Picnic area · Capitol Reef National Park
A sheltered lunch stop at the end of the paved Scenic Drive.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Capitol Reef Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Capitol Reef National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Capitol Reef audio tourRecorded for this area
The Oriole’s Hanging Nest“A flash of orange in Fruita's summer trees may be a male Bullock's oriole. Look for black and white in the plumage too, then watch what the bird is carrying.”
Plays on the road 0.3 mi from Scenic Drive Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Capitol Reef Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
These covered picnic tables sit beside the parking area at the end of Capitol Reef’s paved Scenic Drive, 7.9 miles from the visitor center. Red and white cliffs rise around the entrance to Capitol Gorge, making this a good place to eat before turning back or continuing farther into the canyon. There are pit toilets but no water, so bring what you’ll need for the drive.
This picnic area is at the end of the pavement. A separate picnic area and trailhead lie 2.4 miles farther down the Capitol Gorge dirt road. The National Park Service calls that farther stop Scenic Drive Stop 9; it is not these covered tables.
Before State Route 24 was completed in 1962, Capitol Gorge was the only through road from Fruita to the east. The road still continues from the paved drive into the narrow canyon, ending at the trailhead beyond this picnic stop. Leashed pets are allowed on Scenic Drive and in picnic areas, but not on trails.
Wildlife
50 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
322 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
70 sightingsMarmotMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
13 sightingsCottontail RabbitMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
33 sightingsTurkeyMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
14 sightingsRavenMost seen around 9 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Capitol Reef. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingOld Wagon Trail Loop3.8 mi · 3 hr · 1.2 mi awayA steady climb earns a long view over the Waterpocket Fold.
EasyCapitol Gorge Trail2 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayFollow a sandy gorge to historic names and stone waterpockets.
ChallengingGolden Throne Trail4 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA strenuous climb to a knoll below Capitol Reef’s Golden Throne.
ModerateLower Pleasant Creek6.8 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA sandstone canyon walk that keeps sending you across the creek.
ModerateUpper Pleasant Creek Route7.6 mi · 5 hr · 2.1 mi awayWalk a narrowing creek canyon to cascades in pale sandstone.
ChallengingCassidy Arch Trail3.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 4 mi awayA steep climb to a walkable arch above Grand Wash.
EasyGrand Wash Trail4.4 mi · 3 hr · 4.8 mi awayA gentle wash walk that tightens into shadowed sandstone narrows.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayGolden Throne ViewpointA four-mile hike to the sandstone dome above Capitol Gorge.
Picnic area · 1.4 mi awayCapitol Gorge Picnic AreaA covered picnic stop at the start of a storied gorge walk.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayPioneer RegisterTwo prospectors left their names here on September 20, 1871.
Sight · 1.8 mi awaySlickrock DivideA quick stop where ripple slabs sit on a drainage divide.
Sight · 2 mi awayThe TanksSmall rain-fed pools turn pale sandstone into living habitat.
Sight · 4 mi awayOyler Mine ViewpointA quick roadside pause for Capitol Reef's uranium story.Sight · 4 mi awayCassidy ArchWalk across a sandstone arch with Grand Wash far below.
Sight · 4.4 mi awayGrand Wash NarrowsA tight sandstone passage worth the walk from Highway 24.Parkwolf’s Capitol Reef ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
