Capitol Reef

There is one National Park in Utah I haven't had the chance to visit . . . . . Capitol Reef. I am so excited I can finally cross that off my list!

So excited I had to take a jumping picture.

 Hannah was willing to come knock this little gem off my list. We headed out Friday after our weight lifting class. You know workout for an hour and then sit in a car for three so you can barely walk. Her aunt and uncle let us borrow their tent trailer so we were super excited to give it a try.

 We stayed at Wonderland RV park. It was great. Very clean and friendly. It was only 8 miles from the entrance to the park. After we set up camp we headed into the park. It was already the middle of the afternoon so it was pretty hot.

We went to the visitors center first so we could see what activities we really needed to do. A kind ranger helped us figure out a 24 hour plan for Capitol Reef that fit our desires.

Stop #1 The Gifford store and farm
This was a great stop during the day while it is hot. The store is cute and sells yummy homemade treats. The farm is gorgeous and you can pick and eat the fruit in season. Currently it is apricots and they were delicious. This was my first time using this handy tool to pick fruit. You can see the cool barn in the background.

Stop #2 The Scenic Drive
This is a 10 mile one way out and back road that lets you look at the beautiful scenery the park has to offer. We stopped and took some pictures along the way.

 We finally killed enough time to let the temperature drop just enough to allow us to hike safely.

Stop #3 Cassidy Arch
This is a little hike that was about 3.3 miles total. It was rated strenuous but I would not rate it that way. You climb quite a bit in the beginning but there is a lot of level walking. There is not a lot of shade. Lots of water is a must.

 There was a little cave to climb in

 The arch is cool because you can actually go stand on it. We had the worst lighting possible but what do you do.

 You are also kind of far away when you are taking the picture.

 It was a fun little hike but very hot.

Stop #4 Petroglyphs
 I don't have a picture but we stopped and did a short little walk to see the petroglyphs. Something Capitol reef is known for.

Stop #5 Hickmans Bridge
Hickman's brisge is a short 2 mile loop to a bridge (or another arch, someone please explain the difference). The sun had finally set at this point so we had a nice little walk that wasn't too hot.

 By the time we got back to the car and out of the park it was dark. Just in case you ever go to Torrey Utah the town shuts down at 9pm. We missed the shut down time so we got to eat snacks for dinner. It was fine but kind of funny.

We headed back to our camp had amazing showers and slept for the night, well tried to sleep. It was really windy.

Stop #6 Capitol Reef Sign
We needed documentation that we were actually in Capitol Reef

 Stop #7 Hike Sulphur Creek
This hike was not in the books I had looked at but one the ranger suggested. It is a five mile through hike that ends at the visitor center. You hike past three different waterfalls so we were game. It starts off very hot and dry. Two miles in you come to the first waterfall.

That's it back there. We were underwhelmed.

But I did hold up an entire rock. That was much more impressive than the waterfall.

 I didn't take anymore pictures of the water falls because they just got smaller as the hike went on. The waterfalls were small but it was nice for the three miles of the hike that you spent walking in water. There are some technical spots so you would need to help smaller children down off the rock shelves but definitely family friendly. It really was gorgeous.

Once you are off the trail you either have to walk 3.3 miles back to your car or hitch hike. We hitch hiked while walking. After about a half mile someone picked us up. Maybe it was the 100 degree weather that convinced him!

 We got a sweet ride to our car in the back of a pick-up truck. Thank you!

 Stop #8 Slackers Diner
The weather was now in the triple digits so all hiking was suspended for the afternoon. We made our way back to Torrey and tried out Slackers. There is a reason the line was long. It was delicious.

 Stop #9 Yuba Lake
It was so hot and we had never seen Yuba lake and it is on the way back to Provo. Don't let this picture fool you this place was NUTS! So many people. I don't know how I got a picture where the lake looks empty.

We swam for a little bit and then lounged in hammocks while we dried off.

 It was a great way to end our trip. We decided we should probably go back and camp at Yuba Lake someday. Also I would love to hike some of the longer rim trails in Capitol Reef when it isn't this hot. It was fun to explore new places and be outside. I am feeling very lucky to have a friend that is also a teacher. It is keeping my summer life more exciting.