best day hikes in

Grand Gulch / Frying Pan trail loop

Trailhead: The hike is a near-loop starting at the Grand Gulch trailhead on Highway 24, east of the Visitors' Center, and ending on the south side of the road opposite the Hickman Bridge trailhead (also on Highway 24). With two cars you might as well leave one at each trailhead, but if not they're only separated by a couple of miles and walking along the road is a reasonable alternative.

Combining the Grand Gulch, Cassidy Arch and Frying Pan trails makes for a near-loop that hits many of the scenic highlights of the core region of Capitol Reef near Torrey. Starting at the Grand Gulch trailhead on Highway 24 the route starts by following the dry wash of Grand Gulch through a short but quite impressive section of narrows (one would want to avoid this spot in bad weather, even if it's not as dangerous as a real slot canyon). Before reaching the parking lot at the far end of the Gulch, locate the trail that leads off to the right and climb steeply out of the canyon to reach Cassidy Arch about 2 miles after leaving the floor of Grand Gulch. Cassidy Arch sits on the rim of a slickrock plateau with sheer cliffs (and excellent views) on each side. It's surprisingly easy to walk over the arch (in fact from on top you don't even realize it's an arch) but still it's a vertiginous setting that will keep parents alert!

From the arch you need to backtrack a short distance before picking up the Frying Pan trail and heading in a generally northward direction back toward Highway 24. The Frying Pan trail dips into a small canyon midway but mostly stays high, affording very good views out across the slickrock toward the monoliths that line the Fremont River Canyon. It's easy pleasant hiking that eventually brings you back to the highway opposite the Hickman Bridge trailhead, about two miles west of the starting point. Total distance for the loop is about 11 miles.

Trailhead: Chimney Rock trailhead on Highway 24 west of the Visitors' Center. I did this as an out-and-back hike, but with a shuttle you can descend Spring Canyon all the way to the Fremont River, ford it, and rejoin Highway 24 close to Grand Gulch.

The Chimney Rock trail is a short (3.5 miles) and popular loop hike that starts just north of Highway 24 a few miles west of the Visitors' Center. The loop makes for a good short hike in itself (from the high point there's an excellent panorama - shown below - of Capitol Reef and Boulder Mountain), which can be extended into a full day hike of 10-15 miles by following the trail north into Chimney Rock Canyon. The trail departs from the loop about one mile past the top of the switchbacks, and follows the dry canyon for 1.5 miles to its junction with Spring Canyon. Once you leave the loop you may not see another person all day, and this is a major attraction of this hike. Don't rush this first section - Chimney Rock Canyon is extremely impressive and for me walking quietly through the bottom of this canyon amid towering walls stained with desert varnish was the highlight of the hike.

From the junction of Chimney Rock Canyon and Spring Canyon it's possible to explore either upstream or downstream (though there's no actual running water). Heading downstream there are 6.5 miles of mostly straightforward hiking to reach the Fremont River, which can be forded to rejoin Highway 24 for a one-way shuttle trip. The only obstacle is a section of narrows containing falls that need either to be downclimbed (I took a look and didn't much care for this option, not least as when I did the hike there was a pool of murky water of uncertain depth at the bottom) or bypassed on a narrow trail. On a day hike I wouldn't bother doing either though, as the canyon upstream of the junction is a good deal more scenic and interesting than downstream. About 1-1.5 miles upstream of the junction there's a perennial spring, and the canyon here is green and very beautiful. You can hike beyond the spring for several miles further without any problem - in fact there's a challenging backpacking route that enters the canyon at the top end (starting from Holt Draw) and descends all the way to the Fremont River.

Putting together the Chimney Rock loop with a foray both downcanyon (as far as the falls) and upcanyon (to the spring) makes for a hike of about 15 miles. But there are no "must-see" attractions in Spring Canyon, so the final distance is quite flexible.

Trailhead: Chimney Rock trailhead. Cross the road and hike down the obvious (and signposted) wash toward Sulphur Creek. If you descend the whole canyon you'll emerge next to the Visitors' Center. A shuttle would be worthwhile, as it's several miles uphill along the road back to Chimney Rock.

Trailhead: Hickman Bridge trailhead, off Highway 24 near the Visitors' Center.

The Hickman Bridge trail is a short one-mile leg-stretcher off Highway 24 that leads to a good natural bridge. There are nice vistas of the main canyon (somewhat marred, of course, by the presence of the Highway), especially in the late afternoon light. From the same trailhead it's possible to hike 9 miles out and back along the Navajo Knobs trail, which climbs to the canyon rim and on to a high viewpoint to the north and west.