People are always surprised when I say Capitol Reef is my favorite Utah National Park.
They expect to hear Arches or Zion, maybe Bryce Canyon. The popular ones that are easy to access, highlighted in magazines, and almost always overcrowded.
In contrast, Capitol Reef National Park is further from the interstate or any major highways, and is only accessible through scenic byways. Surrounded by stunning colors, the hikes in Capitol Reef are some of the most beautiful hikes I’ve done.
Cassidy Arch Hike
Short and steep, the Cassidy Arch hike is my favorite hike for the view. The view unfolds as you climb, with some of the best picture spots being halfway up. There’s not a single boring stretch of trail.
For a good portion of the hike you can see the gravel road below that leads to the Cassidy Arch trailhead. From a few viewpoints, you can even see the parking lot below and snap a picture of your vehicle hundreds of feet below you.
Safety Note: During rains, this entire wash turns into a river. Cassidy is a great hike for sunny days, and the worst place to be during a flash flood.
As for Cassidy Arch itself, it’s a pretty impressive reveal! The beginning portion of the trail is a steep and rocky climb. Then you turn a corner, and suddenly you can see Cassidy Arch embedded high in the canyon wall.
Cassidy Arch
From there, the trail takes you directly behind the arch. You can look through it, walk over it, or even walk past it a ways for an overlook on the other side.
Spring Canyon Trail
Spring Canyon trail isn’t a super popular hike, but it takes you down into a wash that threads through a very colorful canyon. You have to access the trail through the Chimney Rock Loop Trail (which is a more popular hike) or you can start from a trailhead along Hwy 24. The whole trail is about 10 miles long, but if you are sticking to shorter hikes you can always just go down a ways then come back. I suggest starting from the Chimney Rock trailhead, hiking the loop trail, then veering off into Spring Canyon.
Even on the more popular hikes like Chimney Rock, hiking Capitol Reef is usually crowd-free. Not only are there less park visitors than in most National Parks, but the trailhead parking is just too small. The Chimney Rock trailhead barely has parking space, so you don’t have to worry about sharing the trail with loads of people. On the other hand, just be aware that you might not be able to find room for your vehicle either.
Grand Wash
Can the Grand Wash really be called a trail? Eh, I don’t know about that. It really is just a huge wash that cuts through the national park. So, it’s about as easy as it gets when hiking Capitol Reef, because you don’t have any steep climbs. You can just stroll through the wash and gaze up at the canyon walls on either side.
The whole wash is about 7 miles long without much elevation gain, making it an easy trail that almost anyone can do.
Cohab Canyon
Cohab Canyon is hands-down where you want to go if you’re in the mood for climbing boulders and scaling canyon walls!
The canyon walls are riddled with holes that make perfect footholds and perches. We even found a couple short slot canyons hidden away in the rock walls.
Sure, the hike isn’t as impressive as some of the other trails in Capitol Reef, but hiking Capitol Reef is more fun when you can throw in a little bit of climbing.
The Cohab Canyon trail is very easy to access. The trailhead is right across the road from the Fruita Campground, so if you are staying at the campground you don’t even have to drive anywhere. Just cross the street and start hiking!
The hike up from the campground to Cohab Canyon is a steep climb, but you get a pretty awesome view before descending into the canyon. The green areas below are the Fruita campground and orchard.
Hickman Bridge
If you’ve done any research on hiking Capitol Reef, then you have probably seen the Hickman Bridge trail listed as the most popular hike. As far as I know, it is the most popular…but that doesn’t mean it should be at the top of your list.
The Hickman Bridge trail is the most well-known simply because it has a reasonably-sized paved parking lot with bathrooms. Which may sound weird if you’ve never been to Capitol Reef…but most of the trailheads are either at small pullouts or down bumpy gravel roads that branch off of a long and narrow scenic drive.
The Hickman Bridge is just easily accessible. Sure, it’s a beautiful hike, but not nearly as stunning as the other trails I’ve listed in this post.
What to Know Before Hiking Capitol Reef
Before you get too excited about picking out trails in Capitol Reef, there are a few things you should know beforehand. These are just some tips I’ve picked up from hiking Capitol Reef, and they are helpful to keep in mind.
Prepare to be walking in sand. Many of Capitol Reef’s trails follow washes…which are mainly sand at the bottom. If you wear breathable tennis shoes, just know that you will have sand in your socks by the end of the hike.
A lot of the trails connect. It’s easy to get lost if you’re not careful, because many of the trails connect. For example, the Grand Wash connects to the Cassidy Arch trail, which connects to the Frying Pan trail, which takes you to the Cohab Canyon trail…are you confused yet? So, read the trail signs carefully, because you don’t want to start the Cassidy Arch hike and end up miles away at the campground (unless, of course, that’s your intention.)
Pay attention to rock markers. For most of the trails this isn’t a big issue, but there are a few places where you need to pay close attention to the rock markers. Without rock markers, I would have gone way off trail while hiking Cassidy Arch.
Watch out for flooding. Capitol Reef is crisscrossed with sandy washes and steep canyons, and as soon as it rains they fill with water. Don’t get caught in the rain during a hike! Even if you manage to hike back okay, you might be stuck in your vehicle for a while. The scenic drive, which contains the trailhead for Cassidy Arch and the Grand Wash, floods during a rain and becomes impassable. You may have to wait for the water to recede so you can motor through the mud and get back to the campground. It may sound like a highly improbably scenario…but I’ve seen it happen before.
Bring plenty of water. This one is pretty obvious. Capitol Reef is still in the desert, so bring lots of water and prepare for high temperatures when hiking Capitol Reef.
Use AllTrails to look at trail maps. If you want to see all of Capitol Reef’s hiking trails, I definitely recommend downloading the free AllTrails app to look at trail maps and ratings. Just be aware that you won’t have cell service in most of Capitol Reef, so if you want to download the trail maps to use in no-service areas, you will need to upgrade to AllTrails Pro.
Once you start hiking Capitol Reef, you won’t be able to stay away. It’s the kind of place you will want to return to again and again! With a wide variety of hikes for everyone, there is plenty to keep you coming back.
If you’re looking for more National Park advice, check out my blog on camping at Big Bend National Park.