Capitol Reef National Park Best Hikes

Alas despite wishful thinking your average visitor to capitol reef is not likely to research dozens of hikes before arriving.

Capitol reef national park best hikes. Slot canyons here rival the famous canyon hikes in zion national park only you ll see far fewer people here. Outdoors here s our list of the park s seven best trails. After spending four months as a seasonal interpretive volunteer at capitol reef national park i have completed a whopping 46 blog posts for live and let hike about capitol reef including 42 detailed descriptions of the park s trails and routes. Below we share the best hikes in capitol reef national park and a few other things to do while you visit.

7 of 20 outdoor activities in capitol reef national park if you have 2 vehicles its fun to hike from the parking lot at hickman bridge just cross the road to the trail head in the park or vice versa interesting rock features and hiking right past slot canyons off the main trail. The hickman natural bridge trail is a very relaxing and scenic trail in capitol reef national park. Spring and fall are mild seasons and are the best times for hiking and backpacking. The 5 best hikes in capitol reef the entire collection of capitol reef trails are top notch which makes it difficult to label any five as the best however based on trail popularity here are a few you can t miss.

Capitol reef national park is our favorite national park in utah. Hickman bridge trail family friendly trail and one of the best hikes in capitol reef national park. 1 of 8 view caption. Before reaching hickman bridge you descend down into a canyon and get to see a much smaller arch named nels johnson natural bridge.

The trail gradually gains elevation to a loop at the top of the cliff that will get you to hickman natural bridge. Elevations in the park range from approximately 3 800 to 8 200 feet 1 158 2 499 m. Capitol reef national park offers exceptional hiking trails through a wide variety of terrain. Notable among these are an indian granary a small natural bridge called nels johnson bridge and of course hickman bridge.

A trail brochure available at the trailhead points out 17 things to observe along the hike. Winter november february is cold with highs from 30 to 45 f 1 1 7 2 c and nighttime temperatures below freezing. Jason bergreen tribune file photo a hiker winds down the frying pan trail toward cohab canyon in capitol reef. One of our favorite things to do here is to go out hiking.

This is one of the best short hikes to do in capitol reef. Other trails ascend the knobs and ridges to viewpoints above natural bridges and other scenic wonders. It is less busy than the rest of them and has more of an overall wow factor than the other parks in utah. The burro wash slot canyon.