Capitol Reef & Diversions
On our way from Moab to Capitol Reef, we stopped for lunch at a Utah State Park called Goblin Valley, recommended to us by several people on our Fiery Furnace tour. It was a great little diversion, and after a sandwich, we walked around the mushroom-like sandstone formations. It felt a bit like we were in a Super Mario Brothers game, and I can imagine spending hours playing hide-and-seek in such a place!
Capitol Reef is one of Utah’s lesser-explored National Parks, with only 1/5th as many visitors as Zion. We definitely found this to be the case, as we showed up at 3 pm on Saturday to the first-come, first-serve campground, and still managed to snag a spot! After settling in, we decided to explore the historical side of Capitol Reef. The Fruita Valley was originally cultivated by Mormon farmers, although even they discovered centuries-old irrigation systems still running from ancient Native American settlements. Our campground is surrounded by acres of fruit orchards, and during certain times of the year, you can even pick the fruit. A great place in the park is the Gifford Homestead and we enjoyed exploring the farm and gift shop, which was full of canned goods made from the local bounty. Especially yummy were the individual fruit pies, which we could not pass up! Brian dug into a mixed berry pie, while Erin savored a peach pie, both with ice cream, of course!
The park also had a great scenic drive and some nice hiking. We took trails to petroglyphs, a natural bridge, as well as through a wash where we viewed a register of the early pioneers that passed through on their travels west.
We were a little short on things to do on Sunday, but the visitor center recommended a scenic drive up to Fish Lake, about an hour northwest of the park. It was a great drive up to 9,000 feet elevation, and we enjoyed a beer lakeside and took some respite from the heat, wind and bugs that seem to have plagued us the last few days. Had we known more about the area, we would have planned to camp there one night.
Both evenings, we partook in the Ranger presentation at the amphitheater next to the campground. The first night we learned about the Fremont Indians that once resided in the Fruita valley; the second night was on the transportation development in the park, given by an unintentionally humorous Ranger. Quick sand! Devils! Big Al’s transportation services! Sorry, you had to be there.
Capitol Reef is definitely worth a quick stop in Utah if you’re already hitting up the Big Three (Zion, Bryce, Arches).
