
National Park ยท Utah
NPS Photo
National park in Utah, United States
Capitol Reef National Park is a national park of the United States in south-central Utah. The park is approximately 60 miles (100ย km) long on its northโsouth axis and just 6 miles (10ย km) wide on its east-west axis, on average. The park was established in 1971 to preserve 241,904 acres of desert landscape and is open all year, with May through September receiving the most visitors.
Located in south-central Utah in the heart of red rock country, Capitol Reef National Park is a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes, and bridges in the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic monocline (a wrinkle on the earth) extending almost 100 miles.





Capitol Reef is a 24 hour park, open all day, every day. The visitor center is open daily, except for some major holidays. Visitor center hours vary, call 435-425-3791 and follow the prompts for current visitor center information.
| mon | tue | wed | thu | fri | sat | sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Day | All Day | All Day | All Day | All Day | All Day | All Day |
Entrance - Private Vehicle: $20.00. An entrance fee is charged per vehicle. Entrance - Motorcycle: $15.00. Valid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers. Entrance - Per Person: $10.00. Admits one individual with no car. Typically used for bicyclists and pedestrians. Commercial Entrance - Per Person: $10.00. Commercial Road-Based Tours are required to obtain a Commercial Use Authorization before visiting Capitol Reef. When visiting the park, the tour must then pay the separate entrance fee at the visitor center (or through pay.gov). Tours with vehicle capacity of 15 or less should apply for a CUA in the "Guided Interpretive Tours" category. Tours of this size fall under the Guided Activities entry fee structure. Commercial Entrance - Mini-bus: $100.00. Commercial Road-Based Tours are required to obtain a Commercial Use Authorization before visiting Capitol Reef National Park. When visiting the park, the tour must then pay the separate entrance fee at the visitor center (or through pay.gov). Vehicle capacity of 16 seats or greater: $100.00 entrance fee Commercial Entrance - Motor Coach: $100.00. Commercial Road-Based Tours are required to obtain a Commercial Use Authorization before visiting Capitol Reef National Park. When visiting the park, the tour must then pay the separate entrance fee at the visitor center (or through pay.gov). Vehicle capacity of 16 seats or greater: $100.00 entrance fee Commercial Entrance - Per Person: $10.00. Guided Activities include all types of guided services, such as bike and motorcycle tours, hiking guides, photography classes, hiking shuttles, and road-based commercial tours with vehicles <16 capacity. Guided activity groups are charged the per person fee of $10.00 per client, excluding the trip leader or guide. If a client has an America the Beautiful Resident pass (annual, senior, access, etc.) it covers 4 people in the group. (Non-resident annual passes cover only the pass owner.)
Popular activities at Capitol Reef National Park include: Arts and Culture, Cultural Demonstrations, Astronomy, Stargazing, Biking, Road Biking, Camping, Backcountry Camping.
Weather is posted daily; check at the park visitor center for weather updates. Do not enter into narrow canyons if there is a threat of rain or if rain has been falling in the area. Rain and snow may also make dirt roads impassable to vehicles.
From I-70: Take exit 149, then take UT-24 west toward Hanksville; continue for 43.8 miles (70.5 km). Turn right to continue on UT-24 west and continue for 37.3 miles (60 km). From I-15: take exit 188 then US-50 east toward Scipio. Left on UT-50; continuing 0.7 miles (1.1 km). Turn right onto US-50 east; continue for 24.4 miles (39.3 km). Turn right onto UT-260 south and continue 4.2 miles (6.8 km), then right on UT-24 for 71.3 miles. UT-12: North on highway 12 to Torrey, UT. Right onto UT-24.
An entrance fee is charged per vehicle.
Valid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers.
Admits one individual with no car. Typically used for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Commercial Road-Based Tours are required to obtain a Commercial Use Authorization before visiting Capitol Reef. When visiting the park, the tour must then pay the separate entrance fee at the visitor center (or through pay.gov). Tours with vehicle capacity of 15 or less should apply for a CUA in the "Guided Interpretive Tours" category. Tours of this size fall under the Guided Activities entry fee structure.
Commercial Road-Based Tours are required to obtain a Commercial Use Authorization before visiting Capitol Reef National Park. When visiting the park, the tour must then pay the separate entrance fee at the visitor center (or through pay.gov). Vehicle capacity of 16 seats or greater: $100.00 entrance fee
Commercial Road-Based Tours are required to obtain a Commercial Use Authorization before visiting Capitol Reef National Park. When visiting the park, the tour must then pay the separate entrance fee at the visitor center (or through pay.gov). Vehicle capacity of 16 seats or greater: $100.00 entrance fee
Guided Activities include all types of guided services, such as bike and motorcycle tours, hiking guides, photography classes, hiking shuttles, and road-based commercial tours with vehicles <16 capacity. Guided activity groups are charged the per person fee of $10.00 per client, excluding the trip leader or guide. If a client has an America the Beautiful Resident pass (annual, senior, access, etc.) it covers 4 people in the group. (Non-resident annual passes cover only the pass owner.)
Weather is posted daily; check at the park visitor center for weather updates. Do not enter into narrow canyons if there is a threat of rain or if rain has been falling in the area. Rain and snow may also make dirt roads impassable to vehicles.
From I-70: Take exit 149, then take UT-24 west toward Hanksville; continue for 43.8 miles (70.5 km). Turn right to continue on UT-24 west and continue for 37.3 miles (60 km). From I-15: take exit 188 then US-50 east toward Scipio. Left on UT-50; continuing 0.7 miles (1.1 km). Turn right onto US-50 east; continue for 24.4 miles (39.3 km). Turn right onto UT-260 south and continue 4.2 miles (6.8 km), then right on UT-24 for 71.3 miles. UT-12: North on highway 12 to Torrey, UT. Right onto UT-24.
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