We all know about the National parks when we visit Moab, Utah. We even know about many of the backroads used by mountain bikers, ATVs, and other 4WD enthusiasts. What many folks may not know is that some of the most scenic areas around Moab are right in its backyard.
We visited two areas behind Moab today:
First, leaving Moab to the west, we ventured along the Colorado River on the opposite side of Potash Road, and out along Kane Springs Road. This area has several BLM (Bureau of Land Management) campgrounds and day-use areas as well as some seriously scenic country.
Next, we returned to town and made our way out to Potash Road on the opposite side of the River and out to Jug Handle Arch, and Long Canyon Road. We traveled the road only for a short distance for these images, but the road will eventually exit at Dead Horse Point State Park.
This was just a taste of these less-traveled backroads near Moab. No doubt we’ll end up spending more time here in the not-too-distant future.
Traveling some of the less known roads behind Moab.
Do you know where Capital Reef National Park is? We found it by chance more than two decades ago and we’ve been going back since then.
Capital Reef is a small National Park located in southern Utah. It’s in the neighborhood of the Grand Escalante National Recreation Area, Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park. The closest town is called Torrey. Not much there except a small grocery store and a handful of restaurants, cafes and hotels.
The area has grown significantly over the years, but we think it’s still one of the best kept secrets in southern Utah.
Here’s a video we made from a recent trip through Capitol Reef. We hesitate to say that it was our destination, but rather, it was a diversion as we traveled from one place to another. Next time we’ll want to spend more time and explore some of the backcountry.
We spent just a single day ambling around Capitol Reef National Park in southern Utah. Here’s what we found by observing from the roadside.
We spent about six weeks in this area a few years ago when we were RVing full time and came away with a few stories. Here are a few:
Capitol Reef National Park – Our introductory piece from a couple of years ago when we visited this the Park.
Capitol Reef – Waterpocket Fold – We dive into the fascinating geology of the area around Capitol Reef called The Waterpocket Fold. By visiting Capitol Reef national Park, it’s no mystery that the area has been very geologically active and this article explains a little about how it all took place.
Goblin Valley – Utah’s Weirdest Rocks – This should have been listed first. If you visit Capitol Reef National Park and you come from I-70, you pass by Goblin Valley State Park near Hanksville. This place has the weirdest rocks we’ve seen anywhere and it’s worth a visit, especially if it’s on your way.
If you like wide-open spaces—and who doesn’t these days—then one place that might be at the top of your list should be Moab, Utah. And we don’t mean the City of Moab—even though it’s a fine city—but the overwhelming number of national, state, and county parks in the immediate area.
To tell you about everything to see and do around Moab would take a sizable book. In fact, books are written pretty much everything you could think of to do in this American Southwest destination. From rock climbing to day hiking, mountain biking, four-wheeling, you name it, it’s here. There are tours if you want to be shown around, and there are rentals if you want to head out on your own. Many people bring their own equipment and head out to the backcountry.
Our quick little video here shows just a bit of only two parks in the Moab area: Arches National Park and Canyonlands. Both are easily accessible with any kind of vehicle and are an easy day trip from downtown Moab.
Canyonlands and Arches National Parks are two of our favorite places in the southwest. We’ve spent a great deal of time visiting these wonders over the years, and it seems as though it’s a new experience each time we come.
One of the least known national parks in southeast Utah, in our opinion, is Capital Reef National Park. Located along Utah Highway 24, north of Bryce Canyon and the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, this park could be the best example of exposed geology anywhere on the Colorado Plateau, short of an exhausting trip into the interior of the Grand Canyon.
We just visited Capital Reef National Park for a couple of days along with side trips into the Dixie National Forest, the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, and Bryce Canyon National Park. There’ll be more on these parks later.
The easiest way to get to Capital Reef National Park is to head out I-70 in Utah, east from I-15 or west from Grand Junction, Colorado. Follow signs to Hanksville and turn right at Hanksville. You can’t miss it.
While we were here, we stayed at the Capital Reef Resort, which is a hotel just outside the park, near the town of Torrey. Capital Reef Resort is worth mentioning on its own. It features the usual rooms with great views, but also has Tee Pees in case you want to sleep in a tent, and even covered wagons if you’re more in a western mood. There’s a restaurant, which is important around these parts, and horse and llama stables for western riding and guided hikes into the wilderness.
Here are a few of the images we have from our brief stay at Capital Reef. These are from the park itself. We’ll post others from our trips up into the Dixie National Forest, the Escalante Grand Staircase, and Bryce Canyon as soon as time permits.
We’ve apparently dodged the smoke in the west, or at least most of it for now. We arrived in Moab Utah a few days ago and discovered pristine blue skys with deep red rocks.
It’s an interesting story that the first time we went to Walt Disney World many years ago, we were amused with the ride Big Thunder Mountain. We were absolutely sure that Disney’s choice of color for the rocks on the ride, which is set in the American Southwest, must have taken a great deal of artistic interpretation. The rocks are so vivid and bright that we were sure nothing so red could exist for real in nature.
You can get to Arches National Park by heading south from I-70 to Moab in southeastern Utah. Moab is about 30 miles from I-70.
Then we came to Moab, with Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Deadhorse Point State Park, and more. Even the valley where Moab sits is surrounded by a deep red Entrada Sandstone.
We’re still working on our Arches photos, but we’ve put together a few that can be seen now. Have a look at some of our favorites here:
Capitol Reef National Park is one of the most interesting places in the southwest. The Waterpocket Fold opens up several hundred million years worth of geology in breathtaking sandstone layers. The wind sand, and rain have sculpted the landscape into a place worth seeing.
If you were blindfolded, taken to Goblin Valley and told that you had just walked through a Stargate and were now on the mysterious red planet Entrada Prime, it might just be believable. Goblin Valley State Park near Hanksville, Utah, is just that kind of place. Just a little imagination, and you can easily pretend that you’re not on Earth any longer. In fact, portions of the space comedy “Galaxy Quest” were filmed here because of the unusual shapes of the rocks. In the movie, some of the rocks were alive and attacked Tim Allen!
In the red rocks of Utah, almost everyone has seen the famous Delicate Arch of Arches National Park. While most people haven’t actually walked up to it in person, they’ve at least seen it on the Utah State license plates. The walk up to Delicate Arch is three miles round trip, and is a bit more than some people want to tackle.
There’s another arch that attracts a lot of attention too, and it’s just ½ mile round trip from the closest parking area. That’s Mesa Arch. Mesa Arch is located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. It’s popularity probably comes from the extreme red glow it seems to emanate, and the close proximity for viewing when you arrive. You can almost reach out and touch it, but not quite. Continue reading →
