11 Best Hikes in Capitol Reef National Park for Any Hiker

Miles: 0.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 49 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Trail Map & Current Conditions

For a really short and easy stop to add to your Capitol Reef itinerary, check out the Petroglyph Panel! This hike is just 1.5 miles from the Visitor Center, on Highway 24. The boardwalk trail takes you to see a panel of petroglyphs left by the Fremont and ancient Puebloan peoples.

Miles: 1.7 miles (if you park in the closer lot)
Elevation Gain: ~75 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Trail Map & Current Conditions

The Gooseneck and Sunset Point Trail is one of the best sunset spots in Capitol Reef National Park! While the linked trail is longer, you can drive a gravel road (suitacle in any vehicle) to Goosenecks Overlook. And then you just have to walk less than half a mile (one way) to get to Sunset Point. From here you can see Capitol Reef’s domes and unique orange formations, plus Sulphur Creek and the mountains off in the distance. It is breathtaking!

Miles: 1.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 416 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Map & Current Conditions

Easily one of the most well-known of the best hikes in Capitol Reef National Park is Hickman Bridge Trail. This short and relatively easy hike leads you to the Hickman Bridge, a large sandstone natural bridge that you can walk under! The bridge is 130 feet and is 125 feet high. And is much more impressive in person than we expected!

There is a fair bit of elevation gain to get there, but you’ll be treated with beautiful views of Capitol Reef National Park all along the way. The hike starts off of Highway 24 and has a parking lot, but it’s usually packed. When we visited on a Friday afternoon it was full. So we had to park along the highway, along with many others.

Miles: 3.0 miles
Elevation Gain: 793 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Map & Current Conditions

For stunning views of the Fruita District, and less daunting than the Rim Overlook Trail (mentioned below), then you must hike the Cohab Canyon Trail! While the trail might be pretty steep at the beginning, it’s a much shorter hike in mileage. Along the way you’ll get to venture through a canyon and explore some fun slot canyons. There are also several viewpoints of the Fruita area to admire as well!

While this trail is an out and back trail, one end is right across the highway from the Hickman Bridge, so that would be a good addition you could add on right after, before hiking back to Fruita.

Miles: 3.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 685 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Map & Current Conditions

Our second favorite hike in Capitol Reef National Park (stay tuned to see #1!) was the relatively short Cassidy Arch Trail! For being fairly easy, you’re treated with absolutely incredible views of the park, plus a stunning arch that you can walk on! Yes, you can walk on top of the arch!

While there are many arches in Utah, it’s very rare you can walk on one. And although it may look sketchy from afar to walk on top, it’s actually very wide and feels totally safe! 

We did this hike for sunrise and while we had to hike there in the dark, it was very easy to find our way. Especially since we use AllTrails+ and had the map downloaded! The best part was that we had the entire arch to ourselves, plus a stunning sunrise with deep pink and orange colors filling the sky.

Miles: 3.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 793 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Map & Current Conditions

The Chimney Rock Loop Trail begins off of Highway 24, which is free to access. This trail begins with a steep climb up some switchbacks, but after that it’s a gradual decline for most of the way. There are some amazing views of the Waterpocket Fold surrounding you along the way.

It’s a loop trail, and the best way to do this hike is counter-clockwise to get most of the elevation out of the way at the beginning.

Miles: 4.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,066 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Map & Current Conditions

The Rim Overlook Trail is another great option for hikes in Capitol Reef National Park (with much smaller crowds)! This stunning trail takes you high above Highway 24 and you’ll be treated to views of the surrounding rocks, and the Fruita area below. The trail begins from the Hickman Bridge Trail and we think it is worth the extra mileage and elevation gain if you have the physical ability and extra time.

Miles: 4.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 374 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Trail Map & Current Conditions

The Capitol Gorge Trail is similar to the Grand Wash (mentioned below), just not quite as grand. But, there are a few unique elements to this trail that the other doesn’t have. Capitol Gorge has petroglyphs and the Pioneer Register, a wall where pioneers wrote their name and date when passing through the area many years ago.

Drive down the Capitol Reef Scenic Drive (this is the paid portion of the park) and then drive down a dirt road for the last 2 miles or so to get to the trailhead. This dirt road is in good condition, plus as you drive, the views and huge canyon walls surrounding you are awesome. It was worth it just to drive out here, even if you don’t want to do the hike.

We tried to do a portion of Capitol Gorge Trail, but the parking lot was so full by the time we made it there in the early afternoon, so sadly we didn’t stay for the hike.

NOTE: This trail is sometimes impacted by road closures due to the Scenic Drive Rehabilitation Project. You can see its current status here!

Miles: 4.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 341 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Trail Map & Current Conditions

The Grand Wash is a gorge that cuts through the upper part of the Waterpocket Fold. This trail is mostly flat throughout the 4.7 miles through the canyon, in between the huge canyon walls. You can either start the trail at the Cassidy Arch Trailhead or there’s a parking lot on Highway 24.

This trail is most popular for having a half a mile portion that is narrower than the rest of the canyon which is called the Narrows. And yes, if you’ve been to or know anything about Zion National Park, it’s a much smaller version of the Zion Narrows, without the water.

Since we had been in a lot of epic slot canyons earlier in our Southern Utah National Park road trip, and were short on time, we just went in about 1 mile from the Cassidy Arch trailhead. Although we didn’t get to see it all, we loved what we saw. We felt tiny among the walls!

Miles: 5.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 416 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Map & Current Conditions

Of the best hikes in Capitol Reef National Park, Sulphur Creek trail just might be the one with the most adventure! This hike takes you through a canyon, with waterfalls to check out, plus streams to walk through. Which depending on the weather and time of year, can sometimes be CHEST high! So prepare to get wet and protect your things so they don’t get ruined.

This hike is at the top of our list for our next visit to Capitol Reef, as it’s said to be like a Zion Narrows experience at Capitol Reef, which we loved! But, similar to all slot canyons, please do not do this hike if the weather looks rainy or stormy, as flash floods can happen quickly. Be sure to read the NPS website about this hike to ensure you feel prepared to tackle this unique “trail.”

Another important thing to note about this hike is that the 5.8 miles is ONE WAY. You will need to have a car parked at either end OR you will have to walk 3.3 miles along Highway 24. They do not advise hiking both directions.

A+K Tip: The trailhead parking for this hike is 0.3 miles west of the Chimney Rock Trailhead along Highway 24. Capitol Reef’s website says to NOT park at Chimney Rock. And be prepared with a way to get back to your car after the hike since this is typically completed as a point-to-point trail.

Miles: 9.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,139 feet
Difficulty: Hard
Trail Map & Current Conditions

Easily our favorite of the best hikes in Capitol Reef National Park is Navajo Knobs. It is definitely a difficult hike, but if you’re looking for a trail with the most epic views in the park, Navajo Knobs is the hike for you! 

If you take the Rim Overlook offshoot trail on the Hickman Bridge Trail, it will lead you to Navajo Knobs. The Rim Overlook is an amazing place to stop, but if you can continue on to Navajo Knobs, you’re in for a treat!

The views on this hike were amazing the entire way as you climb high up, skirting the canyon rim and getting views of the Fruita area, crazy rock domes, and really unique rock formations, like the Castle.

At the top you’ll be rewarded with 360º views that you wouldn’t have gotten on the other lower trails. We really loved the views from the top! Plus, there was no one else there to share the experience with, and we barely saw anyone on that portion of the hike.

But, the hike is definitely very hard and requires some scrambling to get to the very top. Make sure you have the time and energy to complete this trail. We recommend devoting an entire day to this one!

A+K Tip: Part of Navajo Knobs is on the Hickman Bridge trail and the Rim Overlook trail. So for about 11 miles total, you’ll complete the Hickman Bridge Trail, Rim Overlook Trail and the Navajo Knobs Trail.