Things to Do in Capitol Reef: Every Trail, Drive and Site
All fifteen day hikes with real distances, the Scenic Drive, the Fruita orchards, Cathedral Valley and the dark sky — plus one-, two- and three-day plans.
Capitol Reef packs fifteen day hikes, a 7.9-mile scenic drive, a historic orchard district you can pick fruit in, Fremont petroglyph panels, and two remote backcountry districts into 243,921 acres. A first visit realistically covers the Scenic Drive, one or two short hikes, and the Fruita historic area. What separates Capitol Reef from the other Utah parks is what happens after dark — it is a certified International Dark Sky Park, and far fewer people stay the night than at Zion or Bryce.
There is one thing worth knowing before you plan anything, because it will otherwise cost you: the park's trail table lists one-way distances, not round-trip. More on that below, with the numbers.
Every Day Hike, with Real Distances
The National Park Service trail guide lists fifteen day hikes in the Fruita area. Here they are in full, in the park's own figures.
Easy
- Listed
- Goosenecks: 0.1 mi (0.2 km)
- Sunset Point: 0.4 mi (0.6 km)
- Capitol Gorge: 1.0 mi (1.6 km)
- Grand Wash: 2.2 mi (3.6 km)
- Goosenecks: Under 50 ft (15 m)
- Sunset Point: Under 50 ft (15 m)
- Capitol Gorge: 80 ft (24 m)
- Grand Wash: 200 ft (61 m)
- Goosenecks: Dramatic canyon views
- Sunset Point: Panorama, good for sunset
- Capitol Gorge: Deep canyon, historic inscriptions, short climb to waterpockets
- Grand Wash: Deep canyon, narrows
Moderate
- Listed
- Hickman Bridge: 0.9 mi (1.4 km)
- Fremont River: 1.0 mi (1.7 km)
- Cohab Canyon: 1.7 mi (2.7 km)
- Hickman Bridge: 400 ft (122 m)
- Fremont River: 480 ft (146 m)
- Cohab Canyon: 440 ft (134 m)
- Hickman Bridge: 133-foot natural bridge, canyon views
- Fremont River: River stroll, then steep climb to panoramas
- Cohab Canyon: Hidden canyons, views of Fruita, spur-trail viewpoints
Strenuous
- Listed
- Cassidy Arch: 1.7 mi (2.7 km)
- Golden Throne: 2.0 mi (3.2 km)
- Fremont Gorge Overlook: 2.3 mi (3.6 km)
- Rim Overlook: 2.3 mi (3.6 km)
- Frying Pan: 2.9 mi (4.6 km)
- Chimney Rock Loop: 3.6 mi (5.9 km)
- Old Wagon Trail Loop: 3.8 mi (6.1 km)
- Navajo Knobs: 4.7 mi (7.6 km)
- Cassidy Arch: 670 ft (204 m)
- Golden Throne: 730 ft (223 m)
- Fremont Gorge Overlook: 1,090 ft (332 m)
- Rim Overlook: 1,110 ft (338 m)
- Frying Pan: 810 ft (247 m)
- Chimney Rock Loop: 590 ft (180 m)
- Old Wagon Trail Loop: 1,080 ft (329 m)
- Navajo Knobs: 1,620 ft (494 m)
- Cassidy Arch: Deep canyon, natural arch, slickrock
- Golden Throne: Views of Capitol Gorge and the Golden Throne
- Fremont Gorge Overlook: Climb to open mesa top, viewpoint on the gorge rim
- Rim Overlook: Panoramas of Fruita and the Waterpocket Fold
- Frying Pan: Connects Cohab Canyon and Cassidy Arch, ridgetop panoramas
- Chimney Rock Loop: Waterpocket Fold cliffs, good for sunset
- Old Wagon Trail Loop: Pinyon-juniper forest, cliffs and Henry Mountains
- Navajo Knobs: Continues Rim Overlook to a 360-degree panorama
Elevation change by trail — what actually makes a hike hard here
Navajo Knobs
1,620 ft
Rim Overlook
1,110 ft
Fremont Gorge Overlook
1,090 ft
Old Wagon Trail Loop
1,080 ft
Frying Pan
810 ft
Golden Throne
730 ft
Cassidy Arch
670 ft
Chimney Rock Loop
590 ft
Fremont River
480 ft
Cohab Canyon
440 ft
Hickman Bridge
400 ft← most popular
Grand Wash
200 ft
Capitol Gorge
80 ft
Goosenecks
50 ftunder 50
Sunset Point
50 ftunder 50
From the National Park Service trail guide. Distance is not the useful signal at Capitol Reef: Navajo Knobs and Old Wagon Trail Loop are both long, but Fremont Gorge Overlook and Rim Overlook climb nearly as much in under half the distance. Sort by climb, not miles.
The Scenic Drive
The Scenic Drive is 7.9 miles (12.7 km) of paved road, suitable for passenger vehicles, and takes about an hour and a half round trip when you include the two dirt spurs.
Those spurs — Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge — are usually suitable for passenger cars and RVs up to 27 feet (8.2 m). Both, and the main road, can close due to snow, ice, mud and flash floods. Check at the visitor center or call 435-425-3791 before committing to them.
An entrance fee applies. See the visitor center guide for the full fee table and pass options, and our Scenic Drive guide for every stop, both spurs and the Pioneer Register.
Fruita: Orchards, Petroglyphs and the Schoolhouse
The Fruita historic district is the green heart of the park and the reason Capitol Reef feels different from the red-rock parks to the west.
The orchards
About 2,000 trees — cherries, apricots, peaches, pears, apples, plums, mulberries, almonds and walnuts — open for picking seasonally as each crop ripens. Which orchards are open changes week to week; ask at the visitor center.
Petroglyph panels
Fremont Culture rock art, viewable from a boardwalk off Highway 24.
Historic schoolhouse
One of the surviving buildings from the Mormon settlement that farmed this valley.
Gifford House
Store and museum known for pie and cinnamon rolls. March 14 to late November, daily 9:00 am to 4:30 pm — shut for winter.
Cathedral Valley and the Waterpocket District
Two districts hold most of the park's area and almost none of its visitors.
Cathedral Valley is the remote, rugged northern section — monolith formations, long views, and genuine solitude. The 57.6-mile loop is a full-day trip, covered in our dedicated guide. The Waterpocket District is the less-visited southern end, where the Waterpocket Fold itself is most dramatic. The Fold is the hundred-mile wrinkle in the earth's crust that the whole park exists to protect.
Overnight trips in these areas need a free backcountry permit, arranged at the visitor center. Canyoneering and rock climbing permits are also free.
Stargazing and Ranger Programs
Capitol Reef is a certified International Dark Sky Park, and Torrey — the gateway town — is a certified International Dark Sky Community. That combination is rare: the protection continues past the park boundary into the place most visitors actually sleep.
The Park Service runs ranger-guided walks, talks, evening programs and astronomy programs through the year, and star charts are available. Because the park's overnight visitation is low compared with Zion or Bryce, the sky here is quiet in a way those parks no longer are.
Winter has the longest nights and the driest, clearest air — the best sky conditions of the year, and the season when almost nobody is here. Our guide to stargazing from a dome covers what changes when you watch from a heated bed rather than standing in the cold.
Other activities the park lists: wildlife viewing, horseback riding, rock climbing, and a Junior Ranger programme with booklets from the visitor center.
One Day in Capitol Reef
A workable single day
- MorningVisitor center, then Hickman Bridge
- MiddayFruita — petroglyphs, schoolhouse, orchards in season
- AfternoonScenic Drive with Grand Wash or Capitol Gorge
- Late afternoonPie at the Gifford House, in season
- SunsetSunset Point or Chimney Rock Loop
- After darkStay out. This is the part people skip.
Pack lunch — there is nowhere inside the park to buy a meal. See where to eat in Torrey for the options outside it.
Two or Three Days
With a second day, add a strenuous trail — Rim Overlook or Navajo Knobs for the panoramas, Cassidy Arch for the arch itself. With a third, commit a full day to Cathedral Valley if you have the vehicle for it, or drive Highway 12 over Boulder Mountain, which is one of the better roads in the state.
Three days is also what it takes to catch the sky properly. One clouded night out of one is a wasted trip; one out of three is a rain check.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best things to do in Capitol Reef National Park?
The core of a first visit is the 7.9-mile Scenic Drive, a short hike such as Hickman Bridge or Grand Wash, the historic Fruita district with its orchards and petroglyph panels, and stargazing after dark — Capitol Reef is a certified International Dark Sky Park. With more time, the remote Cathedral Valley and Waterpocket districts open up.
How many hiking trails are there at Capitol Reef?
The National Park Service trail guide lists fifteen day hikes in the Fruita area, ranging from the 0.1-mile Goosenecks viewpoint to the 4.7-mile Navajo Knobs trail. Four are rated easy, three moderate and eight strenuous.
Are Capitol Reef trail distances one-way or round-trip?
The National Park Service trail guide table lists one-way distances for out-and-back trails, which catches people out. Its Hickman Bridge listing reads 0.9 miles, but the park's own trail page describes that hike as 2 miles round-trip. Double the listed figure for out-and-back hikes. The two trails named Loop are already total distances.
What is the easiest hike in Capitol Reef?
Goosenecks, at 0.1 miles one-way with under 50 feet of elevation change, is the shortest walk to a dramatic canyon view. Sunset Point at 0.4 miles and Grand Wash at 2.2 miles are the other easy options, along with Capitol Gorge at 1.0 mile.
Can you pick fruit at the Capitol Reef orchards?
Yes, seasonally. The historic Fruita orchards contain about 2,000 trees — cherries, apricots, peaches, pears, apples, plums, mulberries, almonds and walnuts — and open for picking when each crop ripens. Which orchards are open changes through the season, so check at the visitor center on the day.
Do you need a permit for the Capitol Reef backcountry?
A free backcountry permit is required for overnight stays in remote areas. Permits cost nothing and are arranged at the visitor center, as are the free canyoneering and rock climbing permits.
