Capital Reef National Park

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There are no on-site accommodations in Capitol Reef National Park, so we had reservations at the Wonderland Inn, in Torrey. Although it is early May, the weather is very windy and cold, with scattered showers. Consequently, we elect to forgo any hiking and just take the 20 mile (roundtrip) scenic drive through the park. Personally, I think this may be the most spectacular of all the Utah parks we have seen so far, although my husband, Lynn, is still partial to Bryce. (It certainly is by far the least crowded- we pass perhaps 6 cars during the whole drive).
At Bryce and Cedar Breaks you are looking down on all the splendors. At Capital Reef you are looking up: Spectacular overlooks, towering cliffs and narrow canyons with each strata of rock exposed and in different hues. Like Zion, this park also has a small river running through it and we see mule deer grazing under huge old cottonwood trees. We bundle up and take the short boardwalk hike along a cliff wall where you view petroglyphs (rock art) created by Anasazi Indians approx. 800 years ago.
Chilled, we head back to Torrey and eat dinner at Cafe Diablo, described by one reader in a travel magazine as “the best restaurant in southern Utah”. My chicken was fabulous, but Lynn was less than thrilled with his lamb. Back in the nice warm motel, we fall asleep to the sound of howling wind outside.
We wake to find the wind has died down, and it is a lovely sunny day. We select some quite tasty pastries for breakfast from a tiny bakery in town (hard to believe a town with only one street even has a bakery) then off to the park. Stopping at the visitors center, we ask the ranger for trail suggestions and inquire about the possibilities of seeing more petroglyphs on the trails. He informs us only one other trail has the drawings (Canyon Gorge Trail) but recommends the 4 1/2 mile Grand Wash trail as the most scenic. We opt for the latter and arrive at the trailhead, to find a large “Danger: Do Not Attempt This Trail if Bad Weather is Predicted” sign posted prominently. As the sun is shining, off we go and it is soon apparent why the warning is necessary: The trail is a dry wash bed wending through narrow slots in the canyon walls. It is incredibly beautiful, and at times the cliff walls are so close you can almost touch them on both sides, but I suppose the trail would be pretty scary if water were pouring through.
Approx. an hour later, we come across a woman lying on the ground, having badly injured her ankle on the trail. Her friend has already gone for help, and eventually a park ranger shows up. It certainly stresses to us that even on nice “level” trails, you need to be careful. Near the turn-around point of the trail, Lynn ( who despite the ranger’s input to the contrary) has been insisting throughout our hike that these rocks would be a great place for Indian art, suddenly makes an exciting discovery. Almost hidden by a juniper tree on one wall of the canyon are fabulous petroglyphs! These drawings obviously aren’t as ancient as the ones we saw yesterday, since the Indians are depicted on horses, but they are quite clear and beautifully executed. We note a long horn sheep and a buffalo are also present in the pictures!
We have to leave the park to get lunch, but then return in early afternoon to tackle the 2 mile Canyon Gorge Trail. As the ranger had indicated, we soon see the petroglyphs, and although they are impressive, we both agree they are not nearly as beautiful as Lynn’s were. Approx. a 1/2 mile from the Indian drawings, is Pioneer’s Register: A large rock facing that contains hundreds of carved names from former visitors to the area, dating back to 1870s. (Of course now it is highly illegal to inscribe anything in the rock). We scramble up a side trail to the “tanks” which are natural depressions in the rocks that can serve as sources of water for the canyon’s inhabitants. Today they are all dry. We are pretty warm when we get back down, and we locate a small shady tree on a rocky ledge where a cool breeze funnels through the cliffs. It is a pleasant place to sit and drink in the surroundings until we head back.
Just as we are leaving the park, we decide to take one last detour and take the short unpaved road to Gooseneck overlook. It is a fabulous overlook and a great way to end our visit to Capital Reef. Back in Torrey in time for our cocktail hour and then off to dinner.

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