Capitol Reef National Park, United States of America
- Longest driving day (6.5 hours, no stops. With stops probably around 8)
- should aim to get to park around 3-3:30)
- sunset is 7:40
- choose 1-2 of these drives, ideally the shorter ones, for this evening
Scenic drives:
1. Capitol Reef Scenic Drive:
- 40mins out and back
- After you leave the visitor center, you’ll pass Fruita and the Fruita campground
- There is one offshoot on this road: the Grand Wash Road. It leads to the trailhead for the Grand Wash and Cassidy Arch trails…maybe do second day for hike?
2. Highway 24 (more west)
- only 10mins (might skip if it is too far out of the way
Stops include:
- The Fruita Schoolhouse, where school was taught and church was held back when this was a town.
- The Petroglyphs, an interesting stop where you can see petroglyphs over 1,000 years old.
- The Hickman Bridge trailhead, a 2-mile hike providing wonderful views and a large arch.
- The Behunin Cabin, a historic building that a family lived in back when this was a town
3. Cathedral Valley Loop (3 hour for partial drive)* Need four wheel drive
- Temples of the Sun and Moon
- Very bumpy dirt road
- Outside of the park
- 1.5 hour drive from visitor center
- Bentonite Hills "mars rocks"
- definitely want to do this one for rock formation!!!
Campsites: