Road trip guide
145 miles from Arches country to the Waterpocket Fold — goblins, a gas station carved into a cliff, and pie in a pioneer orchard.
Most people treat Capitol Reef as the national park they drive past on the way to somewhere else. That's the mistake this route fixes. From Moab it's about 145 miles — north on US-191, west on I-70, then south and west on UT-24 through some of the emptiest, strangest country in Utah: the hoodoo "goblins" of Goblin Valley, the gray badlands around Hanksville, and finally the 100-mile wrinkle in the earth called the Waterpocket Fold.
At the end is Fruita, a Mormon pioneer settlement with orchards you can still pick from, Fremont petroglyphs, and a homestead that sells fresh pies. Here's the route, the stops, and a two-day plan. Let Wanderply build your version and narrate each stop for the long, quiet miles in between.
The route
The last real town before the empty stretch, just off I-70. The John Wesley Powell River History Museum tells the story of the 1869 expedition down the Green and Colorado, and in late summer the roadside stands sell Green River's famous melons. Fill the tank here.
A valley floor packed with thousands of mushroom-shaped sandstone hoodoos you can wander among freely — no trails, no rules about where to roam. About 12 miles off UT-24; budget 1–2 hours plus the state-park day-use fee.
One of the most accessible slot canyons in Utah, a few miles past Goblin Valley in the San Rafael Swell. Walk in as far as you like — the narrows start within a mile. Never enter if storms are forecast anywhere upstream.
A tiny crossroads with two claims to fame: Hollow Mountain, a gas station and store hollowed out of a sandstone knob, and Stan's Burger Shak. The last fuel for a while in either direction.
West of Hanksville, UT-24 crosses gray Mancos Shale badlands so barren that the Mars Desert Research Station trains crews nearby. Factory Butte rises to the north like a ruined fortress — pull over for photos, especially in late-afternoon light.
The heart of Capitol Reef: the 1896 schoolhouse, historic orchards open for U-pick in season (cherries in June through apples in fall), and the Gifford Homestead's fresh fruit pies — they sell out by early afternoon. Just down the road, Fremont petroglyphs line a boardwalk off UT-24.
A paved 7.9-mile road south along the Waterpocket Fold to Capitol Gorge, where a short walk leads to the Pioneer Register — names carved by settlers in the 1800s. Add the 1.8-mile round-trip Hickman Bridge hike for a 133-foot natural arch.
Suggested plan
Day 1
North to I-70, fuel in Green River, then south on UT-24 to Goblin Valley and a slot-canyon walk. Burgers in Hanksville, the badlands west to Capitol Reef, and sunset at Sunset Point near Panorama Point.
Day 2
Early hike to Hickman Bridge, the Fremont petroglyph panel, then the Scenic Drive to Capitol Gorge and the Pioneer Register. Pie at the Gifford Homestead, dinner in Torrey.
Wanderply doesn't just plan the Moab → Capitol Reef route — it narrates every stop like a podcast you play in the car, with the history and the story of each place. And it all works offline, the whole way.
Build this trip & hear it →Loading typical conditions in Capitol Reef…
Good to know
About 145 miles and 2.5 hours: US-191 north to I-70, west to exit 149, then UT-24 south to Hanksville and west to the Capitol Reef visitor center. Add 1–2 hours for the Goblin Valley detour.
Only in Green River and Hanksville, about 60 miles apart with nothing in between, and Hanksville is another 37 miles from the park. Fill up in both. Torrey, 11 miles past the visitor center, is the nearest fuel on the far side.
Driving UT-24 through the park is free. The vehicle fee (about $20, valid 7 days) applies to the Scenic Drive beyond the Fruita campground. Goblin Valley is a Utah state park with its own day-use fee.
Roughly cherries in June, apricots in early July, peaches and pears in August, and apples from late August into October. Orchards open for U-pick only when fruit is ripe — posted signs say which are open; you pay at a self-pay station by weight.
Spring and fall. Summer is hot (Hanksville regularly tops 95°F) and July–September monsoon storms bring flash floods — deadly in slot canyons like Little Wild Horse. Winters are quiet and cold; Torrey can see snow.
Tell Wanderply your dates, pace, and who's coming — it builds a day-by-day plan around your must-dos and narrates the whole drive.
Plan your Moab → Capitol Reef trip
