Capitol Reef Exploration
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Capitol Reef National Park in Utah is a place of contrasts. Red rock cliffs stretch for miles, but right in the middle is Fruita, a green valley oasis filled with orchards and cottonwoods. We started at the petroglyph boardwalk where we joined a ranger talk about the Fremont people who once lived in this valley. After the talk we walked a little farther along the boardwalk to see the petroglyphs themselves, where the native Fremont people left behind carvings of figures and animals on the sandstone walls.
Ranger Talk at Petroglyph Boardwalk
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Then we checked out the old orchards at Fruita, planted by Mormon settlers in the 1880s. The Park Service still maintains them today, and in season visitors can even pick fruit. We had a picnic lunch at the tables under the large cottonwood trees in the orchard. It was a perfect shady spot to relax for a while in the middle of the green valley surrounded by red rock cliffs. Nearby, wooden footbridges cross the Fremont River and the irrigation channels that once watered the orchards, creating a cool, leafy corridor that provides an oasis from the surrounding desert.
Near the orchards by the old blacksmith shop, I found one of the park’s most striking residents, a White-lined Sphinx Moth hovering over the yellow rabbitbrush flowers like a tiny hummingbird. The lighting and flowers here made for the perfect photo opportunity. I lingered there for a while trying to capture the perfect shot as it darted from bloom to bloom.
Next up was dessert. We bought homemade strawberry rhubarb pie from the Gifford Homestead. Danny wanted his favorite, apple pie, but it had already sold out, so we made a note to come back earlier the next day.
We drove the park’s Scenic Drive, an 8-mile road that winds between cliffs and domes with spurs into side canyons. We took the detour down Grand Wash, a dirt road squeezed between high walls where Cassidy Arch stands out high above the cliffs.
Onwards to a ranger talk on raptors. Golden eagles, falcons, and hawks hunt these cliffs. Throughout our visit, I kept my eyes peeled on the skies looking for a majestic raptor, but all I got were ravens. Fun fact, turkey vultures (not so majestic) are also considered raptors. Key attributes of a raptor are sharp talons and hooked beaks. The turkey vulture tears apart its dinner just like its other counterparts, except for the fact they are already dead.
We set out on the Fremont River Trail early in the afternoon when the sun was baking. There had been mountain lion sightings here, so I kept an extra eye out. It was far too hot to expect one, unless he was particularly hungry for hikers. The trail followed the river for a stretch before climbing up for sweeping views of Fruita and the canyon country beyond. Back near the trailhead, a mare and her foal wandered over to their fence line to say hello.
From there we hiked the Hickman Bridge Trail, about two miles round trip with a steady climb up to a natural stone arch that spans 133 feet. It’s a beautiful walk through junipers and slickrock, with the payoff of standing beneath the massive bridge at the end.
That night back at our dispersed campsite the show wasn’t over yet. With almost no light pollution around, Danny tried his hand at night photography and managed to capture the Milky Way stretching across the sky above the desert.
Near the orchards by the old blacksmith shop, I found one of the park’s most striking residents, a White-lined Sphinx Moth hovering over the yellow rabbitbrush flowers like a tiny hummingbird. The lighting and flowers here made for the perfect photo opportunity. I lingered there for a while trying to capture the perfect shot as it darted from bloom to bloom.
Next up was dessert. We bought homemade strawberry rhubarb pie from the Gifford Homestead. Danny wanted his favorite, apple pie, but it had already sold out, so we made a note to come back earlier the next day.
We drove the park’s Scenic Drive, an 8-mile road that winds between cliffs and domes with spurs into side canyons. We took the detour down Grand Wash, a dirt road squeezed between high walls where Cassidy Arch stands out high above the cliffs.
Onwards to a ranger talk on raptors. Golden eagles, falcons, and hawks hunt these cliffs. Throughout our visit, I kept my eyes peeled on the skies looking for a majestic raptor, but all I got were ravens. Fun fact, turkey vultures (not so majestic) are also considered raptors. Key attributes of a raptor are sharp talons and hooked beaks. The turkey vulture tears apart its dinner just like its other counterparts, except for the fact they are already dead.
We set out on the Fremont River Trail early in the afternoon when the sun was baking. There had been mountain lion sightings here, so I kept an extra eye out. It was far too hot to expect one, unless he was particularly hungry for hikers. The trail followed the river for a stretch before climbing up for sweeping views of Fruita and the canyon country beyond. Back near the trailhead, a mare and her foal wandered over to their fence line to say hello.
From there we hiked the Hickman Bridge Trail, about two miles round trip with a steady climb up to a natural stone arch that spans 133 feet. It’s a beautiful walk through junipers and slickrock, with the payoff of standing beneath the massive bridge at the end.
That night back at our dispersed campsite the show wasn’t over yet. With almost no light pollution around, Danny tried his hand at night photography and managed to capture the Milky Way stretching across the sky above the desert.