Our Southwest USA road trip took my mom and I from Moab to Bryce Canyon, a journey taking just over four hours. While four hours is a totally reasonable drive, we realized that we could break up the drive and see one more national park along the way. Capitol Reef National Park sits half way between Moab and Bryce and detouring to explore this park only adds an extra twenty minutes of driving. So, we added one day at Capitol Reef National Park to our itinerary.
About Capitol Reef National Park
We visited six national parks on our Southwest road trip, each having varying levels of crowds. Capitol Reef was the emptiest park we visited. There were no concerns parking, so we never had to double back because the lot near a trailhead was full. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise when you look at the statistics for visitor numbers to Utah’s national parks. In 2020, Capitol Reef was the fourth busiest park (out of five), getting a fraction of the visitors that Zion received.
Zion National Park – 3.59 million
Bryce National Park – 1.46 million
Arches National Park – 1.23 million
Capitol Reef National Park – 981,000
Canyonlands National Park – 493,000
We had four total hours of driving that day, so we knew we couldn’t linger in the park. For stops like this, it’s important to have a plan so you can effectively use your time and see as much as you can. Thankfully, I’m a planner so this wasn’t a concern for us.
Things to Do at Capitol Reef National Park
This is not an exhaustive list of everything you can do on your visit. Rather, this is a condensed list that focuses on the highlights, making it perfect for those spending just one day at Capitol Reef National Park.
Take a Hike
I can’t have a list of things to do at a national park without a hike. So, my first suggestion is to take a hike. There’s two trails that I will recommend, but it’s your choice whether you want to do one or both trails. Just keep in mind if you only have one day at Capitol Reef National Park, and are visiting the park while in route to other national parks like I was, squeezing in two hikes may be a bit much for the day.
The two best options are Hickman Bridge and Cassidy Arch. Hickman Bridge is a 1.8 loop trail with 416 feet of elevation gain. Cassidy Arch is 3.4 miles with 845 feet of elevation. No matter which trail you choose, you should have fantastic views.
We opted to hike to Hickman Bridge. This hike took us longer than normal, not because the hike was challenging, but because we met two women from Northern Utah and spent nearly twenty minutes sitting under Hickman Bridge chatting with them. Even if you’re on a tight schedule, take advantage of moments like this. The destination was beautiful, but when I think of that hike, I think about time spent underneath Hickman Bridge.
By the time we got back to the car, I was experiencing some pain in my foot, so we decided to skip the 3.4 mile trail to Cassidy Arch. If you’re in pain, take it easy. Pushing through it will just make it worse, especially if you still have more hiking days on your trip.
Scenic Drive
The scenic drive starts just beyond the visitor center and this is one section of the park you’ll want to visit. The views here are just spectacular and it was definitely a highlight of my day at Capitol Reef National Park.
Along the scenic drive, there are several pull outs for you to stop and take photos. There are also a handful of turnoffs that lead to some unpaved roads. You can drive on these (if they are marked — don’t go off roading here!), but they might be a little rough.
The entire scenic drive is eight miles one way. Once you get to the end, you’ll hit a dead end and have to turn around and drive the same route back. This is a fantastic scenic drive, so I don’t think you’re going to mind driving it in the other direction.
Note for 2024: There is construction happening on the scenic drive which may impact your visit. Learn more at the NPS website.
Panorama Point, Goosenecks Overlook, and Sunset Point
There’s numerous overlooks throughout Capitol Reef National Park, but I want to focus on three specific viewpoints that are all near each other.
Start at Panorama Point and take in the views. We stopped here after going to Sunset Point and found the views to be a bit of a let down. By stopping here first, you will likely find this more impressive. This stop will likely be quick since it’s a short walk from your car to Panorama Point. Once you’re finished, jump back in your car and continue to Goosenecks Overlook.
Remember when I said there were some unpaved roads in Capitol Reef National Park? The road to Goosenecks Overlook and the Sunset Point Trail is one of these roads. We drove it, but it was rough and slow going. Quite frankly, we were surprised and impressed that our tiny Nissan Sentra rental car made it. If you go slow and take your time, you should be fine.
When we pulled into the parking lot, it seemed like everyone just went to Goosenecks Overlook. It’s a nice overlook and is worth a visit, but Sunset Point was our favorite.
Sunset Point is a 0.8 round trip hike that takes you to an incredible view point. This was our favorite spot in the park, but this may have something to do with the fact that we had the entire view point, and the entire trail, to ourselves. Either way, it was a highlight of our day at Capitol Reef National Park.
We hiked this trail at 1:00 in the afternoon and couldn’t figure out where all of the other hikers were. It wasn’t until we were almost back at the trailhead that we passed another couple.
One Day at Capitol Reef National Park
If you’re like me and are visiting Capitol Reef National Park on your way from Moab to Bryce Canyon, here’s a rough timeline of what we did so you can plan your day.
7:30 – Depart Moab
9:30 – Arrive at Capitol Reef National Park
9:45 – Start Your Hike to Hickman Trail. You could also do Cassidy Arch instead, but the rest of the times will need to be adjusted because Cassidy Arch is nearly double the length of Hickman Trail
11:45 – Drive the Scenic Drive
12:30 – Panorama Point
1:00 – Goosenecks Overlook and Sunset Point Trail
2:00 – Exit Capitol Reef National Park
2:15 – Lunch in Torrey
5:00 – Check into hotel in Bryce
You can absolutely do this itinerary in reverse, starting in Bryce and ending in Moab. The difference is you’ll start at Sunset Point and work your way towards your main hike of the day.
7:30 – Depart Bryce
9:30 – Arrive at Capitol Reef National Park
9:45 – Goosenecks Overlook and Sunset Point Trail
10:45 – Panorama Point
11:15 – Drive the Scenic Drive
12:00 – Start Your Hike – Either Hickman Bridge or Cassidy Arch
2:00 – Exit Capitol Reef National Park
4:00 – Check into hotel in Moab (later arrival into Moab if you stop for lunch)
A Note About Driving From Capitol Reef to Bryce
We finished our day at Capitol Reef National Park at Sunset Point. From there, we exited the park and stopped in Torrey for a quick lunch. From here, it was two hours to Bryce.
You should be able to just use your GPS to navigate you to Bryce Canyon. However, do not be surprised if you end up on some really remote roads.
To this day, I’m not sure if we made a wrong turn and my GPS rerouted us or if my GPS just decided that was the most direct route. We were on some serious back roads in rural Utah. We went almost an hour without seeing another car. Even better, we kept passing signs telling us to watch for animals. Imagine our surprise when I actually had to slam on the brakes because all of the sudden there was a cow crossing the road in front of us.
When to Visit Capitol Reef National Park
We visited Capitol Reef National Park in the first week of October and had fabulous weather. In summer, you’ll need to pay attention to the weather because temperatures can get very hot midday. In winter, you might see snow on the ground and need a few extra layers.
Final Thoughts
I would have loved to spend more time here, but our itinerary only allowed for one day at Capitol Reef National Park. It was a beautiful park and I know we barely scratched the surface of what it had to offer. Cassidy Arch is supposed to be an amazing hike, but I have no regrets about skipping it when we were there. I don’t think my foot would have made it. One day I’ll get back and do that hike.
Continue Your Adventure
Utah: Capitol Reef is just one of Utah’s “Mighty Five”. Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, and Zion National Parks form the rest of Utah’s collection of amazing parks. But don’t overlook its state parks, such as Snow Canyon State Park.
Itineraries: For an epic road trip through the U.S. Southwest, check out this 10 day itinerary.
US National Parks: Start planning your national park vacation with my US National Park Travel Guide. You’ll find information about each park, photos, itineraries, and everything you need to start planning your trip.