We used Shady Acres Campground in Green River as home base for Capitol Reef National Park.
Wow - we could tell right away that the views here were going to be great because there were good views before we even entered the park.
See pictures and video clips at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i35cAD7drpY&t=50s
We did the scenic drive that starts out as paved and then at the end (I think its called Capitol Gorge) it turns into a dirt road. We went all the way down to the end. The parking lot there is VERY small and there was hardly any room to turn around so be careful if you have a long truck bed like we do.
Driving on a dirt road in our tow vehicle is a little nerve wracking for me so I was
glad when we were back on paved roadway.
We drove on a dirt road called Grand Wash to see Cassidy Arch from the view point. We didn't hike the trail.
When the Mormon's developed this area they planted fruit trees and called the place Fruita. Pies are still sold there.
We also went to the Gifford House and bought the cherry pie and a Strawberry Rhubarb. The weather was perfect.
The next time we went back the weather was rainy and chilly. Unfortunately they were
out of cherry pie but we got Peach, Apple, and mixed berry. I liked cherry most, then apple, then peach, then mixed berry. Strawberry rhubarb is not my favorite.
A deer walked across the road between us and the Gifford house.
Unfortunately we couldn't do very much because the rain was pretty steady.
We still managed to take a picture of the school house, see petroglyphs, and do a
boardwalk.
We enjoyed our time at Capitol Reef and would recommend a visit here for at least a day. And the pies are a real treat!
Itinerary
We visited Capitol Reef twice. Once from Richfield, UT and once from Green River, UT.
The Richfield RV Park was very small and I was nervous as we pulled in with our 34ft 5th wheel but we made it. The maintenance folks here could NOT have been nicer. They even referred us to a diesel mechanic that they were familiar with when we needed work and he did a great job.
We drove into Capitol Reef and stopped at the visitor center and some viewpoints and took a lot of pictures. We also drove all the way to the end of the scenic Capitol Gorge road.
After we moved to Green River we drove to Capitol Reef again, even though it was supposed to be a rainy day – and it was. We stopped to look at some petroglyphs and a couple of structures – such as an old schoolhouse. We couldn’t pass up the pie at the Gifford House. I think we got one of each and couldn’t pick a favorite!