Less than three hours of driving planned for today, but with two national parks to visit, Capitol Reef and Arches. After we hit up the small and somewhat lacking breakfast buffet at Broken Spur Inn we were back on the road toward Capitol Reef National Park.
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Food is sparse along this route and although driving time is short the day is packed. I recommend stopping in Hanksville for lunch, or at least to pack something. If you pass this you won’t find anything until highway 70 and may be very hungry by that time. Also, along route 24 you will pass signs for Goblin Valley State Park. The odd rock formations here were used as backdrop for an alien planet in the movie Galaxy Quest. We decided not to stop here as two national parks were enough to keep us busy for the day. But it seems like an interesting option to consider.
Capitol Reef National Park
The National Park website gives details of the recommended scenic drive through Capitol Reef. The total route is expected to take an hour or two. What it doesn’t mention is that in the August rainy season much of the road gets closed. We arrived early in that day under the bluest sky with no wind and barely a wisp of a cloud. But the whiteboard in the park headquarters said a major thunderstorm was expected and so many of the roads were closed. I’m not sure how often that white board is updated, or by whom, but our various weather apps all agreed that not a drop of rain was forecast all day. Still, you can’t argue with marker on a white board, so we drive off as far as we could into the park and turned around. I was really looking forward to the Pioneer Register and Capitol Gorge, but those two were beyond the closed gate. Still, it was a pretty park that lacked the “wow” feeling that we got from Zion and Bryce. Perhaps the two sites we missed would have given that moment.
Petroglyphs
A few minutes East of the park along Utah 24 we noticed a pull-out on the north side of the road with a sign the mentioned petroglyphs. This was a neat little quick stop with a boardwalk along the cliff side for better viewing. There were many drawings here, some recognizable and some very strange, which of course we decided had to be aliens ;).
Utah 24
The road east from Capitol Reef was varied with a seemingly gradually decreasing level of scenery over many miles. Initially we were winding through tall canyons, there was a section that follow with grey hills and cliffs that looks like it might be the moon, then eventually we were on a long straight, empty, flat road which stretched out ahead for miles.
Arches National Park
We had heard stories and read articles about the lines to get in to Arches National Park and temporary closures due to large crowds. We arrived at 2pm and there was no line, we drove right up and through the entrance gate. It was hot though, uncomfortably hot. So we visited a few sites that were easily accessible with short walks, headed to Maob for dinner, then returned in the early evening to see more. Sunset in around 8:45pm in August, so there are plenty of evening hours available in the summer to enjoy the park.
Arches Sights
- Park Avenue – This is a beautiful quick stop right next to the road. This a good place for an easy out and back hike. Also great for just photos, which is what we did.
- Balanced Rock – A short trail loops around this really neat rock formation. We visited this in the heat of the afternoon and again in the evening. In the second visit we nearly had the place to ourselves and the lower temperature allowed us to spend more time taking it in from all sides.
- Delicate Arch – This is the one you probably don’t want to miss. It is the arch pictured on the Utah license plate and the most popular in the park. Hiking out to the arch, however, takes some planning and the better part of the day, which we just didn’t have time for. We instead walked out to the upper and lower viewing platforms which are relatively short and can be found at the end of the spur road. You may want some binoculars or a really strong zoom lense because it is just too far away to really enjoy.
- The Windows, Tunnel Arch, Double Arch – These are all very close to each other and can be visited in a single stop with some walking back and forth. We visited the Windows and Tunnel Arch in the afternoon and decided it was too hot to walk to Double Arch. In the afternoon it was packed full of people here, in the evening, when we came back, it was near empty and we easily made it out to Double Arch.
- Sand Dune Arch – Not a very impressive arch compared to the others in the park. The hike, however, was short, very shady and perfect for the hot afternoon.
- Skyline Arch – This is a nice looking arch you can catch with a quick hop off next to the road.
The list above covers what we managed to see easily. We missed the famous Landscape Arch, which can be seen by hiking Devils Garden Trail from the end of the road. Time and temperature prohibited us and we felt we had seen so much already.
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