The next morning, we got up bright and early. We needed to cram in as much of Capitol Reef National Park as we could before heading back to Salt Lake City in the afternoon. It was going to be a jam packed day and we couldn’t be more excited to start exploring

First stop was the gas station convenience store because we couldn’t afford losing valuable time with a sit-down breakfast. Who has time for that?  Moreover, when we go to National Parks, we like spending every waking moment being outside especially during breakfast. So, we grabbed some ready-made ham and cheese sandwiches, boiled eggs, some hot coffee, and headed to Chimney Rock.

Chimney Rock is a rock formation that juts out 300 feet from the ground. It is an impressive pinnacle of Moenkopi Shale that rises from the desert and seems to touch the sky. There is a 3.5 hike that loops around the top of the rock but our plan was to just have some quick breakfast while soaking in the view.

Next stop was Panorama Point. Although it’s registered as a hike, I would describe it as a 100 feet walk to a high point. While not much of a hike, it is one of the best places at Capitol Reef to get a panorama view of all the different rock formations. It is a very serene spot and definitely one of those places that makes you think just how little we are in this grand world.

The next stop was the Fruita schoolhouse which is a historic schoolhouse in the town of Fruita. Over a hundred years ago, when eight families moved from the midwest to settle here, the children needed a place to gain education. In this tiny one room building, the kids went thru eight grades of education. Can you imagine the ruckus created by just one misbehaving kid?!?

A short drive from the schoolhouse, there is an area with boardwalk that’s dedicated to looking at Petroglyphs. A petroglyph is a prehistoric rock carving. The Fremont and Ancestral Puebloan people lived here between 600-1300 A.D and used the carvings to tell stories about nature, humans, and the world around them. This was our first time looking at something that we had only read about in textbooks and the clarity of something that could have been carved almost a thousand years ago was mind boggling. Since there is no text associated with petroglyphs, it is fun to let your imagination run wild. Nisheet think the carvings were of aliens that originally inhabited Utah. I think they must have had their own version of The Jetsons cartoon.

We finally reached to our hike of the day Hickman’s Bridge. Our research told us that this hike gives the best views of the park’s namesake Capitol Reef and ends at a natural bridge called Hickman’s bridge. Our research told us that this hike gives the best views of the park’s namesake Capitol Reef and ends at a natural bridge called Hickman’s bridge.

When we arrived, the parking lot at the trailhead was already full. This didn’t mean it was crowded by any means though. It was a tiny parking lot. Plus, there was still plenty of parking available on side of road. We can’t imagine what a busy summer day must look like. You’d have to go on a hike just to get to the trail.

Nisheet had been commenting earlier that although the scenery in Capitol Reef was breathtaking, it seemed unchanging. Well he got his wish for change on this hike. The trail meandered thru several types of geological features. We saw cacti, sand, volcano rocks, and rainfalls. The color of the cliffs and rocks were also different. They were more white than the red we had been staring at for the past day.

After a short and relatively easy hike, we came into view of Hickman’s Bridge. Just like the name says, it is a natural bridge. And a beautiful one at that. The only problem was it was a bit tricky to photograph since the background is also rock. That just meant we had to put down the camera and admire stunning view.

After our little hike and big morning, we were ready for a break and a snack. And, we were in luck. In Fruita, just beyond the visitor center, was the Gifford Homestead selling their famous fruit pies. We debated over all the delicious looking pies and finally settles on cherry pie. You can’t go wrong with cherry. It was absolutely scrumptious and filled with the juiciest cherries that really hit the spot.

We were in our own little slice of heaven with the pie and scenery, but alas the time had come for us to head back to Salt Lake City. As I mentioned in the previous post, the drive down to Capitol Reef was nothing to write home about. So, on the recommendation of the hotel staff, we took a different route back. We drove east out of the park and then north on 24 and 191. Oh my goodness. We couldn’t stop pulling off the road to gape at the stunning views. Simply amazing. It was a fantastic way to wrap up our quick weekend getaway.