Capitol Reef - the underdog, and my favorite

Somehow, this small, beautiful national park was entirely off my radar. When I told people where we were going, I always listed this first stop with a question mark and the human equivalent of the shrug emoji. “Um, Capitol Reef?”

What surprised me about Capitol Reef? Well, the proximity to Salt Lake City was pretty surprising; the drive was fairly easy even for 10 and 12 year olds. The long line of people waiting to buy PIES at the tiny shop inside the park wouldn’t have been a surprise had I Googled even a single thing about Capitol Reef, but as previously stated, I was along for the ride on this one; an intensely delicious strawberry rhubarb pie, warm from the oven, was a FABULOUS SURPRISE.

I was surprised by the lack of Americans here. I chatted in French with someone taking pictures at the entrance; I stumbled through some German attempting to ask if a group of motorcyclists were leaving (they had the only shade in the parking lot; turns out I don’t know a lot of critical words for a conversation about ‘parking’ and ‘shade’); I attempted zero Italian with the tour bus crowd at the visitor center, but I heard it. This park was also the least crowded one I’ve EVER been to. We had some major trails entirely to ourselves, which, combined with the landscape, made it feel like we were on another planet. Parking wasn’t ever an issue. The campground was in fact full, but didn’t feel cramped. There were people, but there weren’t crowds or traffic. It felt like this place was a secret (one that Europeans were in on, somehow, while Americans weren’t).

Capitol Reef also felt shockingly accessible, in a lot of ways:
- it’s compact. We didn’t have to spend all day in the car to get from sight to sight (a la Yellowstone)
- even though it was isolated, there’s a little town just a bit outside of the park, with shops, cute motels, an AMAZING Mexican restaurant. You aren’t in the middle of nowhere; if you need a margarita, or ice for the cooler, or ice CREAM, they’re all readily available
- it felt really evenly split with serious hikes vs. easier walks. The boardwalk with petroglyphs was short, flat, shady, and super high-impact. The Pioneer Register was absolutely engrossing for all of us; it felt like a thin point in the multiverse, like the ghosts of the people who left their names are whispering along beside you - and it’s accessible via a flat walk along the Grand Wash. I appreciated that there were options for people who weren’t ready to scale a mountain, but wanted to do more than sit in the car.

Speaking of scaling mountains -

The hiking in Capitol Reef is varied and incredibly beautiful. And I am saying this as someone who wouldn’t personally ever suggest a hike, and also someone who doesn’t really love the desert landscape. This was special. Some trails were better than others - the family loved Hickman’s Bridge and its hidden arches, even midafternoon at 99 degrees - I liked sitting with my feet in the river at the bottom of the trailhead better. Cassidy Arch (I endured some serious side-eye when I declared I was going on this one, after my previous dramatic meltdown; this one was much longer and more strenuous) (BUT, turns out 3.5 miles of difficult done at 6am is a lot easier than a couple miles of relatively easy done in an inferno) has not only an EXTRAORDINARY payoff at the end, walking OVER an arch, but had super fascinating textures and colors along the way; honeycomb handholds, big carve-outs to crawl into, a scrambly bit that wasn’t well marked and added to the adventure factor. The Sulphur Creek hike is so spectacular we met a family who’d made a special trip from Illinois because their kids remembered doing that hike a few years ago and wanted to do it again. Check in with the rangers before you do this one - the conditions weren’t right for us, which was really disappointing; but it’s still on the list. Which should tell you something.

We also did some climbing via off-roading on the Burr Trail, up to the top edge of the waterfold, which resulted in some exhilarating/horrifying moments, depending who you ask. The end result was a vista that felt like a green screen, and an adventure that the family still talks about. (Especially the moments when I declared we were all going to die. Just, sign the off-road register, and make sure you have water, ok?)

My favorite moment here was on our first day at sunset. I’d endured/bailed on the aforementioned Hickman’s Bridge hike of death; then been mollified with pie; the kids and I were hanging out in the river beside the campground. The water was cool and mostly mid-calf, although we’d found some deeper points to jump in; we’d skipped some rocks, generally reduced body temperatures and relaxed. As dusk set in, these adorable, tiny bats emerged and started zinging down along the water, scooping up bugs. We had about 20 minutes where there was a slight breeze, the sky was an unreal orangey pink, and the kids were standing still while these fuzzy little bats swooped inches from them, like silent little stunt pilots. It was absolutely magical.

So, who is Capitol Reef for? It’s for anyone who thinks they’ve done Utah national parks, but skipped this one; this is not more of the same. It’s for someone who thrives on finding those little hole-in-the-wall restaurants that everyone else has overlooked - that’s what this feels like. It’s for Adventurers, with a capital A (and the people they bring with them).