Bryce and the Waterpocket Fold

April 27, 2010

Bryce National Park was magical with its “hoodoos”, huge stone fins and spires, and wonderful canyon hiking. It was also cold at night, in the 20s, with large patches of snow. The campsites at Sunset campground, for small RVs and tents, were surrounded by deep pine woods. Warnings for bear and wildcats were posted everywhere. It was nearly a full moon and, looking out on the snow and pines, I could well imagine a wildcat prowling nearby. Sadly all we saw was one Utah prairie dog (a threatened species) doing his stand-up routine in a meadow by the road. We spent two nights at Bryce but the cold and a forecast for snow made us move on.

Bryce photos

There's much to see in this part of Utah but we were suffering from indecision. Finally we opted for Capitol Reef National Park which, frankly, was not on my list of “must sees” for this trip. It seemed small, out of the way and, really now, the “waterpocket fold” (a 100-mile ridge in the earth's crust) sounded like some place you'd bring a Scout troup. Once again I was badly mistaken; it's wonderful. The Visitor Center, some historic buildings from a late 1800 Mormon settlement and the campground are on the floor of the canyon along the banks of the Fremont River. The area was originally occupied by Anasazi Indians. In the late 1800s, Mormon settlers planted fruit trees and established a small but prosperous community. The campground is set between these orchards which are lovingly tended by the National Park Service. When the fruits ripen, campers can pick all they want at no charge. Right now, apricots, cherries, peaches and pears are in blossom; apples will come a little later. Herds of Mule deer can be spotted grazing among the trees.

I talked to some people who come here regularly and they said Capitol Reef is one of the least visited parks. The lack of campground amenities (no hook-ups or showers) may be the reason. So far we've cycled around and taken one hike through the canyons to an overlook. It was very windy (45 mph or so) on the cliff and we were afraid of being blown off but hiking the canyon was merely hot. That was yesterday and today it's cold and still windy. In the old farmhouse, the historical society sells crafts and baked goods using the harvested fruit and made by a fancy cafe in a nearby town. Capitol Reef is turning out to be a wonderful stop. There are “maintained” dirt roads that we hope to cycle tomorrow and more hikes we want to take. All this and pie too!

E.

Capitol Reef photos