Capitol Reef Scenic Drive
Capitol Reef's main road is called Scenic Drive, and it certainly lives up to its name.
Plan Around Capitol Reef Scenic Drive
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Capitol Reef Scenic Drive Details
Capitol Reef's main road is called Scenic Drive, and it certainly lives up to its name. The road is 7.8 miles long, and it begins at the Capitol Reef Visitor Center, veering south from Highway 24 and into the Waterpocket Fold. It costs $10 to drive the road from the visitor center on to its ending point at the junction of Capitol Gorge and Pleasant Creek Roads. The road features many pull-outs along the way, and a number of suggested stops, as well. The drive begins with a view to the right of the Chinle and Moenkopi Formations, thin beds of reddish-brown shale formed from silt and clay. The 225-million-year-old Moenkopi sandstone is more than 950 feet thick in some locations. Looming over the formations and the Fruita orchards are the Wingate cliffs to the north. Just over a mile into the drive, visitors will pass the historic Gifford House and Museum; the Fruita Campground is a little further on, also on the right. South of the campground, the road ascends a short, steep grade to a pull-out on the right for a viewpoint at Danish Hill, which offers great views to the north and south of the Wingate cliff and Chinle slopes. Continuing south, the road comes to the junction of the Grand Wash Road, a graded dirt road that leads to the Grand Wash and Cassidy Arch trailheads. Another viewpoint, at Slickrock Divide, comes up on the right after the intersection with Grand Wash, where you can stop for another panoramic view to the south. From here, the road drops steadily down to Capitol Gorge and passes a parking area to the right just over 6.4 miles from the visitor center for the trailhead of the Old Wagon Trail. The road continues to wind through its descent, and a little over a half-mile from the Old Wagon Trail there's a pull-out on the left offering a view of the Egyptian Temple. The pavement ends at the intersection of Pleasant Creek Road and Capitol Gorge Road, where you can choose to turn around or continue exploring the southern section of the park.
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Nearby Parks Around Capitol Reef Scenic Drive
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Nearby Points of Interest Around Capitol Reef Scenic Drive
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Capitol Reef Scenic Drive while the map context is still fresh.
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Utah Highway 24 (UT-24)
Utah Hwy. 24 (SR-24) offers the main access to Capitol Reef National Park.
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Capitol Reef Visitor Center
The Capitol Reef Visitor Center is open daily, except for some major holidays, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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Capitol Reef National Park
Despite its nautical name, Capitol Reef has nothing to do with the sea; rather, this ridgeland was formed when a fault line moved 50 to 70 million years ago, warping the earth's crust to create a "monocline" known as the Waterpocket Fold.
0.5 mi away
The Castle
Visible on the north side of Hwy. 24 from outside the visitor center, the Castle is an impressive geological formation much resembling its name.
0.7 mi away
Amasa Pierce Orchard
The many orchards, including Amasa Pierce, that lie within a mile or two of the visitor center are remnants of the pioneer community of Fruita, which was settled in 1880.
