Capitol Reef National Park is one of those places that is not on the way to anyplace, so it requires going out of your way on secondary roads just to get there. Then, when you do get there, the visitor center is not even located in the most picturesque part of the Park. To really see the Park's beauty requires hiking and travel on 4-wheel drive trails. Unfortunately, we were there during July when the temperature was about 100-degrees Fahrenheit, so we kept the hikes short and decided to return again when the weather was cooler.
The Goosenecks are located a short distance west of the visitor center and are reached by a two-mile dirt trail. There is a hiking trail that leads to the bottom of the canyon, but we just enjoyed the view from the canyon rim.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The Park Visitor Center is located in Fruita (Utah), which is now listed as a "ghost town" even though the National Park Service's employees live there. Some of the original town structures remain, including the Gifford house, barn, farm equipment, blacksmith shop, one-room school, and a 2,500 tree orchard. The orchard is preserved as "historic landscape" and Park Service employees take care of the trees by pruning, irrigating, replanting, and spraying them. U-Pick fruit is available to the public for a reasonable fee.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Petroglyphs are found along the cliffs adjacent to the river and are easily reached by boardwalks.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Along the road to Hanksville (Utah) there are a number of historic structures and ghost town ruins.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Hanksville is a small community (about 200 residents) located east of Capitol Reef National Park at the junction of Fremont River and Muddy Creek, which together form the Dirty Devil River that flows into the Colorado River. The town is probably best known as a supply post for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch who frequently stayed out in the desert at at Robbers Roost.
Located nearby are the Hanksville-Burpee [Dinosaur] Quarry and the Mars Desert Research Station.
The Quarry contains a mixed assortment of dinosaur bones, trees, clams, and other species dating back about 140-150 million years ago (late Jurassic Period) and is considered to be a significant site similar to the quarry at Dinosaur National Monument. The Quarry is not open to the public.
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| Stegosaurus Stenops Web Picture - Photographer Unknown |
The Mars Desert Research Station is the largest and longest-running Mars surface simulation facility in the world. It was built in the early 2000s and is staffed by 6-8 people who are there from two-weeks to three-months in duration to conduct scientific research. Improvements at the site include a two-story facility for the staff, greenhouse, solar observatory, robotic observatory, engineering pod, and science building. During a simulation exercise the staff cannot go outside without wearing a spacesuit. The facility is not open to the public.
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| By Bandgirl807 - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6772972 |
Located in Hanksville is the World Famous Carl's Critter Garden, a collection of original art works finished with a rustic patina. Carl can repurpose all sorts of items and never lets any scrap iron go to waste.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture b Kolohe |
Also located in Hanksville is Hollow Mountain convivence store. The store is built into the side of a mountain and has significant posted warnings to travelers about unattended children.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
