WhatTo Do, Page 2
One trip that absolutely should not be missed from the Capitol Reef area is Highway 12 back to Bryce Canyon. If you haven't been to Bryce Canyon (see our article for last month), you'll need to go. This is one trip that even if you've seen the destination, the trip is worth the adventure. Highway 12 climbs into the Dixie National Forest, where you quickly ascend into high alpine terrain full of aspens and views that seem to be on top of the world. You'll soon come to the town of Boulder, where you can stop and enjoy local cuisine at the Hell's Backbone Grill, or visit the Anasazi State Park Museum.
Further along your trip, you'll come to the Hogback. You'll know it when you get there. It's a ridge atop a sandstone ridge that's about as wide as the narrow road you driving. If there doesn't seem to be any lightning in the area, stop at one of the turnouts and linger awhile to enjoy the view, then traverse down Haymaker Bench, and past Calf Creek Campground, which is part of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Recreational Area. These areas are destinations in themselves with day hiking, camping, four-wheel drive and ATV routes in abundance.
From Calf Creek, and Later the Escalante River, you travel through the sandstone mountains and eventually come out near Kodachrome Basin State Park, and on to Bryce Canyon. You can stop at Ruby's for lunch is you missed lunch at the Hell's Backbone Cafe, then on th Bryce Canyon to view some of the most fascinating geologic features here, the hoodoos. See our last month's story on Bryce Canyon for more on hoodoos.
After Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park is only about 90 miles away, but it's getting to be a bit far for a one day trip from Capitol Reef. It's certainly worth the trip if you haven't been, but it's not really a one day trip to go to Zion and back. Of course, there are dozens of hotels and camping facilities in the Zion area. You might make a two day adventure, leaving your travel rig in Torrey, and camping or staying in a hotel room in Zion before returning.
This short article can only be considered to be an introductory guide to all there is to do within a day's journey of Torrey, and Capitol Reef National Park. To cover it completely would certainly take an entire book, and of course there are many fine books already written on the subject. What is hoped is that, by using this article as a starting point, refining your search using the links provided, and finally talking to the visitor centers in Torrey and at Park headquarters at Capitol Reef, you can quickly see that spending a little time here will be well worth your effort. While Capitol Reef appears to be a bit out of the way compared to some of the other more popular Utah red rock destinations, it's easy to see that with so much to offer, this can be a great place to spend some time.