Arches National Park in south-eastern Utah is a dramatic high-desert landscape sheltering more than 2000 natural sandstone arches shaped over millennia by erosion wind and water offering visitors world-class hiking photography and stargazing beneath some of America's most spectacular red rock scenery.
Utah: Capitol Reef National Park
🛣️ Utah’s Scenic Byway SR-24
Scenic Byway 24 is one of those roads that makes you feel vaguely smug for having found it, even though it’s clearly signposted and about a million other people have driven it before you. Running east to west — or west to east, depending on which direction you’ve managed to get yourself pointed — between the small towns of Loa and Hanksville in southern Utah, this 75-mile stretch of tarmac wound through some of the most jaw-dropping desert scenery we’d ever clapped eyes on.
The road weaved its way between the Fishlake National Forest to the north and the vast Dixie National Forest to the south, cut straight through Capitol Reef National Park, squeezed between the ancient geological bulk of the San Rafael Swell and the wild emptiness of the Henry Mountains, and skimmed past the dramatic canyons carved out by the Dirty Devil River — which, for the record, is a real river and not something we made up after a long day of driving. The Dirty Devil was named in 1869 by the explorer John Wesley Powell, who led the first documented expedition down the Colorado River and clearly wasn’t feeling particularly charitable when he reached this particular tributary.
Capitol Reef National Park itself, which SR-24 runs directly through, was designated a National Monument back in 1937 and didn’t get its full National Park status until 1971. It covers nearly 242,000 acres and protects a nearly 100-mile long wrinkle in the Earth’s crust known as the Waterpocket Fold — a geological feature formed around 50 to 70 million years ago when the western half of the North American continent was being shoved upwards. The park takes its rather grand name from the white domed Navajo Sandstone formations that early settlers thought resembled the Capitol Building in Washington, combined with the fact that the rocky ridgeline acted as an impassable barrier — a “reef” — for pioneers trying to move west. So there you have it: useful, and entirely accurate.
We drove the route from west to east, which meant we picked up the highlights in the following order, and we’d suggest you do the same:
- 🪨 Chimney Rock
- 🏰 Castle Rock Formation
- 🏛️ Visitor Centre
- 🖼️ The Petroglyph Trail
- 🏫 Fruita Schoolhouse
- 🌉 Hickman Natural Bridge Trail
- 🥾 Grand Wash Hiking Trail
🪨 1. Chimney Rock
The first stop, and frankly one of the most striking things you’ll see from the road without even getting out of the car, was Chimney Rock. This is an impressively tall and rather solitary pinnacle of Moenkopi Shale rising up out of the surrounding desert like a finger pointed accusingly at the sky. The Moenkopi Formation, if you’re the sort of person who likes knowing things, is a reddish-brown sedimentary rock layer that dates back around 240 to 245 million years — so, quite old, then — deposited during the Triassic period when this part of what is now Utah was a flat tidal plain sitting close to the edge of a shallow sea. The forces of wind and water erosion have spent an almost unimaginably long time carving away the softer rock around Chimney Rock until only this stubborn column was left standing. Good for it.
If you felt like stretching your legs — and after a long morning in the car, we absolutely did — there was a 3-mile loop trail starting from the parking lot directly below Chimney Rock. The first section of the trail climbed steadily upward with a series of switchbacks that hauled you up onto the mesa above, and we won’t pretend it was entirely effortless, because it wasn’t. Moderately difficult was the official description, which in American National Park terms usually means “you’ll be fine, but you’ll know about it later.” Once you reached the top, however, the going levelled out considerably, and the views back down across the canyon and along the valley were, in a word, enormous. The whole loop took us about two hours at a comfortable pace, and it was entirely worth the effort. Even the grumbling.
🏰 2. Castle Rock Formation
There are some things that simply refuse to be ignored, and Castle Rock was absolutely one of them. Almost everyone who drove through Capitol Reef National Park saw it, and most of them pulled over and reached for their cameras, which was entirely the right response.
Rising dramatically across the road from the park’s visitor centre, Castle Rock towered over the cottonwood trees and the winding bends of the Fremont River below — a river that’s been carving its way through this landscape for millions of years and clearly knew what it was doing. It wasn’t the tallest or the largest formation in the park, but it was almost certainly the most recognisable, and arguably the most spectacular. There’s something about its sheer, blunt-faced presence that demanded your attention whether you wanted to give it or not.
We pulled over. Obviously.
🏛️ 3. Visitor Centre
The Capitol Reef Visitor Centre sat just off SR-24 and was, as visitor centres go, actually rather good. It opened in its current form in 1997 and gave a decent grounding in the geology, history and culture of the park before you headed out to get lost in it. The exhibits covered everything from the ancient Fremont people, who inhabited this canyon country from around 600 to 1300 AD and left their petroglyphs all over the rock faces, through to the Mormon pioneer settlers who arrived in the 1880s and rather optimistically planted orchards in the desert.
Worth picking up a free park map here, having a word with one of the rangers if you had specific hiking plans, and using the facilities — because once you headed east along SR-24, the amenities thinned out rather dramatically. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
🖼️ 4. The Petroglyph Trail
Just east of the Visitor Centre, still on SR-24, a small parking lot marks the start of the Petroglyph Trail. Get there early in high season unless you enjoy driving in circles waiting for someone to leave — people do rather like this one, and they’re not wrong to.
The trail itself is a level boardwalk that winds through a pretty grove of cottonwood trees, passing close beneath the cliff face where the Fremont people — a Native American culture who lived across this region from roughly 600 to 1300 AD — left behind an extraordinary gallery of rock art. The petroglyphs were pecked directly into the desert varnish on the sandstone, and many are remarkably clear even after a thousand years. The boardwalk is fully accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs, and genuinely suitable for all ages. Look up, though. The more you linger, the more images reveal themselves higher on the rock face, almost daring you to spot them.
🏫 5. Fruita Schoolhouse
There is something quietly melancholy about Fruita. In 1880, a determined group of Mormon settlers decided that this particular patch of desert canyon in what is now Capitol Reef National Park looked like a reasonable place to build a life. They called their new community Junction — sensible, if unimaginative — before renaming it Fruita around 1902, by which point their orchards had grown impressively productive and the name felt more fitting. For a few decades, life here apparently ticked along rather nicely.
The little one-room schoolhouse opened in 1896, teaching the handful of local children the basics — reading, writing, and arithmetic — with the occasional geography lesson thrown in when the teacher felt sufficiently qualified. The room also doubled as a venue for dances and religious services, because when you live somewhere this remote, you make a room work hard. The whole town was quietly absorbed by the National Park Service in 1955, and the schoolhouse was renovated in 1966. It remains open to visitors today.
🌉 6. Hickman Natural Bridge Trail
Capitol Reef National Park is home to more than 20 natural arches, and Hickman Natural Bridge is among the most accessible of the lot. The trailhead car park sits right off SR-24, which sounds convenient until you actually try to find a space — it’s small, and even on a quiet winter’s day it was surprisingly busy. In high season, I imagine it resembles a car boot sale without the bargains.
The trail itself is a 1.8-mile out-and-back. It starts pleasantly enough, flat and following the river, before climbing steeply and unevenly towards the canyon rim — the sort of path that makes your knees file a formal complaint. In winter, sections were genuinely icy, so decent hiking shoes and traction grips are strongly recommended unless you enjoy sitting down unexpectedly. Once on the rim, it flattens out with some genuinely spectacular views. Hickman Natural Bridge isn’t Utah’s most dramatic arch, but you get to walk directly beneath it, which is quietly brilliant. Absolutely worth the effort.
🥾 7. Grand Wash Hiking Trail
The Grand Wash Trail was another cracking option, with its car park sitting conveniently just off SR-24. This ancient gorge slices dramatically through the upper reaches of the Waterpocket Fold — that 100-mile geological wrinkle that Capitol Reef is famous for — connecting the Scenic Road southward past Cassidy Arch all the way to Highway 24, just east of Spring Canyon. Helpfully, the wash stays almost entirely flat throughout, though the streambed underfoot is loose with sediment, and at the famous Narrows section the canyon walls close in dramatically, squeezing the trail into something considerably more intimate.
We tackled it in winter, which meant a light dusting of snow on the ground. Fortunately, the flat terrain made the ice entirely manageable — unlike our dignity on steeper trails. The downside of a winter visit, of course, is the brutally short days. Darkness came early, we ran out of daylight before reaching the far end, and had to turn back. Still, the trail was virtually empty of other hikers, which, honestly, made the whole thing rather splendid.
🚗 8. A Scenic Drive Through Capitol Reef National Park
The Scenic Drive is a 7.9-mile paved road that loops out from the visitor centre and back, and on a good day it’s one of the finest short drives in the American West. Allow yourself around an hour and a half to cover the main road and the two unpaved spur roads that branch off it — Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge — both of which push deep into narrow canyon country and deliver you to some excellent trailheads. Most standard passenger cars handle them perfectly well, as do RVs up to 27 feet, which is reassuring if you’re piloting something the size of a small terraced house.
Worth knowing: all three roads can close without much warning due to snow, ice, mud, or flash floods. When we visited in December, the Scenic Drive was shut entirely due to snow and ice. Nobody mentioned that in the brochure.
The drive throws up plenty of pull-over moments, with dramatic rock formations at every turn and interpretive signs explaining the area’s geology and history. The highlights were:
- 🏡 The Gifford House
- 🌊 Grand Wash & Cassidy Arch
- 🏛️ Capitol Gorge
🏡 9. The Gifford Homestead
The National Park Service had done a decent job of restoring the old Gifford farmhouse and turning it into a cultural demonstration site, giving visitors a feel for what early Mormon settlers made of life in the remote Fruita valley. And the answer, fairly clearly, was that they made do. The interior was furnished to reflect the deliberately no-frills reality of rural Utah farm life in the early 1900s — sturdy, practical, and about as far from luxury as it’s possible to get while still having four walls and a roof.
Beyond the farmhouse itself, the homestead included a barn, smokehouse, garden, pasture, and the kind of dry-stone rock walls that suggested whoever built them had a great deal of time, very little else to do, and an impressive tolerance for tedium.
The Gifford Homestead sat about a mile south of the visitor centre along The Scenic Drive, and was open from 14th March — Pi Day, apparently, which seems an oddly nerdy detail for a nineteenth-century farmstead — through to 31st October.
🏜️ 10. Grand Wash and Cassidy Arch
From the paved scenic drive, a dusty spur road — one of those tracks that makes you instinctively check your hire car insurance — twists its way down into Grand Wash. It petered out after a mile, but from there a marked trail carried on deeper into the canyon, where the walls closed in and the whole place became properly dramatic.
Butch Cassidy — real name Robert Leroy Parker, born in Utah in 1866, and rather more interesting than most of his neighbours — was thought to have used Grand Wash as a hideout on more than one occasion. Whether that’s historically watertight or just a good story, nobody seemed entirely sure, but the arch on the canyon’s north wall was named after him regardless, and it made for an excellent photograph.
The main wash trail ran 2.25 miles to SR-24, making a 4.5-mile round trip. The separate Cassidy Arch trail climbed steeply to the clifftops above — 3.5 miles round trip and officially classed as strenuous, which we respected enormously from a comfortable distance.
🏜️ 11. Capitol Gorge
The paved road runs out at the end of the Scenic Drive, but don’t let that stop you. An unpaved spur carries on for another two miles and drops you into Capitol Gorge, which is well worth the bumpy ride.
Until 1962, vehicles could drive the full length of the gorge all the way to its confluence with the Fremont River. These days you walk the old roadbed instead, which feels pleasantly historic rather than disappointing. A short distance along, you’ll come across a panel of Fremont petroglyph rock art — ancient images carved into the canyon wall by the Fremont people, who inhabited this region roughly between 600 and 1300 AD. Nearby, at a spot called Pioneer Registry, nineteenth-century settlers added their own names to the rock, apparently unable to resist the urge to let everyone know they’d passed through. Some things never change.
Elsewhere in the gorge, erosion has carved natural pockets into the sandstone known as The Tanks, which frequently collect rainwater — a 2.5-mile round trip from the spur road’s end. For something more demanding, the Golden Throne trail climbs four miles round trip to panoramic clifftop views of this magnificent golden-hued sandstone formation. It’s classified as strenuous, so take water. Plenty of it.
In summary …
- One of the “big five” National Parks in Southern Utah
- A little less touristy but nonetheless spectacular
- Hiking opportunities for all abilities
- A good place to stop if travelling between Bryce Canyon and Moab
About Capitol Reef National Park
🏜️ Capitol Reef National Park
| 📍 Location | HC 70, Box 15, Torrey, Utah 84775, USA | 🕖 Park Hours | Open 24 hours a day, year-round |
| 🌐 Website | nps.gov/care | 📞 Phone | 435-425-3791 |
| 🏛️ Visitor Centre (Mar–Oct) | 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM daily | 🏛️ Visitor Centre (Nov–Feb) | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM daily |
| ℹ️ Notes | Visitor Centre closed Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s Day. Highway 24 through the park is free; entrance fee applies to the Scenic Drive only. |
🚗 How to Get There
| ✈️ Nearest Airport | Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT), Colorado — approx. 196 miles (3-hour drive) | ✈️ Alternative Airport | Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), Utah — approx. 229 miles (3.5-hour drive) |
| 🛣️ From Salt Lake City | Take I-15 S, exit onto US-50 E, then UT-260 S, then UT-24 E — approx. 235 miles | 🛣️ From Las Vegas | Take I-15 N approx. 205 miles, then head east via UT-24 — approx. 327 miles |
| 🛣️ Primary Route | Highway 24 (UT-24) cuts through the park and is the main access road from either direction | 🚌 Public Transport | No direct public transport to the park; a hire car is strongly recommended |
🎟️ Entry Fees (Scenic Drive only; Highway 24 corridor is free)
| Private Vehicle (7 days) | Motorcycle (7 days) | Individual/Cyclist (7 days) | Annual Park Pass | America the Beautiful Pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20 | $15 | $10 | $35 | $80 (all federal parks) |
ℹ️ Under-16s free. Free passes available for active military, veterans, permanent disabilities (Access Pass), and US 4th-grade students (Every Kid Outdoors). Backcountry and canyoneering permits are free from the visitor centre. Fruita Campground: $25/night.
Entry fees are set by the National Park Service and may be subject to revision; visitors are advised to confirm current charges at nps.gov/care before their visit.
Best Time to Visit Utah
🌸 Spring (March – May)
Spring is widely considered one of the finest times to explore Utah’s southern national parks. Temperatures are mild and pleasant, wildflowers begin to bloom across the desert plateaus, and the tourist crowds that descend in summer have yet to arrive in full force. Zion and Bryce Canyon are at their most accessible and inviting, with trails drying out after winter snowmelt and the landscape flushed with fresh colour.
March can still bring cold nights and lingering snow at higher elevations, particularly in Bryce Canyon, which sits above 2,400 metres. By April, conditions across most of the state are ideal for hiking, cycling, and photography. May is the sweet spot — warm days, cool evenings, manageable visitor numbers — though it does mark the beginning of the busier season, so booking accommodation in advance is advisable.
The Virgin River in Zion runs fast and murky with snowmelt through spring, which means the famous Narrows slot canyon hike may be restricted or closed. Always check conditions before setting out.
What to pack: Layering is essential — a lightweight down jacket, a waterproof shell, and moisture-wicking base layers cover the temperature swings. Comfortable hiking boots with ankle support, UV-protective sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, high-SPF suncream, and a reusable water bottle. Trekking poles are useful on muddy or uneven trails. Pack a light fleece for cool evenings and a small day pack for hiking.
☀️ Summer (June – August)
Summer brings the most visitors to Utah, and for good reason — long daylight hours, dry skies, and lively park atmospheres make it a popular choice for families and those seeking maximum outdoor time. However, it also brings intense heat, particularly in the lower desert parks. Arches and Canyonlands regularly exceed 38°C in July and August, making midday hiking genuinely dangerous. The sensible approach is to hike at dawn, retreat to shade or air-conditioned accommodation during peak afternoon heat, and venture out again in the early evening.
Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks, sitting at higher elevations, offer welcome relief from the heat and are excellent summer destinations. Southern Utah’s monsoon season typically begins in mid-July, bringing dramatic afternoon thunderstorms that can cause flash flooding in narrow slot canyons — always check weather forecasts before entering confined trails like The Narrows or Antelope Canyon.
For those willing to escape the crowds, northern Utah’s Uinta Mountains offer superb summer hiking and camping at elevation, with cooler temperatures and fewer visitors than the national parks.
What to pack: Lightweight, breathable clothing in light colours, a sun hat and UV-protective sunglasses, a high-SPF suncream (SPF 50+), a hydration pack or multiple large water bottles, electrolyte tablets, and a headlamp for early starts. A light waterproof layer for afternoon monsoon storms, quick-dry fabrics, and sandals for camp. Insect repellent is useful for forested areas. Book campsites and accommodation months in advance.
🍂 Autumn (September – November)
Autumn rivals spring as the best overall season to visit Utah. The crushing summer heat begins to ease by September, crowds thin considerably after the American Labour Day holiday in early September, and the landscape transforms with spectacular warm tones. Cottonwood trees along canyon floors turn gold, scrub oak flushes red and orange, and the clear blue skies of September and October provide perfect conditions for photography.
October is many experienced visitors’ preferred month — daytime temperatures hover around a comfortable 15–22°C in most parks, the light is rich and golden, and the national parks feel spacious and unhurried once again. Higher elevation areas such as the Wasatch Front and the Uintas begin to see snow from October onwards, marking the start of the ski season build-up. November brings cooler temperatures and the possibility of early snowfall at elevation, which can be beautiful but requires additional preparation.
The Zion Narrows, often inaccessible in spring due to high water levels, is typically at its finest in late summer and early autumn when flows are low and temperatures are manageable.
What to pack: Versatile layering including a mid-weight fleece, a windproof and waterproof outer jacket, and light base layers. Sturdy hiking boots, warm socks, and a woolly hat and gloves for higher elevations. Sunglasses and suncream remain essential even in autumn. A small tripod is worth carrying for golden-hour photography. Neoprene socks and a walking pole if attempting The Narrows, and waterproof trousers for wet canyon hikes.
❄️ Winter (December – February)
Winter in Utah is a tale of two experiences. For skiers and snowboarders, it is nothing short of exceptional. The Wasatch Range near Salt Lake City — home to resorts including Park City, Alta, Snowbird, Deer Valley, and Solitude — regularly receives some of the deepest, lightest powder snow in the world. Utah’s ski season typically runs from November through April, with peak conditions in January and February.
The national parks take on an entirely different and deeply beautiful character in winter. Bryce Canyon’s pink and orange hoodoos dusted with snow are among the most photographed sights in the American West. Crowds are minimal, accommodation prices drop significantly, and the silence of the desert in winter is profound. However, many trails become icy and require microspikes or snowshoes, and some park roads close seasonally.
Temperatures at night in the southern parks can drop to -10°C or below, and roads to higher viewpoints may be closed. Despite these challenges, winter offers a genuinely magical and uncrowded way to experience Utah for those prepared for cold conditions.
What to pack: For skiing: thermal base layers, ski-specific mid-layers, a waterproof and insulated ski jacket and trousers, ski socks, goggles, a helmet, and neck gaiter. For national park visits: a heavy insulated jacket, waterproof trousers, thermal underlayers, sturdy waterproof boots, warm hat, gloves and scarf, microspikes or snowshoes, hand warmers, and a thermos. Suncream is still necessary as UV reflection off snow is intense.
🏆 The Overall Best Time to Visit
If you are planning your first — or only — trip to Utah and want the ideal balance of weather, trail access, scenery, and manageable crowds, late September to mid-October stands out as the single finest window. The summer heat has passed, the monsoon storms have largely subsided, and the autumn colours add warmth and drama to landscapes that are already extraordinary. Most trails are fully open, temperatures are comfortable from morning to evening, and the parks feel genuinely peaceful compared to the height of summer. Spring — particularly April and early May — runs a very close second, offering similar conditions alongside the freshness of wildflowers and snowmelt-fed waterfalls. Whichever season draws you, Utah rewards the prepared traveller with scenery that is, quite simply, unlike anywhere else on earth.
Other places close by worth visiting
1. Arches National Park
Arches National Park sits in the high desert of eastern Utah, USA, and is home to over 2,000 natural sandstone arches — more than anywhere else on earth. The landscape is stark and dry, shaped by millions of years of erosion, freezing and thawing, and the slow movement of salt beneath the ground. The rock glows red and orange in the sun, and the arches themselves range from small openings you might barely notice to massive spans like Delicate Arch, which stands 20 metres tall and has become something of a symbol for the state of Utah. The park sits at around 1,200 to 1,700 metres above sea level, which means summers are hot but not unbearable, and winters bring occasional snow that settles briefly on the warm-coloured stone. Walking trails vary from short, easy paths to longer routes over uneven slickrock. It is a popular destination, particularly in spring and autumn, and visitor numbers have grown significantly in recent years, so the park now requires timed entry permits during busy periods. It is a straightforward but genuinely striking place — the sort of landscape that is hard to picture until you are standing in it.
2. Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon National Park sits in the high plateaus of south-western Utah, in the United States, at an elevation of roughly 2,400 to 2,700 metres above sea level. Despite its name, it is not actually a canyon but rather a series of natural amphitheatres carved into the edge of a plateau by millions of years of erosion. The park is best known for its hoodoos — tall, thin columns of rock left standing after wind, rain, and frost gradually wore away the softer material around them. These formations come in shades of orange, red, and cream, which tend to look especially vivid in the early morning and late afternoon light. The park receives around 1.5 million visitors a year, drawn by the scenery and the network of walking trails that range from short, easy paths along the rim to longer, steeper routes that descend into the amphitheatres. Winters are cold and snowy, and the snow cover against the red rock is a feature in its own right. Summers are warm during the day but can be cool at night due to the altitude. The area is also noted for its dark skies, which make it a reasonable spot for stargazing away from city light pollution.
3. Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands is a vast stretch of rugged desert landscape in south-eastern Utah, carved over millions of years by the Colorado and Green rivers. The park covers around 1,370 square kilometres and is divided into four districts — Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and the river corridors — each with its own character and level of accessibility. The terrain is dramatic, made up of deep canyons, flat-topped mesas, and weathered rock formations in shades of red, orange, and brown. It is a genuinely remote place; roads are limited, mobile signal is sparse, and some areas require a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle or several days on foot to reach. The weather can be extreme, with fierce summer heat and cold winters, so most visitors tend to come in spring or autumn. Wildlife includes coyotes, ravens, lizards, and the occasional desert bighorn sheep. There are no large towns nearby, and facilities within the park are minimal, so visitors are expected to come well prepared with food, water, and a clear plan. It is not a particularly comfortable place to explore, but for those who are drawn to open, unspoilt landscapes, it has a quiet and lasting appeal.
4. Zion National Park
covers around 230 square miles of canyon country. The park’s most striking feature is Zion Canyon, a narrow gorge carved over millions of years by the Virgin River, with sandstone walls that rise up to 800 metres in places. The rock shifts between deep reds, oranges, and creams depending on the light and time of day. Visitors come to walk the park’s varied trails, from flat riverside paths to steeper routes that follow chains bolted into the rock face. The most well-known of these, Angels Landing, ends at a narrow ridge above the canyon floor and requires a permit to access. Wildlife is common throughout — deer, wild turkeys, and California condors are regularly spotted. The park receives well over four million visitors a year, making it one of the busiest in the United States, so early mornings tend to be quieter. Entry is straightforward, and a shuttle bus runs through the main canyon during the busier months.
Where to stay?
1. Fuita Campground
Tucked into the heart of Capitol Reef National Park, Fruita Campground is where history and geology beautifully collide. Its three loops are nestled among historic fruit orchards in a lush green valley — a surprising oasis amid Utah’s dramatic red rock landscape. Mormon settlers once grew a variety of fruit trees here, fed by the Fremont River and Sulphur Creek, and today the National Park Service maintains those orchards as part of the area’s living history — visitors can even pick their own seasonal fruit. Just a short walk from camp, the historic Gifford House sells homemade pies, jams, and ice cream, and the nearby Fruita Barn and Blacksmith Shop offer a genuine glimpse into pioneer life. With 65 reservable sites, flush toilets, and prices starting at $25 per night, the campground is open year-round and sits at the perfect launchpad for exploring Capitol Reef’s canyons, arches, and trails — all right on your doorstep
2. Capitol Reef Resort
Nestled in the red rock heart of southern Utah, Capitol Reef Resort is a one-of-a-kind destination that perfectly blends comfort with adventure. Situated on 58 acres just one mile from the entrance of Capitol Reef National Park in Torrey, Utah, the resort offers a truly immersive glamping experience, with unique lodging options including Conestoga Wagons, teepees, and stand-alone cabins. For those who prefer something more traditional, spacious guest rooms, a pool, and a hot tub are also on offer. Adventure seekers can hike alongside pack llamas, embark on horseback rides, or join thrilling jeep safaris through the surrounding landscape. With an on-site restaurant boasting beautiful red rock views, free parking, and 24/7 front desk staff, Capitol Reef Resort strikes an impressive balance between rustic charm and modern convenience — making it an ideal base camp for exploring one of Utah’s most underrated national parks.
3. Red Sands Hotel
Tucked along scenic Highway 24 in the tiny town of Torrey, Utah, the Red Sands Hotel & Spa is a hidden gem for anyone venturing into the heart of canyon country. A boutique hotel with a restaurant, bar, spa, and indoor pool, it sits just a short drive from Capitol Reef National Park — making it the perfect base for hikers, road-trippers, and stargazers alike. Guests can enjoy a rooftop stargazing deck, yoga room, the Rock Garden Eatery and Bar, and a pool that opens onto an outdoor deck. Rooms are spacious, clean, and tastefully finished, with many offering sweeping views of the surrounding red rock landscape. Originally built as a chain hotel, it was reimagined as an independent boutique property in the early 2010s by new owners who wanted it to reflect the unique character of Capitol Reef and the small town of Torrey. It’s the kind of place that earns return visits.
More to Explore
