We got off around 9 am from a little Forest Service corner plot off of Highway 24 where we spent the night. We were a few miles from the Capitol reef park HQ so we got in as it started to get busy. It turned out the visitors center parking lot was being paved as was the scenic drive past the Grand Wash. So we stopped at the picnic area where the temporary Ranger station was set up, got a few maps got a few stamp, and then proceeded over to the historic cabin, where they sell, pies, jams, etc.
We continue up the road to the ground wash and took the side road to the Hiking trail for the narrows. It was a little warm for the pups so Sean took the trail up to the narrows to get some photos. The hike turned out to be around 3 1/2 miles. There are some beautiful canyon scenes and tons of hikers.
We headed back towards the park entrance, stopped to see some petroglyphs, and continued on to Moab. We have made reservations in a campground in Moab so we could drop the camper and do a few of the roads around the area. The drive along Highway 24 was beautiful. There is a desolate desert, split up by the Fremont River Valley that is green with fields and Cottonwood trees, and then as you cross this area called goblin Valley is a bunch of random hoodoos just sticking up out of the sand. And the geology in the area is absolutely fascinating. We stopped in Green River for some fairly expensive fuel, and then headed to the campground in Moab.
The campground has some great facilities and we’ve met some nice people. We even jumped into the pool for a short time. Just around the corner is a grocery store and we stopped in for some supplies.
One one of the difficult things for me with national parks, is there just too many people. It’s beautiful seeing these areas but summertime is always a challenge. I checked the arches national Park website, because usually they have a queue to get in. It turns out now you have to have reservations. Even to drive in. So I look for tomorrow the next day and Friday morning, so if we went up there, we could do it in the cool air. But there was nothing except afternoon slots. And it cost two dollars to reserve a slot. I reserve the first one for Wednesday, and we’re just gonna go to canyonlands during the day.
here is a link to today’s photos. https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250610-capitol-reef