this trail. I will phone the visitor center as well.
They are not. You can read the park’s pet policy here: https://www.nps.gov/care/planyourvisit/pets.htm
Have a great trip!
This is my favorite article on Capitol Reef so far, and I have read many, so thank you!! We only have one day in Capitol Reef in Oct of this year. What should we prioritize? We will be there as early as 6:00 am and probably won’t leave until dark to catch the night sky before heading to Bryce Canyon. We plan on doing some heavy hiking this day!!! Thanks in advance!!
Hey Johnna,
I would work your way through as much of this list as you can! You’ll hit all the main points of interest and see some beautiful views…really get a taste of what Capitol Reef is all about. Then, when you come back, you can tackle some longer trails or backcountry roads!
Have a fabulous time,
Ash
Thank you for this list of things to do in a Capital Reef, it was very informative and helpful. We had a lot of younger kids with us and your list helped us determine which hikes we could go on with them!
Thank you for your feedback. I’m glad you had such a great time!
Is there a road through the park that we can see things from the car? My husband can’t hike.
The Scenic Drive near the campground is a good option for that. It’s not very long, but the scenery is beautiful!
Hi! Question on sulphur creek. If we start on the Visitor Center side of the trail… I know we would get to a waterfall in .7 miles. What is the mileage to the next 2 waterfalls (from this direction)? I will not have 2 cars so will probably to an out and back from the visitor center but trying to determine how far to go to see the best of the trail? Thoughts? Thank you!!
The best of the trail is between the 1st and 3rd waterfalls, so after you climb up the waterfall closest to the visitor center, you’ll be in a gorgeous area {be aware that climbing up that waterfall can be a challenge}. Between the 3 waterfalls is probably around 2.5 or 3 miles…that’s the section I’d do!
I really enjoy the way you talk about these places it is obvious that you enjoy what you do, a lot of other sites are to cut and dried like they are reading it out of a book. I’m very glad that there is someone out there like yourself that can give us a vision of what we can see thank you very much
Thank you! I really appreciate that!
Agree!
We had a conference in Park City to start out. We traveled down to Capitol Reef and essentially had two days there before flying out of Salt Lake. What an excursion it was, we saw 10 of your 12 things. What helped us was a narrarated 4 hour Jeep tour by a native named Aaron. We saw and learned so much. It was breathtaking; perhaps that is why we had to turn back in our independent late day climb to Hickman bridge. We did see the night sky and the Capitol Reef Resort has large fire pits near the Tee Pees. This is truly goods country! Worth more than two days that’s for sure!
I’m glad you had such a great time! This park is often overlooked, but there are so many amazing things to see and do — thanks for sharing your experience!
Went there with my daughter over spring break 2018. While everybody was mobbing Zion Natl Park, we had a great time at Capitol Reef with just a few people around. We took the 100-mile loop down the Waterpocket fold, up the Burr Trail Switchbacks, Grand Escalante, and back up through Boulder. We also hiked about 8 miles that day on a few different jaunts. Nothing planned, just stopped at any trailhead that looked interesting. Great place, we loved it. Night sky was great, it was clear with more stars than I’ve ever seen.
This June, I’m going to swing over to Great Basin National Park. I’ve never been there and stumbled on the park website by accident. You should check it out and do a blog post on that. It looks awesome! I want to check out the stars at 10,000 feet there.
Very cool! That’s an area of Utah I’d like to explore more fully for sure. There’s so much to do there!
Great Basin is amazing…the night sky…WOW. That’s another place I need to go back to. I’d love to hear about your favorites stops after you go!
Well, I have been there but we only did a few of these, now we will know for next time. Plus, I have to get in better shape to do some of these! I still enjoyed Capitol Reef though, so beautiful!
I’m glad you made it out to Capitol Reef….not many people do!
Great post, Ash! I loved visiting Capitol Reef. We just did a quick drive through and hiked to a good viewpoint for chimney rock, but I’m hoping to be back soon! I wish more people knew about this place. :)
Very cool! I actually haven’t done the Chimney Rock trail. I am conflicted…I want to tell people about Capitol Reef because I love it so much, but at the same time it is so nice to not have the crowds!