Canyonlands National Park includes four sections. We visited the “Island in the Sky” district first:
Island in the Sky visitor center:
Relief park map:
Rocks:
We also went on the Upheaval Dome hike:
Looking down on the Shafer Trail, a dirt switchback road:
I thought I’d try a new kind of timelapse video: I moved the dashcam to record a faster timelapse out a side window, showing how the Green River KOA Journey RV park changes over several days. KOA Journey parks are focused on short-term stays, so have a high turnover of guests; most staying only for one night. We were unusual in that we stayed for 11 nights; this short video shows nine days.
We stayed at Green River KOA Journey in Green River, Utah. (Campground Reviews listing.)
Dates:
Weather:
Noise:
Site:
Internet:
Amenities:
Here’s the review Jenn wrote on Campground Reviews:
Good base camp for all the area has to offer.
We stayed in the newly renovated section of the park, each with very young trees and brand new patios and picnic tables. The staff were very friendly and helpful, even bringing our packages to the site. They do an excellent job keeping the sites raked and tidied up after every departure and the whole park is very well kept up. Sadly, they were just starting to get the pool ready for the season (it opens on Memorial Day) so we were unable to use it, despite several days being over 90 degrees. They recently upgraded their WiFi and even had ethernet ports on the pedestals, which we were able to plug our router right into for the fastest internet we’ve had in ages. If you need to work while on the road, this is the place to do it! In the late afternoons after work, there’s still plenty of time to venture out and explore Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, Moab, and several state parks before returning to this nice, quiet spot away from the touristy confines of Moab. We camped at Green River KOA Journey in a Motorhome.
The RV park map:
The satellite map is a bit out-of-date, since they’ve made recent renovations:
Screenshot of the weather for our stay:
Our site:
Working outside:
Cooking burgers on the griddle:
This is the first time we’ve had an Ethernet jack available at a site:
I fed the Ethernet cable through the front passenger window:
Into the modem:
Utilities:
We visited Canyonlands and Arches National Parks while here, so added their stickers (stay tuned for posts about those visits):
A dust devil:
A lunar eclipse:
Let’s explore:
The office:
Camp store:
Camp registration:
The swimming pool was being cleaned, for opening on Memorial Day at the end of the month. We could have used it on some of the hot days, though we were out exploring parks most of the time:
Playground:
Dog park, with a shade and seating area, and agility course:
Patio sites:
Cabin:
Other RVs:
A field behind the park (and dumpster):
One of the many occupants of the site next to us was a U-Haul and tent; rather unusual:
Two trailers:
One of the first nights here we went to Ray’s Tavern in downtown Green River:
They had the menu on a white board above the bar:
Then we went to the grocery store (yes, the only one; it’s a very small town). A well-stocked family-run store (the two cashiers were father and daughter):
Towards the end of our stay, we walked from the KOA to the Tamarisk Restaurant next door (which offers a 10% discount for KOA guests, though we didn’t bother to ask for that):
We had to wait 20 minutes due to a bus-load of other guests:
River view:
Finally, the entry sign at night:
A timelapse of driving our Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome 107 miles from Torrey, Utah to Green River, Utah.
We drove our coach 107 miles, about 2.5 hours, from Torrey, Utah to Green River, Utah.
Here’s the map, heading northeast:
Leaving the RV park:
Driving through Torrey:
Some road works on the road to Capitol Reef National Park:
Entering Capitol Reef National Park in our coach, as our route takes us through the park:
More road works:
Heading through the park:
A somewhat desolate area beyond the park:
Lots of interesting rocks, though:
Working on my laptop:
Paladin sat on the back of Jenn’s chair for a bit:
Some dust storms in the distance:
Exit towards Green River:
Paladin:
Dusty:
Exit:
A somewhat low bridge; our coach is 12’ 7” high, so enough clearance:
Welcome to Green River:
An interesting building façade:
Green River would be more accurately called brown river:
Our destination, the Green River KOA Journey:
An excellent idea from the Tiffin Allegro Bus 2016-2018 Owners group on Facebook: I added labels by the door of our RV with our contact information, and that we have a cat inside, in case there’s an emergency like a fire while we’re away from the coach.
To catch the eye a bit, I bought a red “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY CALL 911” sticker from Amazon, and cut out the first couple of lines:
Then used my label maker to print labels with our phone numbers, and “CAT INSIDE”. We decided to add them next to the door for better visibility, even when the slide-outs are in:
Hopefully nobody will ever need this information, but it’s good to have it, just in case.
We again went to Capitol Reef National Park, this time to the Goosenecks Point overlook and a hike on the Hickman Bridge trail.
Some pics of Torrey, Utah on the way through:
An old house:
We really like the look of this stone building:
There’s a police car parked by the side of the road, with a mannequin inside:
The road to Goosenecks Point:
A bunch of pics from Goosenecks Point:
Then we proceeded to the Hickman Bridge trail, for a two-mile hike to a natural bridge arch:
We went to Slacker’s Burger Joint in Torrey for dinner after the hike:
And shared an indulgence for dessert:
Finally, a screenshot from the AllTrails app of the trail map:
A timelapse video of driving our truck on Notom-Bullfrog Road, Burr Trail Road, and Utah Highways 12 & 24, in a big loop around Capitol Reef National Park’s Waterpocket District, including many miles of dirt roads and fun switchbacks.
As a fun day trip, we did the “Loop the Fold” scenic drive, using a guide booklet we purchased at the Capitol Reef visitor center.
This 125 mile driving loop goes around the Waterpocket Fold, through the Capitol Reef park, along Burr Trail Road in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and through Dixie and Fishlake National Forests.
Here’s the “Loop the Fold” road guide:
The included map, with stop markers:
We started from the RV park in Torrey, and continued clockwise, through Capitol Reef:
Chimney Rock, stop number 37 in the guide (see the map above):
Panorama Point (stop 38):
The guide is numbered from the Visitor Center, with total miles given from that point, so the Fruta schoolhouse is stop number 1 at mile 0.8:
At the petroglyphs (stop 2, mile 1.1), Jenn took a survey:
Hickman Bridge Trailhead (stop 3, mile 1.9):
Navajo Dome view (stop 4, mile 2.3):
Historic cabin (stop 6, mile 6.0):
Rocks:
We left the Capitol Reef park at the east entrance (stop 7, mile 9.1):
A historical marker for the settlement of Notom (stop 8, mile 14.0):
View:
Hoodoos (stop 10, mile 17.6):
We had a picnic lunch in our truck at that stop:
Views:
The pavement ends at mile 19.3:
Driving across a wash:
Washboarded road:
Rough road:
The Summerville Formation (stop 15, mile 28.1):
Re-entering the park (mile 28.4):
Ridge:
Our truck parked on the side of the road:
Oyster Shell Reef (stop 17, mile 32.3):
Oyster fossils:
View:
Selfie:
Dirt road:
The road changes color:
Spike:
Morrison Formation (stop 18, mile 39); 150-million-year-old Brushy Basin layer of soft claystone on the left, and Salt Wash layer of coarse sandstone on the right:
Rocks:
Junction (stop 20, mile 42.1):
We took a detour off the route:
Driving across a wash:
The post horse corral:
Back across the wash:
The Burr Trail Switchbacks (stop 22, mile 42.9):
Don’t look down:
At the top:
We stopped for a pie snack:
Pavement resumes when leaving the park (stop 24, mile 45.3):
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument:
Views:
Singing Canyon (stop 26, mile 66.9):
Long Canyon viewpoint (stop 28, mile 68.7):
Navajo sandstone (stop 29, mile 76.5):
Sub-alpine trees:
Homestead Overlook (stop 32, mile 90.4):
Larb Hollow Overlook (stop 34, mile 101.4):
A fun day trip.
We visited Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. It is a long skinny park, encompassing the Waterpocket Fold, “a geologic wrinkle on earth” (quoting from the NPS site; really should be “in earth”).
Here’s a map; click it to explore the NPS map:
Capitol Reef signs:
Lots of interesting rocks:
Visitor center:
Jenn talking with someone else at the cancellation stamping station:
A large wall-mounted map:
We stopped by Gifford House, a historic Mormon homestead, which now contains a gift and pie shop:
We bought a couple of fruit pies as a snack:
We also got a jam sampler:
Outside:
Back on the scenic drive in the park:
Our drive led to the trailhead for a hike though a canyon, and on impulse we decided to do it (which was a bit silly, as we weren’t properly dressed for it, but oh well):
Petroglyphs:
Some names from 1911, halfway up a wall:
A painter:
The “pioneer register” rock etchings from the 1880’s:
A security camera to make sure nobody adds more markings (probably battery powered, recording for later review; or maybe a dummy):
Back in the truck:
Blowing dust:
A nice park. Stay tuned for more posts from here from subsequent days.