By road mileage, Capitol Reef is the Utah National Park closest to Salt City but sees far fewer visitors than other parks in the Mighty Five. It also happens to be the 2nd largest of the Utah National Parks. At a whopping 242,000 acres, only Canyonlands National Park is larger than Capitol Reef National Park. Without a large gateway town like Moab or St. George, it seems like most people might just drive through Capitol Reef on their way from Bryce Canyon to Moab. But for those who stop and stay awhile, there are plenty of cool things to do in Capitol Reef National Park. If you expand your visit to the surrounding Capitol Reef country, you’ll need several trips to see it all. I can’t get enough of this area!

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Before you go, don’t forget to purchase a National Park Service Pass!

Top 15 Activities at Capitol Reef National Park

• Stop at the visitor center
• Take the scenic drive
• Eat pie at the Gifford House
• Visit the roadside petroglyphs
• Drive the Burr Trail Road
• Attend a free Park Ranger program
• Capitol Reef Jeep Tour
• Horseback Riding at Capitol Reef
• Hike to Hickman Bridge
• Hike along Sulphur Creek
• Hike through Cohab Canyon
• Sleep in a TeePee
• Eat a Capitol Burger
• Have Dinner at Hunt & Gather
• Take a Day Trip

The Visitor Center & Bookstore is always an excellent place to start any National Park visit. You can grab maps, talk to a ranger, fill up your water bottles, and use the restroom before setting off to explore. If you’re planning on hiking in Capitol Reef, be sure to check the conditions, as many washes here are prone to dangerous flash flooding! NPS rangers are here to help!

The Scenic Drive is an 8-mile paved road through some of the best scenery in the park that you can access from a passenger vehicle. The route starts at the Visitor Center and has many trailheads and scenic viewpoints for those looking to get out of the car. An Audio Driving Tour is useful to have if you opt out of the guided tours available.

Fruita Historic District has more than 2,500 fruit trees, some of which were planted by early LDS settlers. You can pick your own fruit, or head to the Gifford House to purchase fresh-made pies baked with whatever is in season. I’ve had the apple pie and the cherry pie…both delicious! Whatever fruit you eat in the orchards is free, but you can also pay a small fee to take some fresh-picked fruit home with you.

Fremont Petroglyphs are located along the Fremont River not far from the Visitor Center. There are a couple of excellent panels that are easily viewed from a short stroll along the boardwalk.

Head to nearby San Juan County to explore some well-preserved Indian ruins in Utah!

The Burr Trail Road is the access point to the Southern part of the park, with some pretty cool slot canyons along the way. The nearest towns to this area are Boulder and Escalante.

Don’t miss the Capitol Reef ranger programs! There are up to four each day, focusing on anthropology, geology, wildlife, and stargazing! They are totally free, and a great chance to chat with a park ranger. Topics and frequency may vary seasonally, so get the latest schedule online or at the Visitor Center.

I love Jeep tours anywhere I travel because I’ve gotten my own car in a few predicaments over the years and I’ve learned just to leave the off-road driving to professionals. And because most Jeeps can only fit 2-3 passengers, you’ll get a customized private tour of whatever you’d like to see. This 1/2-day Cathedral Valley Jeep tour is the perfect intro to Capitol Reef National Park. For most 1/2-day tours, you’ll choose between Cathedral Valley which is on the north side of the park, or the Waterpocket Fold Cliffs on the south side of the park. You’ll need a full-day Capitol Reef tour to see both. Visit iconic sites like Cathedral Valley and the Temples of the Sun and the Moon. You’ll also see the Bentonite Hills, which aren’t quite as blue as they are shown on Instagram, but a beautiful sight nonetheless. If you want to spend more time photographing the Bentonite Hills, then you should choose the Bentonite Hills Cathedral Valley Tour, as it’s only a quick stop on the other tours.

Browse Capitol Reef Tours

On my last visit, I joined a two-hour horseback ride in Capitol Reef. I love riding horses but it’s usually pretty pricy to go on a trail ride. The two-hour Capitol Reef trail ride was reasonably priced and was the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Again, getting off the main drive offered a much better glimpse into the history of the park. We got to see lots of cool little side canyons and draws where Butch Cassidy supposedly hid out after robbing trains in the area. Aside from having to wear helmets, which felt a bit silly on this easy ride, this was a pretty awesome way to see Capitol Reef. (They also offer guided llama hikes!)

At less than two miles round-trip from the park road, The Hickman Bridge Trail is one of the most popular hikes in Capitol Reef. According to All Trails, it is 1.7 miles round-trip with 416 feet of elevation. The park guide rates this hike as moderate due to the elevation gain, but it’s a great hike with an amazing payoff once you reach the bridge!

The trail for the Sulphur Creek Waterfall hike starts behind the Visitor Center and follows Sulphur Creek upstream for about one mile until you reach the waterfall. At two miles round-trip, the hike is almost completely flat, and very enjoyable as you are walking through cold water the entire time. You definitely want some good water shoes for this hike! There is a longer Sulphur Creek trail that starts upstream and goes for six miles to the Visitor Center. This one requires a car shuttle or hitchhiking back to your car. If you’re visiting Capitol Reef with kids, the shorter hike to the Sulphur Creek Waterfall trail is perfect! (And no, I didn’t smell any sulphur!)

Cohab Canyon is an out-and-back hike unless you have two cars and only hike one way. It starts near the overflow parking near the barn and Gifford House. A series of switchbacks take you up the wall overlooking the orchards until you see a slot canyon opening on your left. Once you turn into Cohab Canyon, you can go as far as you want and turn around when you’re ready. It’s 1.7 miles to the Hickman Bridge Trailhead, so if you have two cars, you can leave one at each end. We were on a tight schedule, so we hiked in for a while before turning around. This is a really fun and scenic hike once you get past the initial uphill push.

If you’ve ever wanted to sleep in a teepee, Capitol Reef Resort has teepees and Conestoga wagons you can rent for a fun night under the stars. It’s one of the OG places for glamping in Utah, and it’s the closest accommodation near Capitol Reef National Park. A lot of local outfitters meet at this resort, so it’s super convenient.

Browse Capitol Reef Hotels at Booking.com

After a day of hiking in Capitol Reef, Capitol Burger hits the spot! This food truck in Torrey was recently voted “Best Burger in Utah.” I checked their Facebook page for hours/location and waited in line with about 15 other people before they opened. It’s super messy, though; I do not recommend trying to eat it in the car!

I randomly had the most amazing meal at Hunt & Gather Restaurant in Torrey. I was lucky to get in without a reservation, but I devoured my Broken Arrow Elk Filet. I loved this way more than that famous restaurant an hour down the road in Boulder. #IYKYK

There are some pretty epic things to see near Capitol Reef. You’re not going to drive all the way to Capitol Reef and not see anything else in the surrounding area. In fact, it would be impossible to not see some cool things along the way. Here are a few suggestions for what to do near Capitol Reef National Park.

• Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument covers nearly two million acres of slot canyons, aspen forests, waterfalls, and more. I’m really looking forward to spending more time here.
• I already mentioned Utah Scenic Byway 12 from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef, but it really is the best scenic drive in Utah.
• The town of Green River has the John Wesley Powell River History Museum, which is pretty neat if you’ve ever been whitewater rafting in Utah.
• Goblin Valley State Park has an unusual landscape that’s fun to explore, and yurts that you can rent for the night.
• Pando, the world’s largest Aspen forest, is located near Fish Lake about an hour drive from Capitol Reef. If you’re driving from Salt Lake City to Capitol Reef, you’ll drive right by it. It’s pretty cool to see so many Aspen trees! This is probably the best place to find fall color in Utah!

Getting to Capitol Reef National Park

As you might have guessed, the lower visitor numbers to Capitol Reef may have a bit to do with getting there. Luckily, I live in Utah, so it’s less than four hours from my house in Park City. Assuming you don’t live in Utah, there are a few ways to reach Capitol Reef National Park. The town nearest to the Visitor Center is Torrey, Utah, so you can use that as a point of reference when planning your Capitol Reef itinerary.

• Salt Lake City International Airport: 218 miles or 3 1/2 hours
• Grand Junction Colorado Airport: 206 miles or 3 1/2 hours
• Las Vegas International Airport: 330 miles or 5 hours

Chances are, you’re going to be visiting some of the other National Park Utah destinations on this trip, and thankfully Capitol Reef is pretty much in the center of all of them. Assuming you start your Utah Parks road trip itinerary in Moab, you can see all of the parks in this order. (If you are flying in and renting a car, it’s worth it to splurge and buy an open-jaw ticket and rental car so you can fly into one city and out of another.) Honestly, each park deserves at least a full week to explore, but I realize that’s not realistic for most people. Just know, that whichever Utah National Parks and Monuments you visit, you’ll want to come back for more!

• Canyonlands National Park, Moab: 30 miles to Arches National Park
• Arches National Park, Moab: 142 miles to Capitol Reef National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park: 122 miles from Capitol Reef National Park
  • Be sure to take Utah Scenic Byway 12 and plan lots of stops along the way!
• Zion National Park: 72 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park

Tip: I do not have cell service anywhere in Capitol Reef, so you might want to download your maps before you leave town!

Best Time to Visit Capitol Reef National Park

I have visited Capitol Reef in both May and October and had excellent weather both times. Spring was a bit more rainy, so sadly, my stargazing tour was canceled, but it was perfect hiking weather. Based on my experience, I would say the best time to visit Capitol Reef National Park is in the shoulder seasons of spring or fall. Both seasons typically offer warm days and cool nights, although fall colors are a good reason to visit after summer. Summers are hot and in the winter, many things, including the Gifford House, are closed for the season. If the forecast is good, though, winter in Capitol Reef can be pretty cool – if you’ve never seen red rocks coated in snow, it’s a special treat!