Another one of Utah’s “Mighty 5” parks is Capitol Reef, located in the center of the state, encompassing the former Mormon settlement of Fruita. As the name suggests, there was fruit grown there! Park visitors can still see, and harvest from the very orchards the pioneers planted.

The choice of name for the park was a curiousity to me. I’d speculated that there may have been a prehistoric ocean here once, and possibly fossilized reef. In actuality, the 87-mile ridge, now known as Waterpocket Fold, had come to be called a reef by visiting prospectors, because it was a considerable barrier to travelers, just as a reef in an ocean would be.

As for the “capitol” part of the name, scroll through the photos below to see if you can spot the reason.

Empty two-lane highway through desert terrain under a towering storm cloud with rain falling in the distance on the drive to Capitol Reef
Along the drive to Capitol Reef, we hardly met another vehicle.
Two kids standing atop a large red rock formation under a blue sky in Capitol Reef National Park
Lollipops are always good hiking motivators.

Our first hike in the park was out to Sunset Point. We kept hiking east, so I was curious as to how we’d view the sunset. Our kids enjoyed scrambling up the rocks along the way, but if you bring children, you do need to keep them very close, as a fall over the edge would be fatal.

Layered red rock canyon walls and a distant dome viewed from the trail to Sunset Point in Capitol Reef National Park
A sense of vertigo was always looming for me, as the earth is at all angles in the park.
Red rock cliffs rising above junipers and desert scrub in Capitol Reef National Park under a cloudy sky
Slanted red rock ledge overlooking a deep canyon with distant mountains on the horizon in Capitol Reef National Park
Cliffs of the Waterpocket Fold glowing gold in the setting sun, viewed from Sunset Point in Capitol Reef National Park
Sunset Point’s name becomes very clear to us.
Two boys standing beside a tilted red rock slab at the end of the Sunset Point trail in Capitol Reef National Park
At the end of the trail to Sunset Point.
Desert shrubs in the foreground with canyon cliffs glowing in the last rays of sunset at Sunset Point in Capitol Reef National Park
Girl sitting on a wooden bench watching a golden sunset over the canyon at Sunset Point in Capitol Reef National Park
Taking in the scenery by the last rays.
Red rock cliffs glowing orange under a fiery sunset sky with green vegetation in the foreground in Capitol Reef National Park
A castle turret hidden on the cliffs.

A popular hike in the park follows Sulfur Creek. Actually, it’s in the creek. Recent rains replaced the crystal clear creek with this rusty colored water. We told the kids were were hiking in chocolate milk, like in Willy Wonka’s factory.

Family wading in rusty chocolate-colored creek water in the Sulfur Creek canyon at Capitol Reef National Park
Canyon back road with a stream of reddish floodwater washing across it, red rock cliffs behind in Capitol Reef National Park
Person walking along a dirt road where reddish floodwater runs under a large overhanging red rock ledge in Capitol Reef National Park

After our river hike, we took a driving tour through the park, and onto some back roads through canyons. The parks in Utah stress the dangers of flash floods, particularly on river and canyon trails, with signs posted warning not to drive or hike through those areas if rain is even threatening. It’s clear that once you’re on those roads and trails, there’s nowhere to escape if a torrent suddenly came rushing through.

Dirt road passing between towering tan rock cliffs in a narrow canyon in Capitol Reef National Park
Just up the road we passed a tow truck assisting a broken down car. What a nightmare!
Road through a slot canyon with towering honeycombed sandstone cliff walls towering over it in Capitol Reef National Park
It’s hard to realize the scale here, but imagine this road is as wide as a normal two lane road. These cliff walls are gigantic.
Road through a deep slot canyon with towering red rock walls rising on both sides in Capitol Reef National Park
We parked and continued on foot to the Pioneer Registry.
Pioneer family names and arrival dates etched into a sandstone canyon wall at the Pioneer Registry in Capitol Reef National Park
Pioneer graffiti etched in the canyon walls. Names of families and dates of their arrival to the canyon.
Rounded pockets and holes in a sandstone canyon wall, some filled with pebbles, at the Pioneer Registry in Capitol Reef National Park
These fascinating pockets lined the walls, and were filled with pebbles, many of them 10ft+ off the ground.
Rounded dark boulders scattered across a dry sagebrush hillside on the hike to Hickman Natural Bridge in Capitol Reef National Park
Hiking towards Hickman Natural Bridge, these large rounded black boulders appeared out of nowhere! They were, apparently, shaped and carried here from ancient glaciers. So weird!
Small natural arch in sandstone boulders at the bottom of a canyon, seen from above on the hike to Hickman Bridge in Capitol Reef National Park
Small natural bridges below us on the hike. They were actually quite tall. An adult could have stood under some of them with head clearance.
Two kids crouched and exploring a large rock pocket carved into sandstone in Capitol Reef National Park
More fun rock pockets to explore.
Hickman Natural Bridge, a massive sandstone arch overlooking red rock canyon walls in Capitol Reef National Park
The bridge!
Capitol Dome, a towering sandstone peak resembling the U.S. Capitol building, glowing gold in the evening sun in Capitol Reef National Park
Here’s Capitol Dome. The name makes sense now, right?

Of all of the Utah national parks we visited, Capitol Reef had the least amount of tourist traffic. I’m not sure it it’s because of the remote location far from interstates, or simply because it’s not well known. Regardless, we enjoyed almost absolute solitude on our hikes, and peaceful panoramic views.

Plump yellow-bellied marmot standing in green grass near the orchards in Fruita in Capitol Reef National Park
Near the orchards and along the creek banks, you can see these pleasantly plump yellow-bellied Marmots.
Small one-room stone cabin built by Elijah Bahunin in 1882 at the foot of a red rock cliff in Fruita in Capitol Reef National Park
A one-room cabin built by Elijah Bahunin in 1882 for his family. He and his wife slept here with 11 of their 13 children!! It’s rumored some of the older children slept in the cliff faces. Life in Fruita was very difficult though, and the family only resided here 1 year.
Paved highway curving past tan rock formations under a blue sky in the Utah desert
On the road again.
Car driving on a highway toward dramatic gray folded rock formations in the Utah desert
Factory Butte, a gargantuan flat-topped butte rising from a flat desert plain under a cloudy sky in Utah
This gargantuan butte is called Factory Butte.
Tall stacked-stone hoodoo formation rising from a red rock base in Goblin Valley State Park in Utah
Out the window as we drove past Goblin Valley State Park.
Highway passing buckled, crumpled red rock hills jutting up into the sky in the Utah desert
The earth is buckled here, and juts up into the sky.

Our camp spot for the next few days was a climb up through those formations. We looked for someplace at a higher elevation for our comfort. In the valley, temperatures were in the upper 90s mid-day, and remember, we were trying to boondock as much as possible. Our only power source was solar, and although that was more than enough to power electronics, some fans, and even a microwave, it was not able to run the air conditioner. It was usually fairly easy to find a spot up on a hill or mountain, where we could catch a cooler breeze, though. It just meant that we would have a little longer of a drive from home base to the parks.

Coming next is Arches and Canyonlands!!