Capitol Reef National Park was quite a surprise. Most people talk about going to Arches and you just don’t hear much about Capitol Reef. That didn’t stop us from going to check it out. We didn’t do much research beforehand, so we didn’t really know what to expect.

The first stop was at the visitor center. The kids all got Jr. Ranger books, although they didn’t want to let Emmett have one. The ranger said he had to be at least three years old to have one and if he wants a badge then the parents would have to do the entire book and earn a badge and then give it to him. She held the book way up high to make sure he couldn’t get it as she handed it to me. I, of course, handed it right to him. He filled it out and we made sure to go back to get the badge when a different ranger was working. She was very friendly and excitedly gave him the badge he deserved.

Then we headed on down the road on the driving tour. The views were amazing. We saw mesas, arches and tanks. We did a short hike that didn’t feel short in the heat. It was hot and we were exhausted afterward. We had guzzled all the water we brought along on the hike and were eager to get back to the car for a refill and some air conditioning. The hike was well worth it though. We walked between large rocks and even got to see some petroglyphs.

We went to drive and check out more of the park when we came across some orchards. There are 16 of them, planted by the Mormon Pioneers that once lived in the town of Fruita. When fruit is ripe, the orchards are open to the public. There are many types of fruit grown, but during our visit only apples and pears were ready for picking. They allow you to eat as much as you want while in the orchard. If you want to take some home it is one dollar per pound. We had just bought apples from the grocery store a couple days before and we paid $2.77 per pound for apples and pears were more. We ate our fill and picked 3 pounds extra to take home and make into apple cobbler. It was delicious.
There is a small store that sells homemade pies, jellies, salsa, etc. The kids enjoyed tasting the food in the store. And outside they had horses to pet. It was a nice area with grass and lots of trees for shade, which was quite a change from the desert area we had been hiking in.

Then we drove over to check out the school. It was locked but you can see everything from the windows. The school was also used as a church and community center for meetings and dances. No more than 10 families ever lived in the town at one time, so the building was a good size for their gatherings.

This national park ranks up toward the top of my favorites list. I think I enjoyed the contrast between the desert views and the cute little town with orchards. It’s a place we’ll have to come back to again and spend some more time.