Capitol Reef National Park, a hidden gem in the heart of Utah’s red rock country, is home to some of the best epic hikes in the Southwest.
I first visited Capitol Reef in 2023, and like a lot of first-time visitors, I didn’t have high expectations for the least-visited Utah National Park. But I couldn’t have been more wrong! In Capitol Reef I discovered a wonderland of canyons, mesas, rugged scenic drives, indigenous and pioneer history – and of course tons of iconic hikes!
From iconic arches likes Hickman Natural Bridge and Cassidy Arch, exploring canyons like the Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge, and rugged off-road slot canyons like Headquarters Canyon, this guide includes all the must-do hikes in Capitol Reef.
What’s great about Capitol Reef is that most of these hikes are relatively short and easy enough for the whole family to enjoy. Of course, if you’re looking for a challenging trail or rugged slot canyon, this Park absolutely has those too!
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Quick Look at the Best Hikes In Capitol Reef National Park
Every hike on this list brings something unique to the table, but these are my can’t miss hikes for a first time visit to Capitol Reef National Park:
- Best Family-Friendly Hike in Capitol Reef: Hickman Bridge
- Best Moderate Hike in Capitol Reef: Cassidy Arch
- Best Slot Canyon Hike in Capitol Reef: Headquarters Canyon
- Best Sunset Hike in Capitol Reef: Goosenecks Overlook / Sunset Point
Map of the Best Hikes in Capitol Reef National Park
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Getting Around Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park is a long and narrow Park, with few paved, and many unpaved roads. Without careful planning, getting from one trailhead to another can take hours and lots of bumpy backroads driving. If you want the perfect pre-planned itinerary that takes you to the most popular hikes on this list, check out my epic one day Capitol Reef itinerary.
I’ve broken up this list of the best hikes in Capitol Reef National Park into three geographic districts: the Fruita District, Cathedral Valley District, and the Waterpocket Fold District.
2024 Update: Capitol Reef Scenic Drive will be closed April 29, 2024 to October 31, 2024 for repairs. To access Cassidy Arch during this time, park at the Grand Wash northwest trailhead on Highway 24, a moderate 6.5 mi round trip hike to Cassidy Arch through the Grand Wash. Get directions to this trailhead and trail information, here.
Fruita District Hikes in Capitol Reef
Most of the trailheads on this list are located in the Fruita District, which is the hub of the Park, located in the northern sections, accessible by Highway 24 from outside the Park.
Both Highway 24 and the Scenic Drive are well-maintained paved roads, and open year-round, except during flooding and winter storms.
Grand Wash Road, Capitol Gorge Road, and Goosenecks Point Road are all unpaved, but generally well-maintained dirt and gravel roads.
From what I could see, most sedans driving carefully will have no problem driving these roads. During my visit, I drove my Mazda CX5 small AWD SUV without any problems.
Goosenecks Overlook / Sunset Point
- Location: Fruita District / Highway 24
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 2.5 miles round trip
- Elevation Gain: 300′
- AllTrails Trail Map
Goosenecks Overlook and Sunset Point offer incredible vistas of Capitol Reef National Park and the Waterpocket fold. These were some of my favorite easy hikes in the Park. These spots are particularly popular spot for sunset.
To access the trail, continue past the paved Panorama Point onto the dirt and gravel Goosenecks Point Road. From the parking area, hike first along a short trail leads to Goosenecks Point, with spectacular views of the long cliffs and deep canyons that surround you.
From here, follow the 0.4 dirt trail to Sunset Point. From this vantage point, you’ve got 360 views of orange and red canyons and cliffs of Capitol Reef.
Hickman Bridge Trail
- Location: Fruita District / Highway 24
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
- Distance: 1.7 miles round trip
- Elevation Gain: 400′
- AllTrails Trail Map
The short hike to Hickman Bridge is one of the most famous and favorite hikes in Capitol Reef National Park. If it’s your first visit to Capitol Reef, this is one of those “must-do” hikes you can’t leave the park without seeing!
Hickman Bridge trail is a 1.7-mile round trip hike with a moderate uphill climb. From the parking area, the trail follows the river for a bit, before steadily climbing up into the Waterpocket Fold.
At the end, you’re rewarded with an up close view of Hickman Bridge, a natural stone bridge spanning 133 feet – one of the largest in the park.
Cassidy Arch
- Location: Fruita District / Grand Wash Road
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 3.1 miles
- Elevation Gain: 685′
- AllTrails Trail Map
Massive Cassidy Arch is probably one of the most iconic spots in Capitol Reef. This moderate hike was one of my absolute favorites when I visited, and a must-do when visiting Capitol Reef. Cassidy Arch is named after the notorious outlaw Butch Cassidy, who frequented the area and may have used the wash as a hideout between robbing banks, trains, and running from the law.
Park at the Grand Wash trailhead and head into the sandy canyon ahead of you.
Do not enter the Grand Wash during rain or when storms are present in the area. Stay flash flood aware while traveling in this area.
After a short 0.2 miles, keep an eye out on the left for signs pointing to Cassidy Arch.
To get to Cassidy Arch, follow the trail up a short series of switchbacks to the rim of the Grand Wash. From there , the trail follows a semi-narrow ledge along the edge of the canyon before reaching Cassidy Arch.
The arch itself is massive, rising 400 feet above the wash below. If you’re lucky, like I was, you might see climbers and canyoneers preparing to rappel into the canyon below.
Grand Wash & Cassidy Arch via Northeast Trailhead
- Location: Fruita District / Highway 24
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 4.7 miles or less
- Elevation Gain: 300′
- AllTrail Trail Map
The Grand Wash trail in Capitol Reef National Park is a great hike for both beginners or hikers looking for a longer challenge. The Grand Wash is a little less than 2.5 miles long, and is accessible from both Capitol Reef Scenic Drive and Highway 24.
Most visitors enter the Grand Wash from the Scenic Drive and head straight towards the turnoff for Cassidy Arch.
But after doing both, I much preferred hiking the quieter Northeast Trailhead on Highway 24. From here you can explore the canyon with far fewer crowds.
From the Northeast Trailhead, hike about 1 mile to the Grand Wash “Narrows” – a narrow section of the canyon that while not technically a slot canyon, feels a lot like a dry version of hiking Zion’s famous Narrows trek.
From the Northeast Trailhead, a round trip a hike through the Wash plus a visit to Cassidy Arch and back is about 5.7 miles, taking 2 – 3 hours to complete.
Cohab Canyon
- Location: Fruita District / Scenic Drive
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 3 miles
- Elevation Gain: 800′
- AllTrails Trail Map
Hike this short but steep out-and-back trail to hidden Cohab Canyon. You can access this trail from two ends: from Capitol Reef Scenic Drive in front of the Gifford Homestead and Fruita Campground, or Highway 24, across from the Hickman Bridge trailhead.
From the Scenic Drive trailhead, the trail climbs a number of steep switchbacks before entering Cohab Canyon.
Take the optional spur trails to the North and South Fruita Overlooks. From here you get a sene of just how much an “oasis” the lush greenery of Fruita is compared with the surrounding desert – thanks to the Fremont River.
Capitol Gorge: Pioneer Register & The Tanks
- Location: Fruita District / Capitol Gorge Road
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 2.2 miles
- Elevation Gain: 400′
- AllTrails Trail Map
Walk in the footsteps Capitol Reef’s early settlers and pioneers. Early visitors passed through the Capitol Gorge through the Waterpocket Fold, and many left their mark – literally – high on the gorge’s sandstone wall.
From the Capitol Gorge trailhead, it’s an easy 0.5 miles into the gorge to view the historic Pioneer Register. Here you can see dozens of names carved high up on the canyon wall. The earliest names were carved by prospectors in 1871. If you look closely you can see notes left by cowboys, miners, settlers, and many of Fruita’s founding families.
Please practice Leave No Trace and don’t add or deface any of the carvings or ancient petroglyphs found throughout the Park.
Keep going another 0.3 miles to reach the turn off trail to the Capitol Gorge Water Tanks. The ‘Tanks’ are naturally occurring basins in the sandstone, which collect and hold rainwater that seeps down from above.
Return to the trailhead via the same trail.
Golden Throne Trail
- Location: Fruita District / Capitol Gorge Road
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 3.5 miles
- Elevation Gain: 780′
- AllTrails Trail Map
This hike offers stunning views of the park’s famous golden-colored rock formation, known as The Golden Throne.
I didn’t get a chance to hike this trail (but it was on my list) due to the crazy summer heatwave, but I heard good things!
The trail starts at the Capitol Gorge trailhead, and climbs steadily up the Waterpocket Fold and above the Capitol Gorge. Along the way, you’ll have panoramic viewpoints overlooking Capitol Reef’s sandstone formations and surrounding mountains.
There’s basically no shade on this trail, so make sure to bring plenty of sun protection, plan your hike for early in the day, and download the GPS map before heading out.
Chimney Rock
- Location: Fruita District / Highway 24
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 3.3 miles
- Elevation Gain: 800′
- AllTrails Trail Map
For 360-degree views of Capitol Reef’s rock formations and the surrounding high-desert, check out the moderate trail to Chimney Rock.
The trailhead is located just off Highway 24 east of the visitor center. The first 0.5 miles of this lollipop-loop are a steep incline up a series of switchbacks, but from here the trail mostly flattens out into an easy to moderate loop trail to a number of overlooks and viewpoints.
You can hike the loop in either direction, but I suggest heading clockwise (right at the junction) climbing up towards Chimney Rock for another 0.5 mile, with a gentle descent for the rest of the hike.
Once again, bring plenty of water and sun protection, as there is basically no shade on this trail.
Navajo Knobs Trail
- Location: Fruita District / Highway 24
- Difficulty: Hard
- Distance: 9.1 miles
- Elevation Gain: 2,140′
- AllTrails Trail Map
Tackle one of the hardest day-hikes in Capitol Reef National Park on this long, steep, but rewarding Navajo Knobs Trail.
Starting at the same trailhead as Hickman Bridge, this out-and-back hike starts off on relatively flat terrain through a valley before beginning to climb up switchbacks towards the knobby ridgeline.
At about the 1 mile mark, take the short spur trail to the Hickman Bridge overlook for a view of this massive sandstone arch from above.
Continue hiking another mile to reach the Rim Overlook with incredible views of Fruita, Highway 24 and the rest of Capitol Reef National Park, below.
The final push to the summit is steep and exposed, with a little bit of rock scrambling throw in for good measure. Once you reach the top you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree views of Capitol Reef’s landscape.
Waterpocket Fold District Hikes in Capitol Reef
Get up close and personal to the beating heart of Capitol Reef, the Waterpocket Fold, in this remote southern section of the park. The Waterpocket fold can be accessed by multiple unpaved roads that criss-cross throughout the Park, and adjacent BLM lands and neighboring towns.
The most common driving route through this district is the “Loop the Fold” route. The entire loop is 125 miles and takes about 4-5 hours to drive, but I recommend devoting an entire day to exploring the many slot canyons and side trails along the way.
I completed this epic drive in my mid-size SUV with AWD during my visit. It was remote, rugged, and absolutely epic!
Important: When exploring a remote slot canyons, take extra precautions including bringing a GPS or map, and telling a park ranger and trusted friend your plans.
Never enter this narrow canyon when it is raining or when storms are approaching. Check flash flood warnings and ratings before hiking.
Talk to a ranger before embarking on either of these drives to learn about current road conditions. You can also pick up a map and in-depth guide to each of these drive in the Visitor Center.
Headquarters Canyon
- Location: Waterpocket Fold District / Burr Trail Road
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 2.6 miles
- Elevation Gain: 650′
- AllTrails Trail Map
Explore one of Capitol Reef’s hidden slot canyons in Headquarters Canyon, one of my favorites hikes I did during my visit to Capitol Reef National Park.
Starting at the Burr Trail Road, follow the sign for the single track trail hike crosses the open desert for 0.6 miles before entering the colorful and narrow canyon.
At it’s narrowest, the canyon is only a few feet wide. You can follow the canyon until it dead ends and return the way you came.
Keep an eye out for poison oak, which I saw quite a bit of in the shady areas of the canyon beyond the slot.
Surprise Canyon
- Location: Waterpocket Fold District / Burr Trail Road
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 2 miles
- Elevation Gain: 630′
- AllTrails Trail Map
Another one of Capitol Reef’s slot canyon hikes, explore Surprise Canyon, located a short distance from Headquarters Canyon in the remote Waterpocket Fold district of the Park.
This trail is slightly shorter and less dramatic than nearby Headquarters Canyon, but still worth exploring.
Follow the sign for Surprise Canyon along a single track dirt trail across the dry wash for 0.5 miles to the Canyon entrance. Once inside, the canyon is mostly sandy and flat before becoming impassable after about 0.5 miles.
Cathedral Valley District Hikes in Capitol Reef
Cathedral Valley is a wild, rugged, and remote area of Capitol Reef, located in the far northeast corner of the park. This district is accessible only via the Cathedral Valley Loop Road, a 58 mile dirt, gravel, and sand off-road trail.
A 4×4 and/or high clearance vehicle may be required to access this area of the park, although a high-clearance AWD vehicle may be able to make it under certain conditions. Check with a park ranger before heading out to understand road conditions and find out if you vehicle is up for the challenge!
The few trails in this remote area are not well marked, so make sure to bring a paper map, or download a GPS map before you head out.
Need a map? Don’t forget to download your map and save it to your phone or GPS device before your hike! Get AllTrails+ (the most used trail app on my phone!) to download all your trail maps for offline use. Use my promo code brookeinboots30 to get 30% off your annual AllTrails+ subscription!
Lower Cathedral Valley Overlook
- Location: Cathedral Valley
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 1.7 miles
- Elevation Gain: 150′
- AllTrails Trail Map
Enjoy a beautiful view of Lower Cathedral Valley, including the Temples of the Sun and Moon, from this easy hike in Capitol Reef’s Cathedral Valley district.
This is an off-trail route, so some basic route finding is required. To access the trail, park along Hartnet Road, this AllTrails link has directions to the trailhead coordinates.
A small wooden sign marks the entrance to the route. Follow a path across the flat bushy trail for 0.7 miles before climbing a small ridgeline. From the top, take in views of the vast Cathedral Valley with views of the Temples of the Sun and Moon ahead of you.
Cathedrals Trail
- Location: Cathedral Valley
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 2.5 miles
- Elevation Gain: 324 miles
- AllTrails Trail Map
Most visitors to Capitol Reef’s remote Cathedral Valley come to explore the epic off-road driving, but don’t forget to get out and stretch your legs.
A small wooden sign marks the beginning of this easy and relatively short trail, which takes you through the heart of Cathedral Valley.
Follow the trail past towering monoliths and sandstone formations, including Needle Mountain and Cathedral Mountain.
Tips for Hiking Capitol Reef National Park Trails
Even in winter, the desert sun is relentless, and there is little or no shade on most hikes in Capitol Reef. Try and start any long hikes before 9AM or earlier and plan to finish before the midday heat.
Never enter a canyon or wash when it is raining or when storms are approaching. Check flash flood warnings and ratings every day before entering the Park.
Bring plenty of water (1L per hour), always carry a map or GPS device, and download your trail info before you head into the Park. DO NOT rely on cell phone service in Capitol Reef trust me, you won’t have any out there.
Best Times to Hike in Capitol Reef National Park
Spring and fall are the best times to hike in Capitol Reef, with perfect hiking weather and none of the summer heat or monsoon risks.
You can pick apples, apricots, peaches, and pears in the park’s orchards from June to mid-October.
I visited in July (during a heat wave) and it was hot. If you’re hiking in summer, stay hydrated and avoid the midday sun. Be cautious during monsoon season (July and August) when flash floods can turn trails into rivers.
In winter, expect freezing temps, snow, and possible road closures. You may need to bring MICROspikes if you’re hitting the trails, but you’ll have the park almost entirely to yourself!
Conclusion: Best Hikes in Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park is full of epic and memorable hikes with tons of options for hikers of all levels and abilities.
Make sure to hike prepared, bring plenty of water, be aware of changing weather conditions, and always leave no trace when exploring this, and all our amazing National Parks.
More Adventures in Southern Utah
Ready to explore more of the Southwest’s best adventure destinations? Check out my other guides on these epic Southern Utah destinations:
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Ultimate 2 Days In Zion National Park Itinerary: Plan The Perfect Weekend In Zion
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