We visited 7 National Parks in 7 Days! Capitol Reef National Park in Utah was our second park of the trip after Arches and before Bryce Canyon. Be sure to check out all 7 parks!

Capitol Reef National Park Highlights on Wednesday, August 30 and Thursday, August 31, 2017

• Panorama Point
• Goosenecks Overlook
• Sunset Point
• Scenic Drive and the Capitol Gorge
• Hickman Bridge
• The Petroglyphs

Arriving at Capitol Reef National Park in the afternoon was perfect because we made it to the Visitor Center before it closed. This allowed us to grab a map and use their facilities. If you need a map, here is a good one: https://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks/capitol_reef_park97.pdf The road beyond the Visitor Center, the Scenic Drive, is the only part of the park that you have to pay for and it’s the least expensive National Park in Utah at $10. We drove to Panorama Point and were impressed by the views. The way the light hits the colorful rocks is incredible. A bit farther up the road, which is windy, rocky and narrow, we made it to a small parking lot by Goosenecks Overlook and Sunset Point. The Goosenecks Overlook was our first time looking into a canyon and it is breathtaking.

It’s hard to fathom that this is a natural creation versus a man-made one. We timed it right and walked along Sunset Point as it drew nearer to sunset. I’m not sure how we got so lucky, but we had the views to ourselves. There are a few benches along the path to sit and enjoy the view.

Almost across the street is another point of interest called Chimney Rock. We saw lots of kids enjoying the huge mounds of dirt – running up and down – burning energy. We enjoyed a short walk here before we headed to the scenic drive still shortly ahead of sunset. We had to drive very carefully as we saw many deer along the road near the campsites. It is cool to reflect that we ended up seeing deer at six out of the seven national parks that we visited during our vacation. We drove along the Scenic Drive until we made it to the signs that read Capitol Gorge. We didn’t exactly know what we were in for either. This is an extremely narrow and scary drive.

It is closed it if rains and it is terrifying when another car approaches you on the path. Fortunately, we made it to the small parking lot at the end and it really was an experience that shouldn’t be missed. If you’re looking for a self-guided tour, the national park service offers this guide with recommended stops. By this point it was dark on our drive back along the Scenic Drive.

Torrey, Utah is the closest small city to Capitol Reef National Park where we found a good place to carsleep for the night. It’s located on the west side of the park beyond Panoramic and Twin Rocks. While it’s not far mileage-wise, it’s important to drive carefully as it’s windy and there are deer to be cognizant of.

In the morning, we drove to the Hickman Bridge parking lot. We actually passed this on our way in from Arches National Park. It’s a small parking lot with two restrooms in the parking lot that remain unlocked. You will definitely want to have a flashlight* if you arrive early as well as hand sanitizer* for afterwards. The bathrooms are dark, there are flies and no running water. Luckily, you can do all of your shopping on Amazon before your trip. The beginning of the hike is very easy and relatively flat along the river. Then there is quite a steep climb before reaching a point before you then start walking down again. We saw lots of playful chipmunks and a few amphibians, but no snakes thankfully! The arch is awesome once you arrive. Enjoy calling out so you can hear your voice echo back. Once you go under the arch, we found it challenging to find and stay on the path, but fortunately made it around the loop as the sign recommended (counterclockwise direction).

From here, we headed to see the Petroglyphs. Seeing a piece of history etched onto the rock is incredible. The first wooden dock explains the petroglyphs and points them out. If you continue along the longer wooden bridge, keep your eyes peeled and see if you can spot some of the unsigned petroglyphs. When you continue on your journey, you’ll pass through the Fruita Historic District where I read you can pick and eat fruit. Before completely leaving the park, we stopped for a shot of the Twin Rocks and the Capitol Reef National Park sign.

We left the park before mid-day and drove about 2.5 hours to Bryce Canyon National Park. There is more than one way to get to this park. We did not follow the sign that pointed toward Bryce Canyon, but rather took the GPS directed way. It took us through a lot of farmlands and we did not see any gas stations, so make sure you fill up in Torrey before making this leg of the trip. Follow me to the next article to read about our adventure through Bryce Canyon, the third of seven national parks.