Torrey, UT and Capitol Reef National Park - Days 8-9

We left Ruby's Inn almost exactly at 11:00 AM.  The drive to Torrey, Utah took us just about 2 1/2 hours.  It was a beautiful drive though what I would call 'back country'.  I would have loved to stop and take pictures at many places along the way, but there were no turnouts or other places to stop to do so.

We arrived at Sandcreek RV Park and Campground at around 1:30.  It started raining right after we got here. We really didn't have anything planned, so it was a nice, relaxing day in the RV.  We spent time looking at our photos, reading, and watching TV, which was nice, after not having any TV for the past 3 days.

This is a very small campground - maybe 15 spaces and a few cabins.  The spaces were really close, but we had an end site, so we had a bit more room.  The picnic table and fire pit were on the same side as the hookups, which we didn't like, but it was too windy to ever put out the awning anyway, so it really didn't matter much which side we sat on.  We did build a fire later and sat around it.

But the view from the campground was nice.

Capitol Reef National Park

On Tuesday, we drove into Capitol Reef National Park.  Apparently, Capitol Reef gets is name from a line of white domes and cliffs of Navajo Sandstone that look somewhat like the United States Capitol Building.

We stopped several times at the pullouts along the side of the road before we even got to the visitor center and the start of the Scenic Drive through the Fruita area of the park.  UT-24E runs through the park.  Its about 7 miles from the Capitol Reef sign to the Visitor Center.   These are a few of the many pictures I took during that 7 miles.

View from the highway

Twin Rocks

Chimney  Rock

The Castle

We stopped at the Visitor Center to get our National Park Passport stamped.  We watched the movie they were showing about the park.  I think it was about 20 minutes long, and actually very good.

Visitor Center

Fruita Area and Scenic Drive

Capitol Reef National Park was really a beautiful place.  Our next destination is Moab, UT, to visit Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.

RV and Camper Info

Small campground.  Spots are tight, but doable.

The site was $44 a night (for 2 adults) and a $4 per person extra person fee.

The owners were very nice.  The showers were clean and open all the time.  Laundry (although we didn't use it) is available for $5 a load (1 wash and 1 dry).

There was a little store down the street - Chuckwagon General Store  - that had a deli, some souvenirs and groceries.  It was actually pretty well stocked with most things a person would need.  It had a small freezer section, a small refrigerator section, fresh fruits and veggies, and most canned or boxed goods you'd need.

There are a few restaurants within walking distance.

The park had free WiFi that worked amazingly well.  The TV antenna also picked up quite a few channels.  Verizon reception was ok sometimes, and horrible at other times.  I did not try the Sprint hot spot here.