On the Trail…in Capitol Reef National Park

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March 25, 2008

Balancing Rock

Tucked away in central Utah, Capitol Reef National Park is one of the little known and little visited U.S. national parks that should be high on everybody’s list of places to go. The scenery is simply staggering, the crowds non-existent, and there are great camping facilities inside the park and just outside the gate on the west side.

We found this balancing rock on a four-wheel-drive trail on the north side of the park. A ranger at the visitors center recommended this trail if we had a pickup or jeep that could ford a stream and handle a remote mountain dirt track. The Chevy Colorado we tow behind our motorhome fit that description. We wound up spending the whole day alone, never seeing another car or another person while we investigated such things as this balancing rock, towering cliffs, canyons and spires.

Capitol Reef is one of five national parks in Utah, most of which qualify as little known and little visited. The scenery and resulting photo possibilities in this region are just unreal.

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3 comments

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  2. Dan and Audrey

    We are from Saskatchewan,Canada,and enjoying the blogs very much.We are new to Rv travel having bought a Class A last year and haven’t done much yet,but we will,all the pointers are a real asset,thanks,maybe see you done the road,Dan Steiert.

  3. Matt

    We took the same trail several years ago in May. We found a cactus in full bloom that was breath taking. We saw four other vehicles all day long. A great ride and we didn’t eat the dust from a herd of other vehicles rushing down the dirt roads. I would recommend it to anyone.