Alerts & Conditions

Alerts

Capitol Reef National Park Operations

Capitol Reef National Park is fully open.

• The park is open 24 hours a day.
• The visitor center is open from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, daily.
  • Winter holiday closures for the visitor center are: November 28, December 24 and 25, and January 1.
• The Gifford House is closed for the 2024 season.
  • It will reopen for 2025 on Pi Day, March 14.
  • Operating hours are 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and 12:45 pm to 4:30 pm, daily.
• Operations are subject to change at any time.
• Ranger programs will be listed at the visitor center and on bulletin boards.
• Backcountry camping permits can be obtained at the visitor center, during open hours. Please arrive early enough to complete the permit process before closing.
• Most Canyoneering routes are open (with a permit). Check alerts above for seasonal closures.
• The Fruita Campground is reservable year-round. Reservations for the Fruita Campground, including the Group Site, are available through recreation.gov. Dates are available up to six months in advance. Generators are only permitted in the C loop except during the winter closure of the C loop, then they are permitted in A and B loops.

 

Current Road Conditions

Select from the three park districts below to see road conditions. Please be advised that road conditions on the website are updated weekly. The park road condition phone line has the most up to date information. Conditions may change due to weather at a moments notice. Road conditions update as of 12/6/2024.
 

Condition:	Definition:
2WD	Two Wheel Drive. Accessible to standard vehicles.
HC2WD	High Clearance Two Wheel Drive.
HC4WD	High Clearance Four Wheel Drive.
Closed	Road is closed for travel.
Impassable	Conditions are too dangerous for travel.
Unknown	Conditions are unknown at this time.
Likely Impassable	While unknown, the road may be impassable.
Not recommended	High danger of travel on road.

High Clearance: Capitol Reef National Park defines high clearance as 8 inch minimum. Many outside agencies define it as 9 inches or more. In some situations, car length can make a difference, since washouts can get long-wheelbase cars stuck.

Fruita Historic District

Road Name	Condition	Updated on
Scenic Drive	2WD, closed beyond Grand Wash Road	12/6/24
Grand Wash	2WD	12/6/24
Capitol Gorge	Closed through January 2025	12/6/24
South Draw	Not recommended, extremely rough & unmaintained	12/6/24
Pleasant Creek	2WD, only accessible from South Draw Rd.	12/6/24
Sulphur Creek Rd	4WD, icy and snowy	12/6/24
Gooseneck Rd	2WD	12/6/24

Waterpocket District

Road Name	Condition	Updated on
Notom-Bullfrog Rd	2WD	12/6/24
Burr Trail Rd	2WD	12/6/24
Strike Valley Overlook Rd	HC4WD	12/6/24
Halls Creek Overlook Rd	HC4WD	12/6/24
Bullfrog Creek Crossing	Unknown	12/6/24

Cathedral Valley District

Road Name	Condition	Updated on
River Ford	Unknown	12/6/24
Hartnet Rd	HC4WD, snowy & muddy	12/6/24
Bentonite Hills Area	Unknown	12/6/24
Cathedral Valley Rd	HC4WD, snowy	12/6/24
Baker Ranch Rd	Unknown	12/6/24
Polk Creek Rd	Unknown	12/6/24
Oil Well Bench Rd	Unknown	12/6/24

 

Call 435-425-3791 to reach the automated phone tree, which has the weather forecast recorded daily; updates on road conditions as they change; and the fruit hotline for flowering and harvesting information.

Press #1 for information, then press:
#1 to have information mailed to you
#2 for campground information
#3 for the daily weather forecast
#4 for road conditions
#5 for orchard and fruit information
#6 for the visitor center bookstore
#7 for visitor center information
#8 to leave a message for visitor center staff