Capitol Reef is the least-visited of Utah’s “Mighty Five” National Parks, but it’s also the most dog-friendly!
Plus, it’s the only Utah National Park with free admission.
Capitol Reef is just as pretty as her more famous sisters Arches, Bryce Canyon, and Zion, but you can enjoy the canyons without the crowds.
Are dogs allowed at Capitol Reef National Park?
Yes, dogs are allowed at Capitol Reef.
Leashed dogs (on leashes no longer than 6 feet) are allowed wherever cars are, including on roads, on paved pullouts, and at campgrounds.
Thankfully, Capitol Reef is one of the most drive-friendly parks, with some beautiful scenic drives that show off the park’s geology. (There are some parks where you can’t really see much from the road, but Capitol Reef isn’t one of them!)
I recommend driving the Scenic Drive, including the dirt road spurs called Capitol Gorge and Grand Wash.
The Scenic Drive is a 7.9 mile (12.7 km) paved road, suitable for passenger vehicles. Allow yourself about an hour and half roundtrip for the entire thing. NPS has a great guide to the scenery here.
Roads can close due to snow, ice, mud, and flash floods, so check at the visitor center before you go.
If you have more than one day, I’d also visit the Cathedral District, a much more remote and rugged area of the park. It’s worth the extra time!
You can also bring your pup:
- on the path from the visitor center to Fruita Campground
- in unfenced and/or unlocked orchards
- in the Chesnut and Doc Inglesby picnic areas
- in campgrounds
- within 50 feet of center line of roads (paved and dirt) open to public vehicle travel
Dog-friendly hiking trails in Capitol Reef National Park
The main dog-friendly trail within Capitol Reef itself is the Fremont River Trail from the Fruita campground to the south end of Hattie’s Field (where there is a gate).
It’s a pleasant, easy walk along the Fremont River through Capitol Reef’s abundant orchards and impressive cliffs, with cottonwoods turning yellow in autumn.
(Note: not all of the 1.4 miles of trail is open to pets — just until the gate. Continue walking until you see a gate and sign reading “No Dogs Allowed Beyond This Point.”)
Dog-friendly campgrounds and lodging near Capitol Reef National Park
Fruita Campground, the only campground within Capitol Reef National Park itself, is dog-friendly.
But each of the five times we’ve visited Capitol Reef, the Fruita Campground was already full when we arrived.
Instead, we found this beautiful dog-friendly dispersed campsite just outside the park, where we stayed for free. Check freecampsites.net for many more options nearby.
Not into camping? You can find several dog-friendly hotels and Airbnbs in nearby Torrey, Utah and the surrounding areas.
Other dog-friendly activities near Capitol Reef
If you’re in the area —and I use this term broadly— don’t miss the dog-friendly Goblin Valley State Park or Lower Calf Creek Falls in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Fishlake National Forest, home to Pando the aspen tree, the world’s largest organism (!!), is close by, too.
And if you’re on a road trip of Utah’s “Mighty Five” National Parks, check out my dog-friendly guides to Arches, Bryce Canyon, and Zion.
1 Comment
Leave your reply.