Capitol Reef National Park was very beautiful even though it was one of the smaller parks we visited. You drive through lots of barren land in Utah and then you realize that some people used to survive in these areas.

We felt a bit slighted as we arrived at the park just as the visitor center was closing at 6 pm. It is always fun to visit the visitors center and ask what part of the park are some must see spots. So we felt like we missed a lot of spots that would have been beautiful to see.

Make sure you take a ride down scenic lane. The Fruita  orchards are lovely and they were full of fruit. At present there are 3100 fruit trees. You may pick fruit when they are ripe. Visit the Gifford House Store and museum and you might even get to eat fresh apple pie.

You can hike in to see the canyon that used to be the road through the mountains. This was dangerous to drive when there was flash floods. This road was used until 1962 when Route 24 was completed.

The campground was very beautiful and we were wishing that it would have been time for us to stop. At 6 in the evening it wasn’t even full.

When you head back on Route 24 make sure to stop at the school house. We passed it and didn’t feel like turning around and I’m sad we didn’t get a closer look.

The petroglyphs on the stone walls are very interesting. I don’t know if I had ever seen any petroglyphs before and I found them quite facinating. This is a must see stop and it is just right by the highway.

I found the Behunin house was interesting as it was a very small house which was home to Elijah Behunin, his wife Tabitha and 11 of their 13 children in the 1890s. You wonder how they all fit into that house. But the children all slept outside so I guess that is how they made it work. They only lasted a few years there as the floods and desert made it hard to raise crops.

Now as I read through the history of this park I am disappointed that we did not stay longer and explore more of the trails and buildings. So I guess this is one park that I would enjoy going back to.

The roads beyond Capitol Reef National park are flat and where will they lead to next?