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Family Fun at Capitol Reef National Park

By Melinda Larke - The Eastside Macaroni Kid May 27, 2021

Welcome to our National Park series, where each week I will be highlighting a national park that my family and I have visited in  2020/2021.   This year my son is in 4th grade which meant that he qualified for the Every Kid Outdoor Pass.  The Every Kid Outdoor Pass is a free pass for 4th graders that gives 4th graders and their families  free access to  hundreds of parks, lands, and waters for an entire year!  This includes our National Parks and many other government agencies.    This year was our year of National Park vacations and since September we have visited   over 10 parks with plans to visit more this summer!  If you are also interested in visiting some of our national treasures, I hope that my experience can help you to prepare and have a great family trip.  

Capitol Reef National Park was not at all on my radar and I truly had no idea it even existed.   One of my friends in the group said that she had many people recommend it to her so we thought it would be a great stop on our way to Moab.  It did not disappoint.  Located in south-central Utah in the heart of red rock country, it is a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes, and more.    Because it was not on the schedule to begin with, we didn't have a lot of time to check it out, we spent about 3 hours and felt like while we could have  spent more time, we did see enough to really get a feel of the park.    I also want to mention, that the first thing that I thought of as we were driving through was that it looked exactly like the Cars movie backdrop, as well as the backdrop to Cars Land at Disneyland.  Other people in the group thought the same thing, we kind of all said it at the same time.  If you have a Car movie lover in your group, I am sure they will love this park.   Here are 5 ways to have fun at Capitol Reef National Park! 

1.  Take a Scenic Drive - This was the bulk of our time spent at Capitol Reef.   The Scenic Drive starts at the park Visitor Center and provides access to Grand Wash Road, Capitol Gorge Road, Pleasant Creek Road, and South Draw Road. The Scenic Drive is a 7.9 mile (12.7 km) paved road with dirt spur roads into Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge that, weather permitting, are accessible to all passenger vehicles and RV's up to 27 feet in length. The Scenic Drive is not a loop, so you must return on the same road.  An entrance fee of $20 per vehicle is charged for the Scenic Drive.    

2. Visit the Fruita Historic District - If we had more time, I would have loved to explore this area more!    This area has  the Gifford Homestead,  and Fruita Schoolhouse; a one room schoolhouse that you can visit.   This area offers you the chance to experience  the human history of the area, something that you don't see in many national parks.   There are also some great hikes in that area as well as some relaxing places to have a picnic lunch.  





3.    Fremont Culture Petroglyphs - The Fremont Culture petroglyphs along Utah State Route 24 are accessible by two wooden boardwalks.   They are from from 300-1300 Common Era and they pretty easy to see. For a better  and more up-close look, take along some binoculars.  

4. Junior Ranger Program -  Don't forget to get your Junior Ranger badge when you visit Capitol Reef National Park!  You can  pick up the activity book at the visitors center or download and print it before you go .  

5. Pick Some Fruit - Capitol Reef National Park has its own fruit orchards!  Preserved from the pioneer community in Fruita, these orchards are open for visitors to walk around in and pick the fruit, if the fruit is in season and ready to be picked.   

 Here are the orchard regulations from the Capitol Reef National Park website - 

  • Only harvest ripe fruit from orchards that have “U-Pick Fruit” signs.
  • Please do not pick unripe fruit. Posted signs will indicate which type of fruit is available for picking. Fruit is ripe if it easily comes off the tree.
  • Fruit taken from the orchards must be paid for. A self-pay station, scale, and sign listing fruit prices is located near the entrance of orchards open for fruit harvest.
  • Fenced orchard hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
  • Unfenced orchard hours: Dawn to dusk.
  • Never climb these historic trees. Use provided hand pickers and ladders to reach ripe fruit, and return pickers to weigh station when done.
  • Never use hammocks or slacklines in the orchards. Never attach anything to the trees. Fruit trees are easily damaged.
  • Leashed pets are permitted inside the orchards.
  • Do not touch the objects hanging from branches. Pheromone disruptors and traps for insect control should not be handled.
  • Your safety is your responsibility.

All money collected from fruit sales supports the preservation of these historic orchards. Non-payment of orchard fees may result in a citation and fine.

For more information on  flowering and harvest times please go to their website or check on  their Facebook page

I hope you have a great time at Capitol Reef National Park! 


Check out the other parks in our National Park Series

Family Fun at Yellowstone

Family Fun at Mount Rushmore National Monument

Family Fun at Badlands National Park

Family Fun at Bryce Canyon National Park