Park Details
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Location Information
Address:
Superintendent
Capitol Reef National Park
HC 70, Box 15
Torrey, Utah 84775
Telephone:
(801)425-3791
Directions:
The park is located in southcentral Utah. From Green River, Utah, take
Hwy 24 west through Hanksville; from Richfield, take Hwy 24 east through
the communities of Loa, Lyman, Bicknell and Torrey.
Transportation:
Operating Hours/Seasons
The park and campgrounds are open year round. The Visitor Center is open daily (except Christmas Day) from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with extended hours during the summer season.
Reservations/Permits/Fees
The fee for entering the Scenic Drive is $4. Campsites in the 70 site Fruita Campground are $7 per night and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Group Campground, on a reservation basis, is $25 per night.
We take reservations for our group campground only. Backcountry hiking permits are required.
Climate, Recommended Clothing
Very warm summers, cool winters. Mild spring and fall.
Facilities and Opportunities
There are no lodging facilities in the park. For more information, call the Wayne County Travel Council at 1-800-858-7951.
Lodging and Camping
Facilities:
The Fruita Campground contains 70 sites that can accomodate RVs; however,
there are no hook-ups. There are also two primitive campgrounds, each with
pit toilets, fire grates, and picnic tables (no water).
Trails, Roadways:
The park is a haven for backcountry hiking. Many trails are available
for people of all abilities and time constraints. Capitol Reef also has
a number of scenic roadways, many of them unpaved, that can be taken to
all corners of the park. Please call the Visitor Center and ask about specific
trails and/or roads
Food and Supplies:
None inside the park. Convenience marts and grocery stores are located
in Torrey, Bicknell, and Loa, east of the Visitor Center on Utah Hwy 24.
Recommended Activities/Park Use
The park is always open, but Visitor Center hours vary with the season. Activities include: Auto tours, interpretive exhibits and programs, picnicking, hiking, backpacking, mountain biking on established roads, and rock climbing.
Visitation
Approximately 700,000, primarily between April and October. Visitation is the highest April through June, September and October; lowest in January.
Basic Visit Recommendations
Drive the Scenic Drive
along the base of the Waterpocket
Fold.
Hike to Hickman Bridge.
See the Petroglyph Panel interpretive pullout.
Walk through the Historic Orchards of Fruita and pick fruit.
Visitor Impacts:
Capitol Reef is subject to flash flooding from late June through early
October. Flash floods can leave you stranded in a canyon or on a backcountry
road. Please check with the Visitor
Center for up-to-date weather and road conditions before you embark
to the backcountry.
Special Events Programs
Visitor Center/Exhibits: Located at Utah Hwy 24, the Visitor Center has many exhibits, a slide show, and book sales.
Harvest Homecoming:
Held the last Friday and Saturday in September, Harvest Homecoming
celebrates the pioneer legacy and fruit harvest of Capitol Reef. A number
of programs are held during this two day festival, including: calf roping;
American Indian dancing; quilting demonstrations; historic draft horse
and farm implement demonstrations; soap and candle making; blacksmithing
and wheelwright/wainright demonstrations; ham smoking and sourghum processing;
and a host of other cultural events.
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