Hickman Bridge Trail hike in Capitol Reef

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:

Torrey

An old house:

Old house

We really like the look of this stone building:

Nice stone building

There’s a police car parked by the side of the road, with a mannequin inside:

Police car with mannequin

The road to Goosenecks Point:

Rocks

A bunch of pics from Goosenecks Point:

Goosenecks Point

Then we proceeded to the Hickman Bridge trail, for a two-mile hike to a natural bridge arch:

Hickman Bridge trail

We went to Slacker’s Burger Joint in Torrey for dinner after the hike:

Slacker’s Burger Joint

And shared an indulgence for dessert:

Slacker’s Burger Joint

Finally, a screenshot from the AllTrails app of the trail map:

Trail map

Video

Video: “Loop the Fold” driving tour through Capitol Reef National Park’s Waterpocket District

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.

“Loop the Fold” drive around Capitol Reef National Park

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:

Loop the Fold road guide

The included map, with stop markers:

Loop the Fold map

We started from the RV park in Torrey, and continued clockwise, through Capitol Reef:

Capitol Reef sign

Chimney Rock, stop number 37 in the guide (see the map above):

Rocks

Panorama Point (stop 38):

Sunset Point

Jenn at Sunset Point

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:

Fruta schoolhouse (1)

At the petroglyphs (stop 2, mile 1.1), Jenn took a survey:

Jenn taking survey

Petroglyphs:

Petroglyphs (2)

Hickman Bridge Trailhead (stop 3, mile 1.9):

Hickman Bridge Trailhead (3)

Navajo Dome view (stop 4, mile 2.3):

Navajo Dome view (4)

Historic cabin (stop 6, mile 6.0):

Historic cabin (6)

Historic cabin

Rocks:

Rocks

We left the Capitol Reef park at the east entrance (stop 7, mile 9.1):

Capitol Reef sign (7)

A historical marker for the settlement of Notom (stop 8, mile 14.0):

Notom (8)

Notom

View:

View

Hoodoos (stop 10, mile 17.6):

Hoodoos (10)

We had a picnic lunch in our truck at that stop:

Picnic lunch

Views:

Views

The pavement ends at mile 19.3:

Pavement ends

Driving across a wash:

Wash

Washboarded road:

Washboarded road

Rough road:

Rough road

The Summerville Formation (stop 15, mile 28.1):

The Summerville Formation (15)

Re-entering the park (mile 28.4):

Re-entering the park

Ridge:

Ridge

View

Ridge

Our truck parked on the side of the road:

Truck

Oyster Shell Reef (stop 17, mile 32.3):

Oyster Shell Reef (17)

Oyster fossils:

Oyster fossils

View:

View

Selfie:

Jenn & David

Dirt road:

Dirt road

View

The road changes color:

The road changes color

Spike:

Spike

Smooth

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:

Morrison Formation (18)

Rocks:

Rocks

Junction (stop 20, mile 42.1):

Junction (20)

We took a detour off the route:

Ridges

Driving across a wash:

Wash

The post horse corral:

Horse corral

View

Back across the wash:

Wash

View

The Burr Trail Switchbacks (stop 22, mile 42.9):

Burr Trail Switchbacks (22)

Burr Trail Switchbacks

Don’t look down:

Burr Trail Switchbacks

At the top:

Top of Burr Trail Switchbacks

Rocks

We stopped for a pie snack:

Pie

Pavement resumes when leaving the park (stop 24, mile 45.3):

Pavement resumes (24)

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument:

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Views:

Views

Rocks

Singing Canyon (stop 26, mile 66.9):

Singing Canyon (26)

Long Canyon viewpoint (stop 28, mile 68.7):

Long Canyon viewpoint (28)

Navajo sandstone (stop 29, mile 76.5):

Navajo sandstone (28)

Sub-alpine trees:

Sub-alpine trees

Homestead Overlook (stop 32, mile 90.4):

Homestead Overloop (32)

Homestead Overlook

Sub-alpine trees

Larb Hollow Overlook (stop 34, mile 101.4):

Larb Hollow Overlook (34)

Overlook

View

A fun day trip.

Capitol Reef National Park

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:

Capitol Reef sign

Lots of interesting rocks:

Rocks

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Jenn talking with someone else at the cancellation stamping station:

Jenn stamping

Visitor center

A large wall-mounted map:

Map

Rocks

Marmot crossing

We stopped by Gifford House, a historic Mormon homestead, which now contains a gift and pie shop:

Gifford House

We bought a couple of fruit pies as a snack:

Pies

We also got a jam sampler:

Jams

Outside:

Cart

Horse

Back on the scenic drive in the park:

Rocks

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):

Hike trailhead

Rocks

Flowers

Rocks

Petroglyphs:

Petroglyphs

Some names from 1911, halfway up a wall:

Names

Rocks

A painter:

Painter

Rocks

The “pioneer register” rock etchings from the 1880’s:

Rock etching

A security camera to make sure nobody adds more markings (probably battery powered, recording for later review; or maybe a dummy):

Camera

Rocks

Jenn & David

Rocks

Back in the truck:

Rocks

Blowing dust:

Dust

Rocks

A nice park. Stay tuned for more posts from here from subsequent days.

Route maps

Here’s an animated GIF showing our RV travel routes: the Yellowstone rental trailer trip last year, adding travel in our coach last year, travel so far this year, and finally the planned route for much of the remainder of the year.

Route maps

Thousand Lakes RV Park

We stayed at Thousand Lakes RV Park in Torrey, Utah. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Dates:

Check in: 2022-05-08
Check out: 2022-05-11
3 nights

Weather:

Mostly sunny
High temps ranging around 60°F, lows around 30°F
Sub-freezing overnight some nights
Very windy most afternoons, with gusts up to 60 MPH
We kept our slides in most of the time

Noise:

No road noise, no train noise
Quiet neighbors

Site:

#31, pull-through, gravel
Needed to disconnect toad; parked next to coach
Smallish site: 55 feet long by about 25 feet wide
Full hookups:

50 amp power conveniently located
Low water pressure, 30 PSI, conveniently located
Good sewer connection, conveniently located
Didn’t connect water or sewer other than to fill and dump, since it got below freezing

Picnic table and fire pit

Internet:

Campground Wi-Fi: available, not used
T-Mobile: 20 Mbps down, 27 Mbps up, 90 ms ping
AT&T: 8 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
Verizon: 16 Mbps down, 28 Mbps up, 55 ms ping
Starlink: not used, since short stay

Amenities:

Garbage bins and dumpster
Small pool, not used
Nice store and BBQ restaurant

Here’s the review Jenn wrote on Campground Reviews:

Good base camp for Capitol Reef

Nice park with trees between each site and views of the surrounding red cliffs. Sites were a little on the small side for our 40′ motorhome and tow vehicle; we had to park the truck next to the rig, and the door hit our slide when getting in or out. Very conveniently located to Capitol Reef National Park, which is the main draw. Torrey has some good restaurants, and the onsite bbq was just so nice and close after a long day in the park. The shop had a great selection of souvenirs and basic necessities, as well. We camped at Thousand Lakes RV Park in a Motorhome.

The RV park map:

Map

Satellite map:

Thousand Lakes RV Park

A couple of GIFs of our coach leveling itself, captured by the truck dashcam:

Leveling

Our site; it was so windy that we kept our slides in for most of the time:

Our site

A nice view of red cliffs beyond the park:

View

This is what our coach looks like inside with the slide-outs in; a bit cramped:

Slides in

Paladin sitting on the back of the driver chair:

Paladin

He was interested in jumping up to the top of the slide-out, though didn’t actually do so:

Paladin

As mentioned above, one nice thing about this park is that it has an on-site BBQ; here’s the menu:

BBQ menu

BBQ info:

BBQ info

The restaurant:

BBQ restaurant

BBQ dining room:

BBQ dining room

BBQ food:

BBQ food

They also have a nice gift shop and general store on site:

Gift shop

Let’s walk around. Here’s the entrance sign:

Entrance sign

Play area:

Play area

RV park store and gift shop:

Gift shop

Even a hair salon, apparently:

Gift shop

Some tent sites, populated by a group (who regretted their choices, being so windy):

Tent sites

RVs:

RVs

A small pool; we didn’t use it, since it wasn’t very warm:

Pool

Cabins:

Cabins

A nice view:

View

More RVs:

RVs

Cows:

Cows

Those sites along the back would have a great view, though were very small:

RVs

More cabins:

Cabins

A hall with seating:

Hall

Our site again, after we put out three of the four slides:

Our site

Video

Video: timelapse of motorhome coach driving from Hatch, UT to Torrey, UT

A timelapse of driving our Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome 124 miles from Hatch, Utah to Torrey, Utah.

Travel from Hatch to Torrey, UT

We drove our coach 124 miles, about 3 hours, from Hatch, Utah to Torrey, Utah.

Here’s the map, heading northeast:

Map route

Heading down the highway:

Road

Paladin spent much of the time in his safe space next to my chair, as usual:

Paladin in his safe space

Some nice old buildings in Panguitch (I’m going to try to take more pictures of interesting towns we pass through):

Panguitch

Nice houses:

Nice houses

I worked on my laptop while Jenn drove:

Laptop

Butch Cassidy’s childhood home:

Butch Cassidy's childhood home

An old building:

Old building

Junction, our turn:

Junction

Mountains:

Mountains

Interesting rocks:

Rocks

The Otter Creek Reservoir:

Water

Lots of straight portions of the highway:

Road

Which are a convenient and fairly safe time for me to get up and grab a snack from the fridge:

Mountains:

Road and mountains

Never Rip Overalls:

Never Rip Overalls

Some horses crossing the highway:

Horses

More road and mountains:

Road and mountains

Curve

Up and down:

Up and down

Road and mountains

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Arriving at our destination for a few nights:

Arriving

Paladin on the dash while Jenn is checking in:

Paladin

Olympic National Park bonus pictures

Back in October last year we took a day trip to Olympic National Park in Washington state. Here are some recently processed bonus pictures taken by Jenn:

Olympic National Park