The Burr Trail and Into Capitol Reef

For the next stage of our trip we had to move on from Escalante to Torrey, at the gateway to Capitol Reef National Park. First leg of the journey was along the dramatic stretch of Scenic Route 12 to Boulder, a road we have driven several times but never gets old. We stopped at the top of the Hog’s Back, the narrow ridge where the land falls several thousand feet both sides of the road, and I had yet another go at capturing it photographically.

In Boulder we found a great coffee shop apparently run by a retired member of the Village People – great coffee and croissants – then set off down the Burr Trail. This small but paved road eventually winds down to the bottom of Capitol Reef, but much of the photographic interest is in the first 25 miles. It starts with mounds of cross-bedded cream limestone, but then the road descends into the aptly-named Long Canyon. This runs for about 10 miles with the road winding along the bottom alongside the riverbed, red and grey canyon walls towering above.

At one point there’s a short but dramatic slot canyon. It’s not Antelope Canyon, but it is pretty, a few feet from the road, and about a million less people.

Back in Boulder we revisited the coffee shop, then hit SR12 for the final run to Torrey. This section is different again, a pretty winding Alpine route with cattle grazing and aspens replacing the cottonwood trees – the pass summit is at 9600 feet.

We finally reached the end of the 12 at its junction with the 24 a few miles outside Capitol Reef. We took dinner at the local Mexican restaurant, which was absolutely buzzing. Frances took great delight in inspecting the comings and goings at the liquor store next door. Torrey is in a different county to Escalante and they obviously have a more relaxed attitude to booze. There’s even a distillery over the road!

Desert and Oasis

The Red Sands Hotel in Torrey shows the downside of too much checking on TripAdvisor. The rooms are large and clean, but they are overpriced and poorly equipped and the hotel has no soul or view. Several impracticalities will get added to my list… A mile down the road we found my first choice: stunning views, cheaper and a very nice restaurant over the road – I might have compromised on the age of the bedding.

After a gentle start we set off to explore the park. Everywhere you turn there’s a new, dramatic vista with yet more forms and colours in the rocks. However it’s interesting just how much varies with the quality of the light, and the direction of travel. In 2007 we drove route 24 from East to West, in dull conditions, and didn’t get any of the majesty which hits you like a slap heading into the park from the West in good light.

In amongst the towering rocks and stretches of desert brush you have the Fruita Oasis, a small valley fed by the Fremont river which even at the end of a heatwave summer is pleasant and green. The original Mormon settlers moved on with the creation of the National Park, but the rich orchards still generate vast quantities of fruit available to visitors on a "U pick" basis.

In the afternoon we did the aptly named Scenic Drive including the short unpaved section into Capitol Gorge. The scenery was consistently stunning, but towards the end clouds were gathering and the dull light killed effective photography.

We therefore headed for an early dinner at the Rim Rock Restaurant. I ordered a coke to start, and a very small glass turned up. It took one sip to establish this was not just a coke, but had a substantial shot of rum in it. I know some of the Americans struggle a bit with my accent, but that’s a new one. Planned drink restored we had an excellent meal, albeit slightly interrupted when the last rays of the setting sun broke through the cloud lighting up the view with a stunning orange glow which sent everyone running for their cameras.

Here’s hoping for better light tomorrow.