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.
Author: David
“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:
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
Satellite map:
A couple of GIFs of our coach leveling itself, captured by the truck dashcam:
Our site; it was so windy that we kept our slides in for most of the time:
A nice view of red cliffs beyond the park:
This is what our coach looks like inside with the slide-outs in; a bit cramped:
Paladin sitting on the back of the driver chair:
He was interested in jumping up to the top of the slide-out, though didn’t actually do so:
As mentioned above, one nice thing about this park is that it has an on-site BBQ; here’s the menu:
BBQ info:
The restaurant:
BBQ dining room:
BBQ food:
They also have a nice gift shop and general store on site:
Let’s walk around. Here’s the entrance sign:
Play area:
RV park store and gift shop:
Even a hair salon, apparently:
Some tent sites, populated by a group (who regretted their choices, being so windy):
RVs:
A small pool; we didn’t use it, since it wasn’t very warm:
Cabins:
A nice view:
More RVs:
Cows:
Those sites along the back would have a great view, though were very small:
More cabins:
A hall with seating:
Our site again, after we put out three of the four slides:
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:
Heading down the highway:
Paladin spent much of the time in his safe space next to my chair, as usual:
Some nice old buildings in Panguitch (I’m going to try to take more pictures of interesting towns we pass through):
Nice houses:
I worked on my laptop while Jenn drove:
Butch Cassidy’s childhood home:
An old building:
Junction, our turn:
Mountains:
Interesting rocks:
The Otter Creek Reservoir:
Lots of straight portions of the highway:
Which are a convenient and fairly safe time for me to get up and grab a snack from the fridge:
Mountains:
Never Rip Overalls:
Some horses crossing the highway:
More road and mountains:
Up and down:
Interesting rocks:
Arriving at our destination for a few nights:
Paladin on the dash while Jenn is checking in:
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:
Video: truck driving through Red Canyon and around Kodachrome Basin State Park
A short timelapse video of driving through Red Canyon, then around Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah, including a dirt road portion.
Kodachrome Basin State Park
While we concentrate on National Parks, we also like to visit other interesting parks as we explore. One such was Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah:
Like much of Utah, it features lots of interesting rock formations:
We had a picnic lunch in a nice sheltered picnic area:
Then strolled along a nature trail:
I liked how this cloud lined up with the rock tower, to make it look like smoke from a chimney:
Finally, we went for a drive on a dirt road to see some more rocks:
Stay tuned for a timelapse video.