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Capitol Reef Scenic Drive - 2 members in 3 triplogs have rated this an average 4.5 ( 1 to 5 best )
3 triplogs
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May 02 2025
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 Guides 16
 Routes 81
 Photos 1,269
 Triplogs 1,145

51 male
 Joined Apr 30 2008
 Tucson, AZ
Fremont River WalkCentral, UT
Central, UT
Hiking avatar May 02 2025
azdesertfatherTriplogs 1,145
Hiking3.88 Miles 630 AEG
Hiking3.88 Miles   1 Hour   53 Mns   2.62 mph
630 ft AEG      24 Mns Break1 LBS Pack
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Partners none no partners
Did the trail from the picnic tables across the street from the Gifford House to the top of the overlook and back.
_____________________
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." — Henry David Thoreau
 
Oct 08 2017
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 Guides 27
 Routes 61
 Photos 2,620
 Triplogs 700

69 male
 Joined Jan 23 2008
 Phoenix, AZ
Capitol Reef Scenic DriveCentral, UT
Central, UT
Scenic Drive avatar Oct 08 2017
AZWanderingBearTriplogs 700
Scenic Drive20.00 Miles
Scenic Drive20.00 Miles
 no routes
1st trip
Crowded park today. Seems the Columbus Day weekend is the end of their season. Was going to hit all the stuff off the scenic drive and the highway as quick as I could and then head up to Cathedral Valley.

Drove to the end of the Scenic drive, after depositing my $10, and worked back. The Petroglyph Narrows and the tanks were fun, and easy little scramble at the end. Love the rock art, native and settlers both. No idea how the really high and very clear list of 6 names from Sep 11 got up there on the south wall close to the trailhead.

Hit Oyler Mine real quick and then hiked to Cassidy Arch, a bit of a huffer for the first section but lots of fun later. Cool arch!

All the sites along the highway were quick stops except the petroglyphs (Archaic and Fremont intermixed) and Hickman Bridge. Found a small bear pecked out at the petroglyph site, loved him. My new screen saver. Hickman is a good little hike. Don't miss the two small pothole arches about half way up. They are geology in the making.
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Hickman Natural Bridge
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All you have is your fire...
And the place you need to reach
  2 archives
Jun 21 2016
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 Guides 11
 Routes 2
 Photos 3,776
 Triplogs 334

48 male
 Joined Jun 09 2009
 Mesa, AZ
Capitol Reef Scenic DriveCentral, UT
Central, UT
Scenic Drive avatar Jun 21 2016
cw50mustTriplogs 334
Scenic Drive20.00 Miles
Scenic Drive20.00 Miles
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
This is part of our Mighty Five trip 2016. We did 5 parks in 5 days in Utah.

Day 3: Capitol Reef National park. While checking out the historic sites in and around Fruita, we had lunch at the nice little park there next to the nature center. We then drove out to the Gifford Homestead for some homemade cookies. there was quite the crowd there getting pies. After our snack we headed out on the Scenic drive. The first 10 miles are paved. I forgot to stop and get a guide, but its also available online if you want to pull it up on a mobile device while out there. We checked out some of the side roads to trail heads, but we were running at the end of the day so we didn't want to start any new trails. At the end of the road we took the "high Clearance" Pleasant Creek road out to the old ranch. There also appears to be some secret NPS builds out that way. ;) We crossed the creek to South Draw road. This is supposed to be where the $wd required section begins. We didn't go too far since again we were short on time, it appears to be pretty sandy in some spots.

I will also mention this here as well. We stayed at the Capitol Reef resort this eveing. We booked a Teepee, that's right a Teepee. This was pretty cool. The Teepee itself is pretty nice, its got electricity and a TV and air conditioning. Everything your room would have, but its way cooler cause it's a Teepee. The part I liked best was in the evening sitting in the chairs outside the Teepee and watching the sunset over the red rocks. It was really cool.

Video: https://youtube.com ... _gKs
_____________________
 
average hiking speed 2.62 mph

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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