Torrey Utah - Capital Reef NP and Arches National Park

 We pulled into Torrey Utah May 25, 2023, and enjoyed a great 10-night stay. The campground we parked in was wonderful – Thousand Lakes RVPark nestled in a private section of the town amongst the trees with the red rocks filling the background.

Thousand Lakes RV Park

This campground did have a lot to offer, they had FHUs, back-in, pull-in sites along with a tent camping area, cabins, and even an on-site restaurant. There was a pool for your enjoyment. As we did spend the Memorial Day weekend there it was a wonderful place for families to relax and enjoy one another.

While in Torrey we visited Capital Reef National Park and did one day of hiking. This park has some beautiful aspects, still not even close to Zion, but taking advantage of stretching our legs and hiking a bit, is an opportunity we never turn down.

Capitol Reef National Park

If you are up for the challenge, these two hikes are doable in one day.

Hickman Bridge: Just two miles east of the Capitol Reef visitor center, the trailhead to Hickman Bridge offers an easy, spectacularly scenic trek up to a large natural arch. The trail is not particularly long or steep, it’s considered as an “easy” hike if you are looking for something leisurely. The trail is approximately 2 miles roundtrip.

Hickman Bridge

A view from Hickman Bridge

 

Rim Overlook Trail: This trail is considered moderate/challenging. It is 4.3 miles out and back. Once you reach to top you will have reaped your reward. I will say the out up to the rim, is, of course, all uphill. Some sections will level out for a bit, but then you start climbing. The trail is marked fairly well and you have an elevation gain of 1066ft.

Rim Overlook 

Another view of Rim Overlook

My advice if you are planning to hike these two trails, start early because parking is very difficult as the morning progresses. Dress for the weather as neither trail is shaded well at all. Bring water and snacks and take your time.

Once you reach the top of the rim there are wonderful picture opportunities so don’t forget to bring your camera! Happy Hiking.

On another day we did the drive to Moab, Utah, and visited Arches National Park. We were not able to do any hiking as we had our dog with us, however, the rock formations are “out of this world.” It’s unimaginable how some of them formed due to the harsh weather in this part of the state.

Arches National Park

Here we are just as we entered the park

This is a National Park where you will need to make reservations before entering. They have a times entry which is wonderful because it keeps the lines of cars and crowds of people to a minimum.

Click here for info on reservations. 

We entered at 11:00 am and immediately went to the visitor's center. While there we obtained our maps and information for our day. We did a drive through the park following the maps they provided and were able to pull over and snap pictures of the scenic sites.

While in Torrey, Mark noticed that we were having some issues with our clutch in our 2016 Crosstrek and called ahead to the Subaru dealer in Grand Junction, who quickly accommodated us.

We left Torrey three days early and made our way to Grand Junction, Colorado. The campground we were staying in was nice enough to reimburse us for the three nights we were not able to stay. (That is unheard of.) Usually, if you leave early, you eat those days without being reimbursed. Another bonus for this campground that we highly recommend.