Best Activities in Capitol Reef for Families

Utah certainly has no shortage of scenic drives—especially when you’re traveling to the “Mighty 5” National Parks! We started our trek in Salt Lake City, then headed to Zion National Park. Then we made a quick stop in Kanab, UT before heading to Bryce Canyon National Park, finally making our way to the third park on our list, Capitol Reef.  We took scenic route 12 as we drove from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef and it was definitely worth it.  The landscape in Utah is so beautiful and so different.  It’s amazing how you can drive an hour and feel like you’re in a totally different world.

The Drive to Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef National Park isn’t a very big park, but there are some must-dos when you’re there.  The drive from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef was over two hours.  We planned to stop in Goblin Valley on our way there, but when we got there, the wind was so crazy and since it’s mainly sand, we were getting blasted.  Instead, we left and continued on our drive.  It also costs $20 to get into that State Park so if you’re not planning to do some hiking, it’s really not worth the cost.

Gifford Homestead

We got to Capitol Reef just before noon so our first stop was Gifford Homestead.  This historic farmhouse is now operated by the Capitol Reef National History Association and offers many local and handmade items for sale, including their infamous pies. If you read any blogs or even search for things to do in Capitol Reef, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll read about the pies!  They close from 12-12:45pm for lunch and often times sell out of their pies early, so I wanted to make sure we got those first.  We ordered a cherry pie, a peach pie and one of their cinnamon rolls.

Visitor’s Center

Next, we headed over to the Visitor’s Center to grab our Junior Ranger books.  Since it was lunch time, we drove back out of the park to grab something to eat.   We had plans to stop at a food truck called Capitol Burger, but they weren’t open for lunch.  There aren’t a ton of food options available so we decided to try Slackers. 

Normally my posts focus on food we enjoyed, but I feel like if you can skip this place, I would.  Their burgers were over-priced and nothing more than a cheap, frozen burger.  I ended up just eating my bun with lettuce and tomato because I thought the burger was pretty awful.  Thankfully, we had those pies from Gifford Homestead because those were amazing and a perfect ending to my lunch.

Panorama Point + Petroglyph Trail

After lunch, we drove back into the park and made sure to stop at the Capitol Reef sign for a quick photo and then did the short Panorama Point hike.  This hike offered some pretty amazing views.  We then headed over to the Petroglyph Trail.  This was another short hike, where we got to see a variety of petroglyphs on the rocks.  Both of these hikes were under 10 minutes so the kids all liked that.

Hickman Bridge

We then did the Hickman Bridge trail, which was a bit longer (about an hour hike), but it was so worth it.  This hike was one of our kids’ favorite hikes in all of Utah’s National Parks.  There were some steep inclines in certain places, but the trail itself was so fun!  The kids loved these little natural rock “cubbies” and had a blast climbing the rocks.  Hickman Bridge was a pretty cool sight so I’d recommend checking out this hike.

Capitol Reef Resort + Scenic Drive

Once we were done with our hikes, we did some of the scenic drive and then headed to our hotel, Capitol Reef Resort.  The views from our room were gorgeous!  Plus, they had a nice pool and hot tub along with campfires lit.  You can purchase S’mores kits in their gift shop if you’re in need of a dessert.  The hotel also has a restaurant and has a variety of rooms, cabins, wagons and teepees to rent.

Capitol Burger

After relaxing in the pool and hot tub, we were hungry.  The food truck I wanted for lunch was open for dinner hours so we decided to give them a try.  All I can say is WOW—Capitol Burgers is definitely the place to stop if you want a good burger!  They are farm-fresh and fantastic!  This place put Slackers to shame!  I would highly recommend stopping at Capitol Burger if you are in the area! You won’t be disappointed!        

Stars in the Park

After the sunset, we headed into the park to see the stars.  Like Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef is also a designated Dark Night Sky Park.  Living in big cities or places with a lot of light pollution takes a way our ability to see the stars.  In places like Capitol Reef or Bryce Canyon, there is no light around so when you look up at the stars, you are seeing thousands.  One of my goals was to get a picture of the Milky Way.  Unfortunately I wasn’t able to stay up late enough to capture it, but it’s still on my list!

What do you recommend?

Have you been to Capitol Reef? If so, what are your favorite activities? Any favorite restaurants?

Planning a trip to the Mighty 5? Check out our posts on Canyonlands and Arches too!