poolqueen822

Driving from Golden Colorado to capitol reef. Mapquest says 7 hours is that about right. staying overnight Austins Chuckwagon Inn was on many posts. Is that a good one? Do I need reservations in Mid May. Will get up the next morning and drive to Bryce where we spend 2 nights after spending the day at Capitol Reef and going down rt 12. is there a direct route to drive through the park on the way to Bryce? Is Torrey a good place to stay? Any dining reccommendations? There is so much to see, this has been a tough trip to plan. Thanks for all your help.

bob_brown

I just returned from Capital Reef after my 4th visit there.

Austins Chuckwagon Inn is an OK place to stay. We were there on a previous trip for 2 nights.

There are other motels in the area, but Austins suited us just fine.

We ate at the Best Western dining room. It had a good hamburger.

As for places to stay, your options are limited.

Reservations? Probably not, but why not?

There is a scenic drive south from the visitor center that leads to several trail heads.

My suggestions: Hickman Bridge (off of the paved road), Cassiday Arch (from the Grand Wash parking area), The Grand Wash, and The Tanks.

If you are more ambitious, there are several higher trails that the visitor center personell can suggest.

There is a volunteer ranger there who does his job because he loves it. He is a great source of information. Seek him out and ask him what to see. His advice is good.

I suggest Cassiday Arch. It is quite spectacular. So is Hickman Bridge.

You could take the dirt road south and then turn upwards and west on the Burr Trail, but the road is rough in places.

Route 12 is an incredible drive. I have driven it both ways more than once and it still has unlimited appeal for me.

On the way there is a small state park with exhibits of Pre Puebloan artifacts. It is worth a stop. You will probably need one anyhow.

My suggestion is this: Don't underestimate Capitol Reef. It is a marvellous place. Bryce is also a spectacle and a joy to visit, but Capitol Reef has its own charm and its own fantastic geology lesson.

You will run out of time before you run out of sights to see.

clarkgriswold

www.boulderviewinn.com

Idnas71

I stayed at a very nice Super 8 in the area three years ago. It was either very newly remodeled or built, I'm not sure which. Loved Capitol Reef N.P. I love Utah!

poolqueen822

Austin's is full. Any other suggestions. Boulder Inn is a possible. Thanks Again

utahtea

I came up with 7 1/2 hours between Golden, CO and Captiol Reef and that's without pit stops.

Torrey is an excellent place to stay because it's only 11 miles from Captiol Reef. Captiol Reef is well worth a visit. Hwy 12 is one of the most beautiful & scenic drives and an excellent choice of roads to take, but you wouldn't want to do it after dark and miss it.

You might want to spend part of the morning seeing Capitol Reef before heading down to Bryce.

Utahtea

poolqueen822

thanks. I am hoping to drive to capitol reef from golden on Mon. then get up Tuesday am spend the morning in capitol reef and drive to Bryce
thanks for your advice. can't wait to go.

maria_so

if you can do a quick stop, we did calf creek falls in escalante on the way to bryce (before boulder) a couple of weeks ago. what a great waterfall. i did a trip report with pictures of it if you'd like to see. not that far of a drive from cap reef and gorgeous mountain views on 12. we stayed at austin's - we had reservations at capitol reef inn and our room was so terrible that we went somewhere else and ended up in austin's - much nicer. there's a couple of newish looking hotels on the way like the ones right before the town.

tovarich

When we were in Torrey in 2000 we stayed at the Rimrock motel.Splendid view on the mountains and only a couple of miles from the park entrance.Great restaurant too.Paul