On the Plateau, Part VII: Empty, Beautiful Capitol Reef

Best Of IgoUgo

Overview

Grand Wash Trailhead on Highway 24 Photo - Utah, United States

Quote:

I’m a sucker for the underrated, the overlooked. It’s hard to put a national park in that category—they all had to catch someone’s eye some time—but Capitol Reef may be as close to that status as any. With four prominent neighbors drawing more traffic, Capitol Reef is the least known of Utah’s five parks (although relatively ‘nearby’ Canyonlands draws a few less visitors).Geography is certainly one reason. Tucked amidst some of Utah’s most forbidding country, Capitol Reef is not reached by accident. Northeast of Bryce and north of Monument Valley, this long, comma-shaped park sits atop the Waterpocket Fold, a geological crease that presented a serious barrier, or reef, to early sett...Read More

Cheer!
Flag

Austin’s Chuck Wagon Motel

Best Of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Austin's Chuckwagon Motel"

Bedroom, Austin's Cabin Photo - Austin’s Chuck Wagon Motel, Torrey, Utah

Quote:

This small complex is the best place to stay in Torrey. There’s not much to this small town of 120 residents, and the complex that owner Randy Austin and family have built here occupies a fair amount of space near the center of town. There’s a building of standard motel rooms, although it’s rustic wooden construction and three-story height make it more appealing than the great majority of such units. There’s a pool, which we weren’t able to use, but which would be great on summer evenings after a full day of hiking in the dry, high-altitude air.We stayed in one of the ‘cabins’, which I arranged over the phone in mid-winter. For $109 a night, what we found when we arrived was more like a sm...Read More

This small complex is the best place to stay in Torrey. There’s not much to this small town of 120 residents, and the complex that owner Randy Austin and family have built here occupies a fair amount of space near the center of town. There’s a building of standard motel rooms, although it’s rustic wooden construction and three-story height make it more appealing than the great majority of such units. There’s a pool, which we weren’t able to use, but which would be great on summer evenings after a full day of hiking in the dry, high-altitude air.

We stayed in one of the ‘cabins’, which I arranged over the phone in mid-winter. For $109 a night, what we found when we arrived was more like a small, simple but pleasant condo: 8 or 10 similar units lined the west side of the parking lot below the motel, each a free-standing building with a parking area out front. Inside, we found a living room to the left of the front door, with a fold-out sofa, a 21" TV (and satellite, probably a necessity for television here) and a lounge chair. To the right was a small but complete kitchen, with refrigerator, dishes, and double sink. Two modest but comfortable bedrooms were in the back, each with a TV. (The TV felt odd to me, but my kids couldn’t leave it alone.) There was a smallish full bath behind the kitchen. Overall, there was plenty of room, and slept five of us comfortably for the one night we spent there, and a terrific bargain.

Across the parking area was a small but well-stocked store and deli, a great place to stock up on supplies and food, including a well-above-average selection of meats and cheeses. After returning from a terrific meal of burgers and shakes down the street at Brink’s Drive-In, we put together the next day’s breakfast and lunch, supplemented by a healthy selection of postcards.

My only regret about Austin’s was that we weren’t here longer. Capitol Reef had a lot more to explore than we were able to see (because of both time and the weather), and this would be a comfortable base from which to do it. It’s a few miles into the park from here, and you’ll pass a few other lodging choices, but I’d stay here on a return trip. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on November 27, 2007

Austin’s Chuck Wagon Motel
12 West Main Street
Torrey, Utah 84775
(800) 863-3288

Cheer!
Flag

Brink's Burgers Drive-In

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Stop here! Photo - Brink's Burgers Drive-In, Torrey, Utah

Quote:

If you like burgers, eat here. A classic drive-in, Brink’s offers about 15 different versions of their great-tasting certified Angus burger. I went with the basic cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milk shake. My oldest opted for the jalapeno burger, and after surviving the experience, pronounced it ‘great’. All of us agreed that the milk shakes were top notch. There’s a small seating area that appears to have been added on to the restaurant’s west side. But regardless of whether you sit there, or take the food back to your car, you order through the window in classic drive-up style.The featured burgers include bacon cheeseburgers, pizza burgers (burger and sausage patty with Swiss ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on November 27, 2007

Brink's Burgers Drive-In
165 E. Main St.
Torrey, Utah 84775
(435) 425-3710

Cheer!
Flag

Fruita Historic District

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction

Gifford Homestead, Fruita Photo - Utah, United States

Quote:

No place in Utah gave me as strong a sense of what Mormon settlers endured while carving out homes across this not-always-hospitable state. Hard to reach and only somewhat easier to stay in, it seemed particularly lonely to call this isolated valley home with only two or three dozen fellow residents.But for several decades, up to 10 families at a time did just that. Here on the sheltered floodplains of the Fremont River, the soil was rich enough to raise fruit, and the elevation was just a touch lower, enough to make the winters a bit warmer than in the surrounding region. Fruita’s residents planted apples, apricots, peaches, cherries and other fruits, and made a living off the harvest, li...Read More

No place in Utah gave me as strong a sense of what Mormon settlers endured while carving out homes across this not-always-hospitable state. Hard to reach and only somewhat easier to stay in, it seemed particularly lonely to call this isolated valley home with only two or three dozen fellow residents.

But for several decades, up to 10 families at a time did just that. Here on the sheltered floodplains of the Fremont River, the soil was rich enough to raise fruit, and the elevation was just a touch lower, enough to make the winters a bit warmer than in the surrounding region. Fruita’s residents planted apples, apricots, peaches, cherries and other fruits, and made a living off the harvest, livestock they grazed on the hillsides, and employment with the road commission (and eventually the Park Service). They built homesteads, a small schoolhouse for educating their children, and eventually the original infrastructure that enabled the first tourists to stay here.

The Historic District lies along the Fremont River’s east-west path, and then south on what is now the Scenic Drive. A small creek runs in from the southwest, and irrigation ditches from here and from the river watered the orchards. Establishment of the National Monument in 1937 put this small village in the midst of a modestly sized new reserve, but didn’t change much else. Residents continued to use the land as they always had, diverting water and grazing livestock.

As the Monument gradually drew more visitors, Fruita’s private lands became an increasingly difficult issue. Eventually, the Park Service acquired all of them in sales or trades, and began removing the newer tourist-era buildings. In another decade, debate about Fruita’s status as a "typical Mormon village" morphed into the decision to save and restore the oldest and most illustrative remaining buildings.

The 1896 one-room schoolhouse sits north of the road, a mile east of the Visitor Center. There aren’t many schools in a prettier setting, nearly flush against the steep rock walls, with the orchards and pastures across and up the road. We could only peer in the windows at the front of the school, and listen to a recording by one of the teachers describing life in the 1930’s classroom.

About 10 families lived in Fruita at a time, but the only remaining open residence is the Gifford Farmhouse (other structures are used by the NPS, or remain closed). Dewey Gifford and family lived there for 40 years after purchasing it from his father-in-law. The Natural History Association maintains the house as an exhibit of early 20th-century homesteading life. Nearby are the original barn and smokehouse, all set along a very pretty pasture. The home includes a small store selling period-related items, including the not-to-be-missed small cherry and apple pies, baked fresh each morning.

We took one of each out to the picnic tables in the large grassy front yard, and playfully fought over each bite. It was a good way to say goodbye to Fruita and to Capitol Reef. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on November 27, 2007

Cheer!
Flag

Grand Wash

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:

We’d planned to spend half a day in Capitol Reef before driving Highway 12 through Boulder, across the Hogsback, and down to Bryce Canyon. A conversation with a Ranger the previous afternoon confirmed our interest in hiking the Grand Wash, which cuts southwest off Highway 24 and meets the Scenic Drive after a few miles. With the Drive still closed by the rain, we pulled off of the Highway, donned our hiking boots, and headed into the Wash. The torrential rains of the previous day were over, and bright blue sky was set off brilliantly by the white rock stretching up above us on either side. This hike runs along the bottom of a fairly broad slot canyon, whose mouth is several dozen yards acr...Read More

We’d planned to spend half a day in Capitol Reef before driving Highway 12 through Boulder, across the Hogsback, and down to Bryce Canyon. A conversation with a Ranger the previous afternoon confirmed our interest in hiking the Grand Wash, which cuts southwest off Highway 24 and meets the Scenic Drive after a few miles.

With the Drive still closed by the rain, we pulled off of the Highway, donned our hiking boots, and headed into the Wash. The torrential rains of the previous day were over, and bright blue sky was set off brilliantly by the white rock stretching up above us on either side. This hike runs along the bottom of a fairly broad slot canyon, whose mouth is several dozen yards across at the northern entrance where we headed in. It was perfectly obvious that it was formed by water, as the previous day’s run off had left perfectly molded waves and runs of mud along the bottom, looking like a frozen river of its own.

We bounced back and forth between the canyon walls, walking along shoals, up against the rock face, and avoiding as much mud as we could. After a half-hour, our boots looked like they’d doubled in size, but that wasn’t dampening any one’s spirits.

The canyon narrowed as we moved along, shrinking down to eight or 10 yards across in places. The walls were beautiful against the sky. After an hour of hiking, the canyon took a sharp turn to the right, beneath a deep notch in the walls that framed a big blue chunk of sky. Shortly after, with a mile or more under our belt, we turned and retraced our steps back to the trailhead.

The hike reminded me a lot of our adventure in the narrows of Zion’s Virgin River, but without the water underfoot. We had minimal company in the Wash, and I only remember encountering people heading in from the trailhead as we struggled to get the mud off our boots. (That didn’t really happen until we got them home, and mine still carry a light patina that reminds of that morning). This was our principal expedition in the Park, and one that left me hungry for more time here. After a good 15 minutes of de-mudding our shoes, we headed back into the Park one last time, to visit the historic district of Fruita. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on November 27, 2007

Cheer!
Flag

A Short Visit to Capitol Reef

Best Of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Petroglyphs Photo - Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Quote:

We drove into Capitol Reef from the west, having left Monument Valley, crossed the Colorado at Hite, and turned west on Highway 24 toward the park at Hanksville. The rain that threatened during our stop at Natural Bridges was now pouring down, washing out any thoughts of seeing what this tiny junction town in the wilderness had to offer. As we headed west into the canyons, the rain began to let up, and by the time we reached the park’s western boundary it had stopped.But its after-effects hadn’t. Sheets of water now poured off the white domes of rock all along the road, and we lost count of the impromptu waterfalls as the road wove upstream through the canyon carved by the Fremont River. W...Read More

Cheer!
Flag

IgoUgo

Capitol Reef National Park Journals

Upload Photos