Capitol Reef & Goblin Valley, utah
Attractions Guide
Introduction
Despite being the least popular of Utah's five national parks. Captiol Reef National Park offers a great amount of natural beauty set amongst striking red rock formations, in a very remote part of the state. Just northeast of Capitol Reef is Goblin Valley State Park and the San Rafael Swell, an epicly large natural formation which hosts the lesser-known Wild Horse Window and the scenic Little Wild Horse / Bell Canyon trail.
If approaching from the south, you'll likely want to visit Captiol Reef before Goblin Valley and the San Rafael Reef. However if you're coming from Colorado or Arches/Canyonlands National Park, you might first visit Goblin Valley and the San Rafael Swell.
Fishlake National Forest
Approaching Capitol Reef National Park via Highway 12 from Bryce Canyon or Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, you'll be able to enjoy an incredibly scenic drive through the high-elevation forested mountains of the Fishlake National Forest. Along this highway are majestic views overlooking Capitol Reef, especially the Larb Hollow Overlook. Be sure to stop at this amazing viewpoint along the road as well as others.
If approaching from the northwest you might consider a detour to the breathtaking Larb Hollow Overlook, as it is an excellent vantage point from which to admire the national park's massive reef formation. This route through the Fishlake National Forest is longer but definitely worth it if you have the time to spare.
Chimney Rock & Goosenecks Overlook
On the western side of Captiol Reef you might consider hiking the 3.4 mile (5.5 km) round-trip Chimney Rock Loop Trail which climbs up into the cliffs above the Chimney Rock formation, offering amazing views over the area. Alternatively you can enjoy views of Chimney Rock from the trailhead. Nearby Chimney Rock you can stop at the popular Goosenecks Overlook, which offers views over Sulphur Creek Canyon.
Fruita Area Attractions
Near the center of the park is the tiny town of Fruita, which hosts Capitol Reef's visitor center along with several interesting attractions. Here you can admire the historic Fruita Schoolhouse that was last used in 1941, and stop to view Native American Petroglyphs carved into the red wall of the canyon. A popular hike beginning near Fruita is the 1.7 mile (2.7 km) round-trip Cohab Canyon Trail, which offers strange and beautiful scenery, along with views over Fruita.
Cassidy Arch
Just south of Fruita is Capitol Reef's second most popular trail, the 3.2 mile (5.1 km) round-trip hike to Cassidy Arch. This hike ventures through a vibrant canyon, before gaining elevation and offering stunning views over the scenic surrounding landscape.
Pioneer Register
Also noteworthy in this section of the park are the old inscriptions of past settlers in the area carved into a rock wall, called the Pioneer Register.
Hickman Natural Bridge
Just east of Fruita is the park's most popular hike, the 1.7 mile (2.7 km) round-trip Hickman Bridge Trail. This hike offers beautiful scenery with gorgeous views over the park and concludes at the Hickman Natural Bridge formation.
Capital Dome
A bit further east along the road from the Hickman Bridge is the iconic Captial Dome formation, which you can admire along the road to the national park's exit.
Factory Butte
To the east of Capitol Reef along the highway near Caineville you can admire the towering Factory Butte formation from afar, which looks like a massive castle atop a mesa rising above the desert. You can drive closer to it if you'd like a better view, as it sits about 5 miles (8 km) back from the highway.
Cathedral Valley (4x4 or Tour Only)
The following attractions are only recommended for a 4x4 high-clearance vehicle, which you can use to explore some lesser-known and more remote parts of Northern Capitol Reef National Park and its Cathedral Valley. Alternatively you can pay for a private tour through this gorgeous landscape.
The entire 4x4 route is approximately 65 miles (105 km) round-trip but takes a very long time due to the very rough road conditions, therefore the it's recommended to set aside most of a day in order to see this are of the park.
Finding the 4x4 Route Entrance
These attractions are listed in order along a highly recommended route through the northern part of Capitol Reef. To the east of Fruita off of Highway 24 you'll find Heartnet Road from which you'll need to drive across the Fremont River and continue north towards the first sight, the Water Well Oasis, which consists of an interesting deserted old truck along the road.
Overlooks & Formations
Next you'll drive through the beautiful multi-colored Bentonite Hills. From here you can continue to the first viewpoint along the route, the Lower South Desert Overlook, which provides views over the impressive Jailhouse Rock formation.
Continue along the road now to the Upper South Desert Overlook which provides fantastic views over an untouched landscape, accessible via a 0.5 mile (0.8 km) round-trip trail. Just across from this viewpoint is the Upper Cathedral Valley Overlook, from which you can see several major rock formations including Cathedral Mountain and Needle Mountain.
Next you'll turn onto Cathedral Valley Road and pass these sights up close as well as the stunning Walls of Jericho formation before arriving at the giant Gypsum Sinkhole in the ground.
Temple of the Sun & Moon
Continue through scenic Cathedral Valley to see its most famous sights which are all right next to each other, including the stunning Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon rocks, as well as the glass-like Glass Mountain gypsum rock formation. Lastly you can look out to the colorful Black Mountain before leaving Cathedral Valley and returning to Highway 24 via Caineville Wash.
Goblin Valley State Park
To the northeast of Capitol Reef National Park is the otherworldly Goblin Valley State Park, where you can admire countless mushroom-shaped hoodoo formations set amongst a strange but scenic landscape. The best way to experience these alien-like formations is to wander around them on foot, choosing your own path.
A great short hike the park offers is the 1.4 mile (2.3 km) round-trip Carmel Canyon Loop Trail, which includes a walk amongst some of the hoodoos, the striking Molly's Castle formation, a small slot canyon, and the Three Sisters formation.
Wild Horse Window
Just north of Goblin Valley you might consider hiking an amazing lesser-known trail, the 1.9 mile (3.1 km) round-trip hike to the Wild Horse Window, a huge cave with a giant hole in the top of it that's quite stunning. The window is part of the massive San Rafael Swell formation, and the finding the trail can be a little bit challenging.
From the parking area you'll be able to make out a faint trail that travels mostly straight directly in front of you, before it reaches the giant rock of the swell formation.
Once reaching the rock swell you'll need to walk up along the swell heading almost completely straight up the rock, towards the two giant holes which look like eyes (the window is inside of one). The window is only a little bit to the right, so just make sure to keep walking up the rock and not into the canyon wash on your left. You'll see more dirt trails as you get closer to the window that you'll follow.
Little Wild Horse & Bell Canyons
Also popular in the San Rafael Swell area is the extraordinary Little Wild Horse Bell Canyon Trail, a 7.8 mile (12.6 km) round-trip loop through a slot canyon that's quite popular but also time-consuming. The trailhead for this beautiful winding slot canyon is located just west of Goblin Valley.
Google Maps Attraction Lists
Save Capitol Reef & Goblin Valley Attraction Lists to your Google Maps Account:
1. Click Link above while logged into Google account on your device.2. Click Follow, and the attraction pins will be saved in your Google Maps.
