Capitol Reef National Park - June 22 & 23, 2019

After a frantic week of making modifications to our van to prepare for our trip, we threw all the gear we thought we might need into the van and headed for Capitol Reef National Park. We had no time to organize our gear and to make it even more challenging, it was raining as we packed the van and there were reports of snow in the high country. Somehow we managed to pull out of our driveway at 8 am sharp and just kept our fingers crossed that we didn't forget anything important and that the van could handle any snow we might encounter.

The drive to Capitol Reef was almost as scenic as the National Park itself.  We headed west on I-70, over the Rocky Mountains and through Glenwood Canyon which is one of the most scenic stretches of I-70 in the country.  We encountered no snow on the roads but did see where plows went through.  We stopped at the first rest area in Utah.  There were pit toilets but the panoramic views were gorgeous. After stopping for gas in Green River, we headed south on route 24 which took us past some more beautiful scenery before reaching Capitol Reef. We have yet to find a road in Utah that is not scenic.

Capitol Reef National Park is located along the Waterpocket Fold, which is a warp in the earth’s crust that created the beautiful landscape. The Fruita Campground where we stayed for two nights is in the Fruita area along the Fremont River. The Fruita area has been the home of several groups of people. The ancient Indians of the Fremont Culture foraged for food, farmed and etched petroglyphs in the rock walls here. Mormon pioneers planted and nurtured orchards here. Next to the campground is the Gifford Homestead which was the home of Dewey Gifford with his wife and four children, the last settlers to leave Fruita. Today the house is run by the park service and sells fresh baked goods from a local bakery using the fruit from the Fruita orchards.  The campground and orchards are like a little green oasis in what is otherwise an area that could be exposed, dusty, and hot.

Normally the park service allows people to pick fruit from the orchards for themselves, depending what is in season. However, when we were there, there were not many ripe cherries, so they were picked by the park services and for sale in small half pound bags in the Gifford house. The Gifford House was a short walk from our campsite and we made full use of the convenience. The first morning we walked over and bought cinnamon rolls for breakfast. After our hike that day, we stopped by to pick up a small cherry pie to have as dessert after dinner. The next morning we were back again, this time to buy sourdough bread and a bag of cherries to take on the road. Our waistlines and pocket books didn’t enjoy our shopping at Gifford House, but we both had big smiles on our faces as we ate all the goodies.

For our hike, we followed the Cohab Canyon Trail up to both the North and South Fruita Overlook Viewpoints. It was about four miles and over 800 feet in elevation gain. Part of the trail was rocky and part was sandy, but Right Buddy (RB) managed it OK with her foot. It was aching afterwards, but no ibuprofen required. The views along the hike were too stunning to notice any pain. The hike started out uphill to reach the start of a narrow canyon. Then the trail dipped down to follow the canyon, with smaller slot canyons splitting off every now and then to the sides. Then uphill again to reach the viewpoints. If you get tired of looking up at all of the pretty rock formations, then there were interesting plants, flowers and lizards to bring your gaze downward. There were marmot at the beginning of the trail, but they looked smaller and skinnier than the ones we see in Rocky Mountain National Park. The posted sign we saw later said they were yellow-bellied marmot, the same species that are in the Rocky Mountains, so they must just get fewer tourist handouts or food droppings as those in RMNP.

Later in the day, we drove down the length of the Scenic Drive which heads south from the campground for about eight miles. The Scenic Drive follows the Waterpocket Fold, so there is spectacular views around every curve and there were lots of curves. RB kept her camera pointed out the window and kept her shutter finger busy most of the time.

Both evenings that we were there, there was a handful of deer that came strolling through the campground, munching on the grass. One deer came right up to our picnic table while RB was cooking dinner. We didn’t mind the uninvited guests. The irrigated grass in the campground must be like a delicacy for the deer and taste better than elsewhere. After dinner both evenings, we took an hour or two trying to make up for just tossing our gear in the van and creating some organization. We succeeded in creating an arrangement that worked and had us breathing a little easier, but we have tweaked it some since then as we learned more about our camping routines.

In terms of campground amenities we found that all the sites in loops A and B were paved (blacktop) and looked to be level and overall the campground offered good shade options and standard picnic tables (we did not inspect loop C).  Fees are $20 per night. The sites have no electric though some generator hours were permitted.  Water was available for gathering outside the restrooms and a graywater/dishwashing sink was also located there.  The bathrooms were basic but felt clean though they had no showers.  Visit the campground website at https://www.nps.gov/care/planyourvisit/fruitacampground.htm for full details including site capacity for your vehicle length.  We would definitely stay there again without hesitation.

Capitol Reef doesn’t seem to get the large crowds of people that the other National Parks do, but we feel that it has just as much to offer, except for the lack of cell service. But we also enjoyed the peace and quiet due to the smaller crowds.

Check out our related video: Capitol Reef National Park June 22 & 23, 2019