The last national park I needed to complete the Mighty 5 – Capitol Reef National Park. The iconic Grifford Ranch, the Cathedral District, and you pick it fruit in the middle of the desert. On the way home from Moab I opted to take the longer route. This took us through Capitol Reef National Park, where we spent half the day exploring. Half a day was far too short, and I will 100% be returning to spend more time here. There was not a lot of research involved in this stop. We decided to explore the Fruita District and opted to hike to the Golden Throne. Afterwards we enjoyed lunch in the fruit orchards across from the Historic Grifford Ranch House and did a short piece of the hike at Chimney Rock. The park also features the Cathedral District and the Waterpocket District.
Hiking Golden Throne
From the visitors center the Golden Throne trailhead is at the end of the scenic drive down Capitol Gorge Road. Capitol Gorge Road is unpaved, but well maintained and 4WD is not necessary. The trailhead has plenty of parking as well as restrooms and a covered picnic area. The Golden Throne hike is rated as strenuous by the NPS and is approximately 4 miles round trip with just over 700 feet elevation change.
The hike begins at the base of the gorge, and immideately starts heading up the side of the cliff. The hike follows the wall of the canyon almost the entire way. The views over Capitol Gorge Road are amazing and there are also views of Golden Throne along the way. The trail ended looking up at Golden Throne, but the real treat is when you turn around and look out to the rest of Capitol Reef National Park.
We made quick work of the hike back down to the trailhead. After chatting with another group at there, we quickly headed back to the Grifford Ranch. Rain and flash flooding were predicted for the rest of the afternoon. We lucked out for the day, however the following day flash flooding throughout the park was all over the news.
For an easier hiking option in the same area check out the Capitol Gorge hike. It features the pioneer registry and USGS names etched in the rocks, as well as some other historic artifacts from the Mormon Pilgrimages and petroglyphs from the Native Americans who once thrived in this oasis in the desert. My friend and I explored a little up Capitol Gorge Trail to see the USGS registry while my Dad and Aunt finished up the hike down from Golden Throne.
The Grifford Ranch and Chimmney Rock
You cannot skip a stop at the main campground and Grifford House. Honestly I was a little disappointed by the store they have in the Grifford House. The pies looked yummy, but it was not what I was expecting. However the iconic barn did not disappoint, and neither did the views of canyon walls. We ate a great lunch by the river featuring fresh fruit from the orchards. The free “you pick it” fruit that is offered in Capitol Reef National Parks fruit orchards was delicious.
We made a game time decision to check out Chimney Rock on our way out of Capitol Reef National Park. The entire hiking loop for Chimney Rock is rated Streneous and 3.6 miles. We knocked out a quick 1 mile hike to the top of the mesa behind Chimney Rock. This featured more amazing views of the desert. Due to time we did not complete the entire loop, but I would love to return and hike even more in the park.
Before you go
Be prepared, as always in Utah, to not have any phone service at Capitol Reef National Park. This is really not a problem unless you are relying on google maps or another map app to navigate. I HIGHLY recommend downloading offline maps for any trip in Utah. This can be done in google maps by following these simple steps:
- Open Google Maps on your smart phones
- Select the photo Icon in the top right
- Select offline maps from the drop down
- Choose “select your own map” and then move the map within the square to the area you will be traveling
- Select download
- Use Google Maps as normal! Even when you don’t have phone service, you will still get GPS and with the map for the area downloaded, you get a seamless experience.
Capitol Reef National Park is subject to desert flash flooding, so always always always pay attention to the weather predictions and follow the NPS guidance. A huge plus if you choose to camp in the park is the night sky! Like many of Utahs 5 national parks, Captiol Reef is an International Dark Skys park. The park also features a significant amount of petroglyphs, which we did stop to look at.
The Fruita District is the most visited district of Capitol Reef National Park. Cathedral District is only accessable with a 4WD high-clearance vehicle. The Waterpocket District is a bit of a drive from the visitors center, but accessible via both a paved or unpaved route and offers plenty of hiking options. For more info about Capitol Reef and more things to do during a visit there, check out the NPS Webpage.
Check out the rest of the my adventures around the Mighty 5 of Utah on the archives page!