Capitol Reef – A Hidden Treasure
I’ll be honest: six months ago, Capitol Reef National Park wasn’t even on my radar. While mapping our route through Utah, I spotted this quieter national park tucked along our path. Our original plan skipped it completely—we wanted to spend more time at Arches and avoid adding miles to the long drive from Salt Lake City to Moab. But curiosity won out. We took the detour through Capitol Reef, and I’m so glad we did.
White Domes
Massive white cliffs gave Capitol Reef part of its name. They rise from the desert like giant stone domes and call to mind the U.S. Capitol. The park’s 25-mile scenic drive winds between red rock mesas, slices through narrow canyons, and follows a surprisingly green river valley. In the 1880s, early settlers planted more than 2,500 fruit trees here, and park staff now protect about 1,900 of them. Visit at the right time, and you can pluck apples, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, or pears straight from the trees. We missed the harvest window this time, so those famous orchard treats stayed just out of reach.
Red Rock Everywhere
Maybe the remote location of Capitol Reef kept the crowds away, or maybe the season worked in our favor. Either way, we practically had the park to ourselves. We wandered down a few short trails, camera in hand, and the geology stopped us in our tracks. Red rock rose, curved, and cracked in every direction. Looking back, we should have carved out much more time for Capitol Reef.
Ancient Astronauts?
The Capitol Reef petroglyphs climb high across the cliff face, towering more than seven feet tall. If I stood beside them, they would rise two feet above me. Artists carved these figures sometime between 600 and 1300 AD, and their placement still feels like a mystery: how did they reach that high and create such bold shapes on the rock? Goats, snakes, and sun symbols fill the panel, but the human figures steal the show. With their strange outlines and otherworldly stance, they look a little like ancient astronauts. Hmmmm… I wonder.
Capitol Reef was totally worth the time
Romin was such a trooper today! We had a blast exploring Capitol Reef and driving through the scenic trails. If you’re ever traveling through central Utah, I highly recommend stopping here to hike—there is so much to see, and we definitely didn’t have enough time to take it all in!
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time – Much love,
Romin, Pete, & Lori
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