A Reef Above Ground
Regardless of whether you come straight from Canyonlands or made the side trip to Monument Valley, Capitol Reef National Park will thrill your travelers. Unlike most reefs, which are underwater, this park takes its name from its central geological feature, a system of rainbow-colored sandstone “reefs” and canyons.
“Capitol Reef is one of our most underrated parks,” Moench said. “There’s a highway that goes right through it, so a lot of people don’t stop. But they’re missing out because it’s really cool. It’s a little bit deeper red rock there.”
There are numerous ways for groups to experience the park. The Capitol Reef Scenic Drive is a 90-minute round trip that highlights petroglyphs, canyons and other natural areas. Rangers can lead short hikes to Hickman Bridge or longer excursions to sites such as Cohab Canyon or Sulphur Creek, which give an up-close look at the Utah desert. The park service also offers astronomy programs, educational games and other activities in the park.
The area around Capitol Reef is also known for its historic farmland and modern produce.
“Mesa Farm is close to Capitol Reef,” Moench said. “They are goat farmers who are doing some really cool things with the cheese-aging processes. He puts on a really cool visit for groups. You can meet the farmer, meet the goats and taste the cheese.”
A Hoodoo Hot Spot
What’s a hoodoo? Your travelers may not be familiar with these tall columns of weathered rock, but after visiting Bryce Canyon, which is filled with thousands of these formations, they’ll never forget the word.
Bryce Canyon, about 115 miles west of Capitol Reef, is one of the most popular national park sites in the Southwest. The highest point in the park is 9,000 feet above the canyon floor, and from there, visitors can see a series of natural amphitheaters sunk into pink cliff walls and bursting with red rock hoodoos. The colors turn brilliant with the light of sunrise or sunset.
Groups can get an overview of Bryce Canyon on a 37-mile scenic drive that overlooks a number of the park’s most impressive scenes. A slightly more adventurous but still accessible option is the Rim Trail, a paved and level path that offers splendid views of some of the park’s hoodoos. Other hikes showcase waterfalls, spruce forests, the Bryce Amphitheater and other iconic sites.
Near Bryce Canyon, Scenic Byway 12 is Utah’s only All-American Road and offers a variety of other experiences.
“Anasazi State Park Museum has a really cool exhibit of Native American history and culture,” Moench said. “And about 10 to 15 minutes from there, you get to the Hog’s Back area, where the side of the highway drops off into sheer cliffs.”
A Zion Finale
For many travelers, Zion National Park will be the “Promised Land” of a tour in Utah. This park is the most popular in the state and attracts more than 3 million visitors each year. This canyon is considered by many to be among the most beautiful places in the United States. Eighty-eight miles from Bryce Canyon and 160 from Las Vegas, it makes a fitting place to finish a tour of the state’s spectacularly scenic sites.
Though the park is a veritable paradise for adventure lovers, travelers of every age and ability level can enjoy a customized walk through the Narrows.
“The Narrows is a pretty wide rock canyon that you can walk up,” Moench said. “You can put on river walking shoes and walk through the Virgin River.”
The park staff offers a variety of other activities appropriate for groups, among them ranger-led programs, rafting excursions, horseback riding and birding.
To celebrate a successful trip, groups should plan to spend some time enjoying the shops and restaurants of nearby Springdale, the gateway to Zion National Park.
“They have a couple of really nice fine-dining places,” Moench said. “They also have a lot of art galleries and local artisans. It’s a really cute main-street community, and they have a lot of bigger hotels for groups.”
For more information contact the Utah Office of Tourism at 1-800-200-1160 or go to www.visitutah.com.
