We visited Capitol Reef National Park with kids in early-May (our two kids were 5 & 3 years old at the time). We must admit that prior to deciding to go on a family road trip to Utah, we had never heard of Capitol Reef National Park. We were well aware of Utah’s other four super-star national parks, so we were intrigued to find out they had a fifth national park.
After reading up on things to do in Capitol Reef with kids and finding there were plenty of kid-friendly hikes, we decided to give it a shot and we are very happy we did. We spent four days in Capitol Reef National Park with kids enjoying all the beauty this amazing Utah national park has to offer.
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Kid-Friendly Hikes in Capitol Reef National Park
As with our visits to the other four Utah national parks, we found hiking to be one of the best things to do in Capitol Reef National Park with kids. There really is no better way to truly experience Capitol Reef with kids. We also made sure to stop at the Capitol Reef National Park visitor center to learn about the park and get their Junior Ranger badges.
Here are our picks for the best kid-friendly hikes in Capitol Reef National Park:
The Hickman Bridge trail is one of the most popular kid-friendly hikes in Capitol Reef National Park. This 1.8 mile / 2.7km hike begins with a nice walk along the Fremont River, then transitions to a moderate climb which provides immediate payoff with views of the surrounding cliffs and valley.
The Hickman Bridge trail soon enters a scenic valley with many large and small caves which kids of all ages will have fun exploring. The hike pays off at the Hickman Bridge, a 133-foot natural stone bridge nestled in a beautiful setting.
Note, that the National Parks Service rated this hike as “moderate”, but we respectfully disagree. We felt the Hickman Bridge Trail was a pretty easy Capitol Reef hike…
Facilities: There are washrooms in the parking lot, but no water station for your hydration packs.
Chimney Rock is a natural stone tower in Capitol Reef National Park easily seen from Highway 24. A towering hulk of rock, Chimney Rock measures in over 300 feet tall. At a minimum, you should pull into the parking lot and take a closer look at this natural wonder, but even better, you can hike up the adjacent mesa and look down on it.
The view down onto Chimney Rock is immensely satisfying, but there is much more to this Capitol Reef hike than that. The views of the valley from the top of the mesa are incredible and the topography of the land is very beautiful with many valleys and cliffs looming overhead.
As you might imagine, the 3.6 mile / 5.6km Chimney Rock Loop trail has a decent amount of uphill hiking, but it’s not as bad as you’d think – both our 3 & 5 year old kids did all the climbing themselves with no help.
If you do the Chimney Rock loop in a counter-clockwise direction, you get all the climbing out of the way early and then you can enjoy a leisurely downhill stroll for the duration of this kid-friendly Capitol Reef hike.
Facilities: There are washrooms at the Chimney Rock trailhead.
The Capitol Gorge Trail has something for everyone, making it one of the best Capitol Reef family hikes. Adults will appreciate the raw beauty of the narrow gorge with its mighty walls looming overhead, while kids will love running wild through the sandy bottom of the gorge, able to be free without the risk of getting lost.
Throw in some cowboy history, petroglyphs and 100 year old graffiti and you’ve got a fun half-day outing exploring this short, kid-friendly Capitol Reef hike.
The final approach of the drive to the Capitol Gorge Trail along Capitol Gorge Road is every bit as scenic and fun as the hike itself, so even if you can’t do this easy hike, you can still enjoy this very scenic Capitol Reef drive.
Facilities: There are washrooms at the Capitol Gorge trailhead.
We felt this was one of the best hikes in Capitol Reef, and perhaps even our best hike in Utah from our 23 day road trip. It’s actually three separate one-way Capitol Reef hikes stitched together to form a single 8.2 mile / 13.2 km one-way hike.
The Frying Pan, Cassidy Arch and Grand Wash trail is a difficult hike, but we loved it so much as it had all of the elements which make Utah hiking so special. Among the many, many highlights of this hard Capitol Reef hike are outstanding views of the Kolab Canyon and the Cassidy Arch.
If you are interested in this outstanding Capitol Reef hike, read about more on the highlights and the special logistical considerations in our full blog post on this hike.
What to Bring to Capitol Reef with Kids
The most important consideration when visiting Capitol Reef National Park with kids is to protect them against the sun. For sun protection we recommend kids wear hiking hats and sunscreen, while carrying hydration packs for the adults and kids will help keep everyone hydrated.
The National Parks Service Junior Ranger program encourages kids to pick up 3 pieces of garbage on every hike. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone did that? At a minimum, bring a small garbage bag to carry out your own trash, and even better carry out someone else’s too.
If you plan on doing a lot of hiking in Capitol Reef with your kids, take a moment to check out our Tips for Hiking with Kids and the Best Hiking Gear for Kids. The miles will go faster and you’ll all have more fun with these hiking songs for kids.
Kid-Friendly Capitol Reef Restaurants
Gifford Homestead
The Fruita Valley is a charming little oasis in the middle of the Utah desert, where early Mormon settler planted large fruit orchards. Built in Fruita in 1908, the Gifford Homestead now makes homemade fruit pies, preserves and more. The Gifford Homestead pies are so coveted that they sell out early in the morning most days.
One day we were lucky enough to get to the Gifford Homestead early enough to get a strawberry-rhubarb pie that was still warm from the oven. We abandoned our plan to bring the pie on our Capitol Reef hike and devoured it at one of the picnic tables on the front lawn.
The Gifford Homestead is a must-visit kid-friendly food experience while in Capitol Reef.
Torrey Grill BBQ
The Torrey Grill BBQ is an interesting one… It’s located in the heart of a RV Park just outside Torrey, UT.
This kid-friendly Capitol Reef restaurant is inside a rustic cabin-like building with indoor picnic tables, rocks on the floor and a firepit in the center. It’s a very cool setting for a bbq shack indeed. The smoked meat sold here is excellent (ribs, chicken, salmon, steak, etc) and the side dishes are equally high quality.
Don’t be fooled by the casual location and setting though – this is fine dining. Chef Peter Cole is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America (with honors) and has settled in Utah to explore his passions for hiking and barbecue.
We tell you this to help you set your expectations, as we typically walk into a BBQ joint expecting to leave so full I can barely walk, but that didn’t happen here.
Given the fine dining element of the Torrey Grill BBQ, the prices are higher than a typical BBQ shack in Utah and the portions are smaller (an order of ribs is 1/4 rack). Again, they were excellent ribs, but we wish there were about 9 more ribs on our plates – haha!
Bhindas Curry Pizza
Here’s something we didn’t expect to find in a rural Utah restaurant – a hybrid Indian food / pizza joint. It’s so good it was featured on the Food TV show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, starring Guy Fieri.
The owner of Bhindas Curry was a super-friendly guy who went out of his way to make our kids feel special. Based on his recommendation, we ordered the house special called the ‘Bhinda Pizza” with chicken tikka, paneer, mozzarella, garlic, ginger, cauliflower, mushrooms, green & red onion, jalapenos, fresh basil, cilantro, garlic salt, & fenugreek on curry.
Gotta admit – it was very unique and a pretty damn good pizza… In addition to the creative Indian pizzas, they also carry the full slate of normal pizzas as well.
Where to Stay in Capitol Reef with Kids
We travel a lot as a family and our favorite kid-friendly accommodations are typically a vacation rental from Airbnb or VRBO. We appreciate the family-friendly amenities such as separate bedrooms, a full kitchen and laundry facilities.
Capitol Reef National Park was our final stop on our family trip to Utah and to this point we had only stayed in hotels and campgrounds. We were so happy to finally kick back and relax in a charming house rental in Teasdale, not far from the Capitol Reef National Park.
Related: 7 Tips to Find the Best Airbnb with Kids
Capitol Reef Camping
For Capitol Reef camping, the Fruita Campground is the only official campground within the park. An oasis in the desert, the Fruita Campground is on the banks of the Fremont River and surrounded by orchards. Beware, you are so close to the Gifford Homestead you can probably smell the pies cooking!
Kid-Friendly Hotels Near Capitol Reef National Park
For those who prefer a hotel while in Capitol Reef National Park with kids, these are the top rated family-friendly hotels near Capitol Reef National Park:
- Cougar Ridge Lodge – Casitas: This 4-star hotel near Capitol Reef National Park has 1 or 2 bedroom family rooms – perfect to help everyone get a good night’s sleep after a day of hiking in Capitol Reef.
- The Noor Hotel: The closest kid-friendly hotel to Capitol Reef National Park.
- Broken Spur Inn: Stay in an old fashioned covered wagon, complete with a double bed for the adults and bunk beds for the kids!
- Austin’s Chuckwagon Motel: One of the highest rated kid-friendly hotels near Capitol Reef, Austin’s Chuckwagon Motel offers 2 or 3 bedroom family suites.
For more family-friendly hotels near Capitol Reef National Park, we recommend using Booking.com for their excellent “Top Picks for Families” search results. We use Booking.com for nearly all our family-friendly hotel stays.
Visiting Other Utah National Parks with Kids
No trip to Utah would be complete without a visit to all of the Mighty 5 National Parks! We’ve got you covered with detailed posts on all the hikes we did and where we stayed here:
- Ultimate Guide to Bryce Canyon National Park with Kids
- Arches National Park with Kids
- Canyonlands National Park with Kids
- Zion National Park with Kids.
We also highly recommend a stop at Goblin Valley State Park with kids!
More National Parks with Kids
Visiting national parks with our kids is one of our favorite things to do when traveling with kids. If your family vacation plans extend beyond Utah, check out our list of amazing national parks for families.
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Dan Brewer is an intrepid family travel blogger with a passion for exploring the world's most captivating destinations. With 58 countries under his belt and a sense of wanderlust that knows no bounds, he has made it his life's mission to share his travel experiences and insights with fellow families who love to travel.
When Dan isn't traveling with his wife and kids, he's either out enjoying the Canadian Rockies he calls home or working on one of his three travel sites (Family Can Travel, Travel Banff Canada and Ultimate Sports Road Trip).