Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [92]
Camping
For details on the following campgrounds, see the campground chart in chapter 2.
INSIDE THE PARK
The park has two developed campgrounds, both set among rugged rocks. Willow Flat Campground is in the Island in the Sky District, and Squaw Flat Campground is in the Needles District. Primitive campsites are also available throughout the park for four-wheelers, boaters, mountain bikers, and backpackers (see "Exploring the Backcountry," above).
NEAR THE PARK
Near Island in the Sky, the campground at scenic Dead Horse Point State Park, P.O. Box 609, Moab, UT 84532-0609 ☎ 435/259-2614; www.stateparks.utah. gov), has electric hookups with 20-amp power. It accepts reservations from March through October with a $7 processing fee (☎ 800/322-3770). The Newspaper Rock Campground (contact the Bureau of Land Management, 435 N. Main St., P.O. Box 7, Monticello, UT 84535; ☎ 435/587-1500; www.blm.gov/ utah/monticello), along the road to the Needles District, offers primitive camping.
Additional camping facilities are available on nearby public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service; check with the Moab Area Travel Council, P.O. Box 550, Moab, UT 84532 (☎ 800/635-6622 or 435/259-1370; www.discover moab.com), or stop at the Moab Information Center, in the middle of town at the corner of Main and Center streets and open daily 8am to 9pm in the summer, with shorter winter hours. In and around Moab are over a dozen commercial campgrounds, some of which are discussed in chapter 2.
Near the Needles District of the park are several commercial campgrounds in the town of Monticello, along U.S. 191, about 15 miles south of the intersection of U.S. 191 and the park entry road. These include Mountain View RV Park, 632 N. Main St. (P.O. Box 910), Monticello, UT 84535 (☎ 435/587-2974), a well-maintained campground along the north edge of Monticello with grassy sites, some trees, and cable TV hookups.
Accommodations, Dining & Picnic & Camping Supplies
There are no facilities for lodging, dining, or buying supplies inside Canyonlands National Park. The nearest town to the park is Moab. For information on restaurants, hotels, and supply stores in Moab, see the "Where to Stay," "Where to Dine," and "Picnic & Camping Supplies" sections in chapter 2.
9
CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK
by Don & Barbara Laine
CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK IS ONE OF THOSE UNDISCOVERED GEMS, its rangers quietly going about the business of protecting and interpreting its natural wonders and historic sites while visitors flock to its more famous neighbors, Bryce Canyon and Zion.
But when people do stumble across this park, they are often amazed. Capitol Reef not only offers spectacular southern Utah scenery, but it also has a unique twist and a personality all its own.
The geologic formations here are incredible, if not downright peculiar. This is a place to let your imagination run wild, where you'll see the commanding Castle; the tall, rust-red Chimney Rock; the silent and eerie Temple of the Moon; and the appropriately named Hamburger Rocks, sitting atop a white sandstone table. A spectacular palette of colors paints Capitol Reef's canyon walls, which is why some Navajos called the area "The Land of the Sleeping Rainbow."
Capitol Reef is more than brilliant rocks and barren desert, however. Here the Fremont River has helped create a lush oasis in an otherwise unforgiving land. Cottonwood, willow, and other trees fill its banks. In fact, 19th-century pioneers found the land so inviting that they established the community that's now called Fruita, planting orchards that have been preserved by the National Park Service.
Because of differences in geologic strata, elevation, and water availability in different sections of the park, you'll find a variety of ecosystems and terrain, along with