# Capitol Reef NP Help!



## featherwalker (Jun 4, 2011)

My wife and I are planning a little get away to Loa, and are planning on spending some time in Capitol Reef NP. I have never been there and need some pointers on some "can't miss" places. Any secrets gems would be greatly appreciated too. Thanks.


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## HunterGeek (Sep 13, 2007)

Everyone is different, so I hate making recommendations about what to do or what to see, but here are my own thoughts and opinions.

Capitol Reef isn't like the Grand Canyon or Zions where you can just drive through in a car and expect to be too impressed. The real beauty of the park becomes apparent when you get off the main roads and explore the outlying areas and canyons.

Loa is, well, a nice little rural Utah town, but I've never thought of it as a getaway spot. It's basically a farming community with lots of tractors and pickup trucks. Heading closer to the park, there's Torrey which has more of the touristy qualities typical of towns next to national parks. In between is Bicknell, which seems sort of a cross between Loa and Torrey. Up over the top of Boulder Mtn. and down the other side is Boulder, which to me has always seemed one of the quirkiest towns I've ever been in.

With that out of the way, what I'd do is drive over Boulder Mtn to Boulder, then take the Burr Trail east through Long Canyon and into the southern end of the park (stopping at numerous places along the way and hiking, like Muley Twist Canyon, for example), crossing over the reef and heading down the switchbacks, I'd take the Notom Road north to Highway 24 (I think it's 24). Drive to the visitor center, look around, hit the main tourist view spots, then head to the northern part of the park to see Cathedral Valley. If you're like me, you'll find about a billion places along this route worth exploring.

Like I said, my preferences might differ from most. I don't mind driving for miles and miles on dirt and 4WD roads. I like hiking into back canyons where most people never go, and I tend to shy away from all the camper and RV destinations. If yours or your wife's tastes run more to staying in lodges and limiting your exposure to dust and sweat, well, there might be places more to your liking than Capitol Reef, where those sorts of facilities and destinations are in shorter supply. The best parts of the park are most definitely not where the majority of the drive-through tourists go.

And just as an aside, it helps if you speak a little German. Honestly, I think every person in Germany has a life-long goal of visiting all of southern Utah's National Parks.


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## mdebirk (Oct 19, 2010)

Try the Sulphur Creek Route. Trail starts at the visitor center.

If you have more time, I agree with HunterGeek. Its an amazing area to explore.
Head over the Hogsback towards Escalante and there is calf creek, or head to hole in the rock road---lots of amazing canyons there, but to really explore takes more than a few days.


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