My camping equipment

My camping equipment
Campsite setup

Friday, June 7, 2019

Summer Trip 2019, Capitol Reef National Park


This is our third visit to Capital Reef National Park. We stayed at Fruita campground near the visitors center surrounded by groves of fruit orchards and towering red cliffs that are the hallmark of this majestic park. 


View from our campsite of the cliffs surrounding us

Sunset light baths the surrounding cliffs in radiant light
Mule deer are commonly seen in the pastures boarding the campground
Fruita campground has no electric and showers however the restrooms are clean and well maintained. The sites fill up quickly in the summer months so it is important to make reservations months in advance if you want to stay in the park.


Panoramic view of  Fruita campground from the Cohab Canyon Trail

The Cohab Canyon Trail begins at the entrance to Fruita campground. It is one the several hallmark trails to hike when you visit Capital Reef. The trail climbs up from the valley about 400 feet to a flat area just below the cliffs where you walk a short distance to Cohab Canyon. Once at the canyon entrance the trail descends into the canyon where hikers can admire the amazing landscape that makes this park so special.



Photographers flock to Cohab Canyon as the rock formations there are beautiful

Rock formation at the entrance to Cohab Canyon

The trail descends past massive boulders into the canyon

Cohab Canyon

The Capital Reef Gorge hike is another must adventure to explore during your visit to Capital Reef. The drive to the trailhead begins at the campground and passes by beautiful rock formations that will have visitors spell bound. 





The hike into the gorge is magnificent with touring walls of the gorge making hikers feel small in comparison to the grand scale of the rock features that dominate the gorge.


The rock walls of the Capital Reef gorge tower above

A jet flies over the gorge leaving its contrail behind in the clear blue skies above

A cactus blooming in the warm late spring sun
Touring by car at Capital Reef is a fun experience as there are so many interesting rock formations and short hikes leading to view points that are amazing.

The Petroglyphs Narrows Trail

Ancient Ancestral petroglyphs on the sheer rock walls of Capital Reef
View from high above the Goosenecks canyon feature in Capital Reef

The curving and bending river creates the Goosenecks, a popular hiking spot in the park
Panoramic Point just off Hwy 24
The Old Fruita schoolhouse
The Parks in southern Utah are amazing and Capital Reef is one of the best for campers and travelers to marvel at all the natural wonders that make this place so special.


2 comments:

  1. Awesome blog site Doug and Barbara! My name is Jessica, and my boyfriend Clay and I met you at Capitol Reef NP on this date I believe while viewing an old abandoned mine entrance. We have kept your business card in our jeep ever since you gave it to us that day. Glad to visit this site finally over a year later! Hope you are staying safe and enjoying travel still!

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  2. So happy that you keep my card in your jeep. Barbara and I are traveling out to Washington and Oregon this summer in our Aliner Expedition camper. We will begin our trip in late May and return in early September. I will be blogging our trip alone the way. Thanks for keeping us in mind and following our adventures. My blog is a passion of mine. I love sharing our experiences with other campers so one day they will be inspired to visit the public lands that we have enjoyed over the years.

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