When we did our very first round-trip through Southern Utah, we basically just cruised through Capitol Reef. It was hot, the orchards in Fruita were closed, and the visitor center was closed that day. We had heard this was an amazing park, so we were looking forward to making a real visit during a better time of year. We stayed just to the East of the park on BLM land for free. Since we had already been dry camping for 3 days, we went into the park and used the campground dump station for $5. Well worth the money to dump, refill fresh water, and discard our trash and recycling all in one spot.
We arrived mid-day but by the time we dumped, and got the camper setup, it was already fairly late in the day. We went to the Visitor Center and got some maps and Jr Ranger books, and then went to Gifford House which was sadly sold out of baked goods already. We finished our first afternoon at the Geology Talk at the Nature Center. The rangers give a geology talk every day during peak season. Our ranger went over the different layers of rock and their eras as well as what the different colors meant. It was very informative and added some more detail to what we had already learned about the geology of Southern Utah and the Colorado Plateau as a whole. For instance, the red rocks are due to oxygen-rich water deposition, whereas the white is oxygen-poor water deposition (high water level vs drought). Also, the highest layer is from erosion of the Appalachian mountains!
The next day we hiked Grand Wash, went back to Gifford House for a cinnamon roll, and then drove the scenic drive from Fruita to the southern-most point of paved road. The kids loved all the little caves and hidey holes in Grand Wash and wanted a picture in every single one. It took us forever to hike just 1.5 miles (where we turned around). I liked all the little mini arches and windows and the huge cliffs hovering above.
We returned to Sunset Point to watch the sun set in the evening.
On day 3 we hiked to Hickman Bridge which was about 1.9 miles total. Due to the elevation gain we had to take quite a bit more rest stops on the way up than we normally would, but we made it, and the kids liked the bridge as well as the smaller bridge down the trail.
Capitol Reef was a lovely park which some amazing geology. For being one of the least visited, it sure was a busy park. I fear the word is catching on about this park and it will soon be overrun like the rest of the Utah 5.
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