When to Visit

Capitol Reef is open year-round, so you can visit anytime. Summer is the busiest season (actually May-October), especially when the Fruita Orchards are in bloom. Summertime also is flash flood season, however, and experts say that spring and fall are actually the best time to visit -- temperatures are moderate, and humidity is low year-round at this high-elevation park. If you enjoy solitude, come during winter when you'll have many parts of the park virtually to yourself: it does snow here, but only infrequently heavy enough to impede travel plans.