CAPITOL REEF

fredethomas · May 15, 2005

Daisy and I, Russ, Johnsons and Brewers are at a great RV park near Capitol Reef. This area far exceeds in splendor, any place we have been in USA and Canada. The range and vastness of the rock formations are spectacular. There are 65 million years of rock formations here, over 10000 feet of layers of rock. The many trails, both driving and hiking are just breath taking. We extended our stay from one week to two and then are going to move about a hundred miles south to the north side of Glen Canyon. The problem here is - it as probably spoilled us for any other place. We will all ways be comparing other sites with this and thinking there is no place like Capitol Reef.

I expect we will come here every year after or instead of Moab. Put this on your list. No crowds either.

DonJordan · May 15, 2005

Fred,

Capitol Reef sounds fantastic. If we can manage it, we will try to stop there on our way back to Yuma in August or early September. We have been by the turn-off for Capitol Reef before but never "had the time" to check it out. Thanks for the recomendation.

Tom · May 15, 2005

Fred

Could you post directions &/or GPS coordinates for Capitol Reef?

TIA

Phil · May 15, 2005

fredethomas said:
Put this on your list. No crowds either.

Excuse me Fred, BUT, Capitol Reef looks like an ant hill of people on holiday weekends. ;D

It is a great place to camp, hike and drive. A pre and/or post Moab rally at Capitol Reef would be nice.

Fall also is a good time to visit the area. Mid October is the annual Deer/Elk hunt so it's not a good time to camp in the nearby mountains.

Phil

Ken & Sheila · May 15, 2005

Fred,

Glad the group is having a ggod time at Capital Reef.

Maybe Moab could eb move after next year??

Ken

fredethomas · May 16, 2005

To Ken and Shelia: I think our calender girl - Betty Brewer - is working on a possible pre or post rally here in Capitol Reef at Moab time.

To Phil; It is early in the year but we have met no one while on back country trips. Week end had a very moderate number of people here - much less than Moab. The beauty - and miles and miles of it - verge on the thought " how can this be."

fredethomas · May 16, 2005

To Tom; the coords for Torry, Ut - about 7 miles from the Capitol Reef Visitor Center is N38 17.947; W 111 24.390.

The campground we found best is Thousand Lakes, Torrey, Ut.

Tom · May 16, 2005

Got it, thanks Fred. Looks like it's due west of Moab. I just couldn't picture where it was.

Ned · May 16, 2005

Fred,

Is Thousand Lakes satellite friendly?

Tom · May 16, 2005

Ned said:
Is Thousand Lakes satellite friendly?

You mean "no trees".

Ned · May 16, 2005

Well, none over 12' high.

Tom · May 16, 2005

You need a tripod ;D

Ned · May 16, 2005

But I'm not allowed on the roof. And I hate going out in the rain. It's much easier to just push the button.

Tom · May 16, 2005

No need to go on the roof with a tripod, and it works irrespective of trees, and it's cheaper ;D

Phil · May 16, 2005

fredethomas said:
It is early in the year but we have met no one while on back country trips.

Fred,

Easter, Memorial Day and Labor Day are the BIG weekends at Capitol Reef. There is enough country there to get lost even on the big weekends. Before my wife died, we did at least one trip to Capitol Reef every year usually for Labor Day when the fruit was available for picking right in the campground.

Phil

Marsha/CA · May 17, 2005

Hi everyone,

Tim and I were in Torrey right after we left the Moab Rally....a few days before you all got there. We stayed at Thousand Lakes Campground too...Nice campground. However there were trees; but the TV satellite dish worked just fine. I can't recall the name of the restraurant we ate at; but it wasn't very good. It was on the left hand side of the road going from the campground towards the intersection of #12 & #24. It was connected to a motel or "Inn".

When we left Torrey, we went from there to Escalante on highway #12...beautiful...beautiful drive. We crossed the range at nearly 10,000 feet, with tons of snow on the side of the road. The Birtch trees were brillant against the blue sky and snow background.

When we got to Escalante we stayed at Broken Bow Campground...not a great campground; but OK. There isn't much in Escalante. I seem to remember a KOA that looked better further down #12 in Cannondale or Cannonvile, something like that.

From Escalante we went through Cedar City and then took #56 west to #319 to #93 S. At #93 we stayed in Calentie at a great little RV park just at the outside of the city. Our destination was the "Extraterresterrial Highway" (highway #375) and the little communty or "Rachel". There, we had a ball. It's near "Area 51". The little restraurant was a blast. Extraterresterial stuff everywhere. I'll attach a photo.

Marsha and Tim

fredethomas · May 17, 2005

Brewers, Johnsons, Mahoney all had satellites up and the park has wifi. There is so much to see here, in fact there are parts no one has been yet. Lots of good off road trails. Not the real tough trails like Quartzsite and many in Moab but good flat wide blacktop and graded gravel roads that wind through sections of the park. I expect there are a few tough ones but so far we have almost got an overload of beauty all on good easy roads. Today Johnson's and us tried a road that left RT 24 eight miles east of the visitors center and went south along the east edge of the Reefs Waterfold for 11 miles on blacktop then 11 miles on flat graded gravel to a tent camping spot called Cedar Mesa. We took our chairs and lunch out and sat on an overlook enjoying the view. Took us an hour to get that far but we only drove twenty miles an hour doing the "OOOH thats something" routine. Rock formations are breathtaking. Then in the deep valleys that border the road there are huge cattle ranches with broad green fields all being irrigated. We tested the road coming back and could easily do it at 50 mph. Good picnic spot for next year again.

What I am trying to convey is these roads are the kind everyone can enjoy. The views are majestic.

rhmahoney · May 18, 2005

Tree situation at 1000 lakes rv park...

Something of a problem but can be worked arround. The trees are in midline of sites.
Brewer has a forward mounted dishand looks at sat at position 99. He parked far forward and looked in front of tree which was narrow.
I parked as far to rear as possible and looked behind tree at sat at 117. My tree was wide.

Rare sites have little trees.

The CG wifi feed is no answer as he plans to charge $9.00/day! Hopefully he will learn to charge a more reasonable fee.

Marsha/CA · May 18, 2005

Russ,

The Thousand Lakes RV park owner was just putting in the Wifi when Tim and I were there. We thought $9.00 for 24 hours was a bit steep. We were in the further pull through campsite near the red rocks and could not get a strong enough signal. Tim decide heck with it...poured himself a drink and picked up his book...(grin).

Marsha~

Tom · May 18, 2005

Sounds like this CG owner needs a recalibration.

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