If you are just getting started on what we lovingly call our “Epic Trip Out West,” where our family of four drove from Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, hitting all the parks we could in between, start with our FAQs and full itinerary here. Otherwise, here’s the low down on what we learned touring Canyonlands and Capitol Reef National Parks with the family…
DAY SEVEN: Moab to Hatch via Canyonlands and Capitol Reef Parks
Moab to Hatch
Canyonlands National Park (Whale Rock Hike)
Capitol Reef National Park
Lodging: The Ranch House Air B&B
Our original plan had us experiencing Canyonlands on Day Five then driving south and hitting Bryce for a half-day visit on our drive. But it simply didn’t work out. With split parenting for a day, Day Six turned out different. So after checking out of the tent and grabbing a delicious on-the-go breakfast from Sweet Cravings back in Moab, we drove out to Canyonlands.
Everything I (mom) had read said to be sure to stock up on gas and other supplies before heading towards Canyonlands. I shared that information with my carload of people, but was told we were fine. So we came upon Canyonlands park, replete with signs announcing that there weren’t any amenities at all, with about 60 miles left on the gas tank and a 30-mile drive back to Moab. Fine? She sputters…cough cough…ahem….
Given that, the morning, dad’s soreness, and all else, our time and plan in Canyonlands was more limited than we wanted. Which is a shame as this ended up being my favorite park we visited the entire trip.
It was what I imagined all the parks would be: wild, rugged, a place for our family to get in nature and learn lessons from her. I thought we would be confronted by beauty and isolation we couldn’t even imagine and our hearts and minds would be blown open throughout the entire trip. But while Yellowstone blew our minds and Grand Teton probably would have given more if it hadn’t been snowing, none of the parks had delivered the outdoors experience I wanted. Until Canyonlands.
This park is so remote and not nearly as well-known as its local compatriots, which meant that there were fewer people, no tour buses, and more space. We did the Whale Rock hike, which went down as my kids’ favorite. Walking on top of a large hump of a whale-sized rock, no railings, and nothing but cairns to mark the path, we were thrown wide open to the wind and the elements. We were the only ones around.
We drove on to one of the views, where only a few other cars joined us. As I looked over a vastness of land completely untouched, yawning and gaping in undescribable buttresses and colors, I got tears in my eyes. HERE was the world. HERE was God’s beauty. I felt small, humbled, real, and refocused. There is so much in the world that defies understanding; there are so many places that can’t be explained. They have to be felt. And Canyonlands is one. I wish we had more time here.
We were enjoying the Island in the Sky part of this park, the part most tourists visit as it is the most accessible. I would have loved to have seen The Needles, but the park is so vast it wasn’t feasible. There is also the big middle, The Maze, which requires DAYS to traverse in a 4WD vehicle, a backcountry permit, and complete self-sufficiency. The stories The Maze wound in front of my cloudy eyes were limitless.
But, alas, our time was not.
After getting back to Moab on gas fumes, we grabbed just a few gallons at a price-gouging station and crossed our fingers we could make it to Green River, the last known place to have gas for over 100 miles. (Spoiler alert: we made it.)
Lunch was leftovers in the car. At the suggestion of some fellow glampers – a retired couple making the same loop we were, yet in reverse from their home in California, and without kids (so they were far more adventurous than we could be) – we rerouted our trip away from highways to byways and drove through Capitol Reef National Park.
I had not heard of this park, it was not even on my draft list when I was planning months earlier. But it only added 30 minutes to our trip so we decided to go for it. Plus, we were kind of in love with that couple we met around the campfire, they were awesome.
Capitol Reef Park is long and skinny. The scenic route cuts North to South but we were coming East to West. It still allowed us to see highlights.
It was a gorgeous day and, when we entered the area called Fruita, I could see why the Mormons settled here. The pears were vibrant and healthy; the river running through it emanated life; animals chirped out of sight; the huge red walls rose up above to God.
We pulled over and saw the Petroglyphs. The kids were amazed, yet also made spotting them into a competition (boys).
We stopped at the Visitor’s Center then drove up to the extremely windy and high-enough-to-make-all-moms-everywhere-vomit-with-nervousness look out, Gooseneck’s.
We found The Castle formation, read the geologic history of the place, then looked out over a landscape that made us feel tiny. This time my eyes teared from the wind. It was whipping.
We debated more hikes or scenic viewing but ultimately decided that time was not on our side and we needed to get moving to dinner, bath, and bed.
We pulled up on our Air B&B lodging, The Ranch House at Sevier Ranch, and felt like we won the lottery. How was it possible that no one else had booked this? How was this not more expensive? Did the universe really love us this much?
It was a huge home, well appointed, with a hot tub. In the backyard, looking out at the cows were a trampoline, seesaw and kids’ playset. Heaven. We didn’t want to go explore parks because the house itself was so serene.
We called it a night after a grateful dip in the hot tub, and slept soundly, the kids in their own rooms for the first time since we started the trip.
For more information on Canyonlands National Park, visit www.nps.gov/cany (and trust the signs: get gas before you go!).
For more information on Capitol Reef National Park, visit www.nps.gov/care.