Hiking Capitol Reef National Park and Goblin Valley State Park
Capitol Reef National Park, you sure are bea-UTAH-ful! Located 2.5 hours from Moab (3.5 hours from Salt Lake City), this park is small but mighty. The entirety of the park is about 20 miles end to end, yet most of the hikes are listed as ‘strenuous’ due to elevation gain.
What was unique about this trip is that we camped! I haven’t camped since high school so I was looking forward to it and boy was it fun! We were lucky enough to secure a campsite inside the park at Fruita Campground. If you can, I highly recommend this spot because it was perfectly shaded and not too crowded.
Another beautiful addition to this campground was Chestnut Orchard. It was filled with tons of apple and pear trees that you could pick and enjoy during your stay. Along with the orchard, there was an amphitheater for children to visit and a nice walking path near a river to enjoy your early morning coffee or after dinner family walk.
HIKES TO DO
We were only at Capitol Reef for two days so we didn’t hit everything, but here are some highlights of what we were able to accomplish! NOTE: If you have a couple days to spend here, definitely check out Goblin Valley State Park nearby as well (56.7 miles from Capitol Reef).
CASSIDY ARCH VIA GRAND WASH
Trail: 3.4 miles roundtrip, 700 ft elevation gain
Cassidy Arch was our first hike and it was huge! The first chunk of this hike is all stairs/steps so be prepared for that! Once you’re at the top of the rock, the entire trail provides panoramic views of beautiful rock formations and canyons. NOTE: There is zero shade on this trail so I advise wearing a hat for sun protection.
GOOSENECKS TO SUNSET POINT TRAIL
Trail: 0.8 miles roundtrip
Although this trail was short, it was absolutely stunning! This 0.8 mile roundtrip trail brought you to a giant, open canyon providing you with one incredible view. From the East, the mountains and rock formations lit up shades of orange and red from the sun setting. From the West, the canyon darkened as the sky began to light up. I highly recommend this trail for sunset (hence the name)!
HICKMAN BRIDGE
Trail: 1.8 miles roundtrip, 450 ft elevation gain
Hickman Bridge is the most well-known trail at Capitol Reef! What was unique about this hike was its history. Throughout the hike, there are numbered markers that each provide a historic story about where you’re standing or what you’re looking at. You can find pamphlets that align with the markers at the start of the trail in a small brown box. There’s 17 markers and each one corresponds with a number on the pamphlet. It was an awesome experience!
SCENIC DRIVE
If you’d like to escape the heat while still being able to see some awesome views, hop in the car for a Scenic Drive! During your 20 miles roundtrip excursion, you’ll see various rock formations including Capitol Gorge and Golden Throne.
OTHER POPULAR TRAILS
Capitol Gorge - 2 miles roundtrip, out & back
Grand Wash Trail - 4.4 miles roundtrip, out & back
Cohab Canyon - 3. 4 miles roundtrip, out & back
Fremont River - 2 miles roundtrip, out & back
GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK
We finally got to explore the hoodoos. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, hoodoos, referred to locally as goblins, are the mushroom-shaped rock formations shown below. What’s cool about these rock formations is that they’re climbable. To Mike and I, it was like a giant playground. The main hoodoo area is called Valley of the Goblins and you can enter the valley from the Observation Point picnic area. Valley of the Goblins is an open area to explore at your leisure so enjoy!
GOBLIN’S LAIR VIA CARMEL CANYON
Other than climbing rocks within the Valley of Goblins, we hiked Goblin’s Lair. This trail was 3 miles roundtrip with an additional 0.25 miles to Goblette’s Lair.
The trailhead starts on Carmel Canyon Trail Loop and then you will eventually reach a sign where it splits off to Goblin’s Lair. To me, Carmel Canyon Trail Loop was not clearly marked. You do have to look pretty far ahead to find a sign in order to know if you’re going in the right direction. Since you’re walking on mostly sand, the trail markers will be brown tall signs sticking out of the ground.
Goblin’s Lair
Goblette’s Lair
This trail was moderate with some incline, however when arriving to each lair, the incline does get steeper. NOTE: When entering each lair, be careful! There’s tons of loose rock and does require some rock climbing to get inside.
I will say, Goblin’s Lair was SO cool! It’s absolutely huge and was awesome to explore since it was very different than just seeing another rock formation. This should be your #1 hike if you make it to Goblin Valley.
OTHER TRAILS
Goblin Valley Trail - moderate, 3.5 miles out & back
Carmel Canyon Trail - strenuous, 1.2 mile loop
Curtis Bench Trail - easy, 2 miles out & back
Molly’s Castle Spur Trail - moderate, 2.8 miles out & back
SLOT CANYONS
10 minutes outside of Goblin Valley are two slot canyons that were on our list but didn’t have time to hit.
Little Wild Horse - 4.5 miles
Bell Canyon Loop - 3.6 miles
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Wear sunscreen and have sun protection via a hat
Bring lots of water!
Explore everything Goblin Valley has to offer, it truly is a unique place to visit
Camp at Fruita Campground when visiting Capitol Reef National Park!
Looking for more recommendations in Utah? Check out my articles on Moab, Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.
Zion + Bryce Canyon are coming soon!