9 Best Sights in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Starting at the Pioneer Register, about a ½ mile from the Capitol Gorge parking lot, this ½-mile trail continues to a short uphill climb to the Tanks—holes in the sandstone, formed by erosion, that fill with rainwater and snowmelt. After a scramble up about ¼ mile of steep trail with cliff drop-offs, you can look down into the Tanks and see a natural bridge below the lower tank. Including the walk to the Pioneer Register, allow an hour to 90 minutes for this interesting hike, one of the park's most popular. Easy.

A mile south of the visitor center in a grassy meadow with the Fremont River flowing by, this is an idyllic shady spot in the Fruita Historic District to enjoy a sack lunch (if you have packed one), complete with tables, drinking water, grills, and a convenient restroom. The store sells reproductions of pioneer tools and items made by local craftspeople; there's also locally made fruit pies and ice cream to enjoy with your picnic.

The trail starts from the same parking lot as the Goosenecks Trail, on your way into the park about 3 miles west of the visitor center. Benches along this easy, 0.8-mile round-trip invite you to sit and meditate surrounded by the vast, colorful canyons and soaring mesas and mountain peaks. At the trail's end, you'll be rewarded with incredible vistas into the park. As the name suggests, it's a wonderful spot to watch the sunset. Easy.

This former archaeological site includes portions of an Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) village occupied most likely sometime between AD 1050 and 1200, a small but informative museum with artifacts discovered on-site, and a reconstructed pueblo dwelling.

In 1883, Elijah Cutler Behunin used blocks of sandstone to build this rudimentary cabin in which he and his family of 15(!) resided. Floods in the lowlands made life too difficult, and he moved just a year later. The house, 5.9 miles east of the visitor center, is empty, but you can peek through the window to see the interior.

Watch a park movie, talk with rangers, or peruse the many books, maps, and materials for sale in the bookstore. Towering over the center, which is just off Highway 24 about 11 miles east of Torrey, you'll view The Castle, one of the park's most prominent rock formations.

This quick little stroll provides a great introduction to Capitol Reef and the surrounding landscape. You'll enjoy the dizzying views from the overlook. It's only 0.2 miles round-trip to the overlook. Easy.

At the end of unpaved Grand Wash Road you can continue on foot through Bear Canyon all the way to Highway 24; if you'd rather avoid paying the $20 fee for Scenic Drive, you can also park at the Grand Wash Trailhead on Highway 24 and hike in from there. This mostly level hike takes you through a wide wash between canyon walls and is an excellent place to study the geology up close. Its round-trip hike is 4.4 miles; allow two to three hours. Check the weather conditions before you start, as this wash is prone to flooding after thunderstorms. Another (more strenuous) hiking option from the same starting point is the rugged 3.4-mile round-trip trail (it's fairly steep) to Cassidy Arch. Easy.

Among the hikes in Capitol Reef's South District, this typically quiet (you may have it all to yourself) trek offers a great reward—it leads into a narrow slot canyon with soaring cliff walls—but requires relatively little effort. It takes only about an hour to complete this 2.2-mile round-trip trail with an elevation gain of about 400 feet. Easy.