Trailhead
Capitol Reef National Park
Every guide we’ve built for the quiet one — pick your route.
DOING ALL FIVE?
The 10-Day Mighty 5 Road Trip
Las Vegas to Salt Lake City through every Utah national park — hour by hour, with only four hotel changes in ten nights
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1 DAY
First-Timer’s Capitol Reef Route
Hickman Bridge at first light, fruit you pick yourself, the Scenic Drive and sunset over the fold — with a free printable PDF and interactive map
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DO YOU PAY?
Capitol Reef Fees Explained
Highway 24 runs through the park without passing a fee station. The Scenic Drive doesn’t
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TRAILS
The Best Hikes in Capitol Reef
Ten trails with real NPS figures — and the one-way mileage catch that means half the guides are quoting you half the hike
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PICK YOUR OWN
Picking Fruit at the Fruita Orchards
The only national park where you can climb a ladder and take home a bag of apples. What’s ripe when, and how the self-pay works
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BACKCOUNTRY
The Cathedral Valley Loop
Free-standing monoliths in an empty basin — reached by sixty miles of dirt, a river with no bridge, and roads that defeat 4WD after rain
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WHERE TO STAY
Best Hotels Near Capitol Reef
There’s nothing inside the park — Torrey is 11 miles west, plus ranch lodges, cabins and Conestoga wagons
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STOP 1 OF THE MIGHTY 5
Zion National Park
Where the road trip begins — shuttle guide, Angels Landing permits, the Narrows, and free printable itineraries
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STOP 2 OF THE MIGHTY 5
Bryce Canyon National Park
About three hours west on Scenic Byway 12 — hoodoos, the darkest skies in the country, and free printable itineraries
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STOPS 4 & 5 OF THE MIGHTY 5
Arches & Canyonlands
Keep heading east to Moab — two parks from one base, and no reservation needed in 2026
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More Capitol Reef guides coming soon