Located in Utah, Capitol Reef National Park receives more than 550,000 visitors annually. On a total area of ​​976 km² you can experience many different animal and plant species, but you can also be impressed by the landscape. Capitol Reef National Park was officially designated an American National Park on December 18, 1971. See a2zdirectory for tourist attractions in Utah.

The story of the Capitol Reef National Park

The first settlers in this region were the Fremont People. They came to the Capitol Reef National Park area around 700 AD and settled here. Common for this culture, the people lived from hunting, agriculture and kept poultry. In the Capitol Reef National Park as well, drawings were found on various rock walls as a legacy of the Fremont People. They scratched numerous paintings and sketches on the walls.

The Mormons later came to what is now the Capitol Reef National Park and populated the area around 1880. They established a settlement on the edge of the Fremont River. They named their village Junction. A few years later, in 1902, the settlement was then called Fruita. The town came to prosperity and wealth, because they lived from fruit growing and cattle breeding and sold their products to neighboring communities and made money through passing cowboys and uranium seekers. The advantage of Fruita was that it was located on the water. The neighboring communities did not have this luxury and were therefore gradually given up.
The Mormons took advantage of this and built roads to make their Wayne Wonderland residential area on Captiol Reef accessible to tourists. In addition, they not only wanted to earn money with tourism, but also wanted the area to be protected. The then President Franklin D. Roosevelt named the area a National Monument on August 2, 1937.

A few years later, President Richard Nixon declared Capitol Reef a national park. By the way: The Mormons then no longer inhabited this area, the last resident left the settlement in 1969. However, the schoolhouse (1896), a barn, a few houses and a few orchards (where you can still buy fruit today) have been preserved from that time.

The flora and fauna in the Capitol Reef National Park

In addition to the many different fruit trees that were planted and cultivated by the Mormons, you will find a relatively large number of different plants here in the Capitol Reef National Park compared to similarly located parks. This is due to the above-average amount of water. You can find willows, columbines, juggler flowers and various kinds of ferns here.
Animals like the mule deer and the wood warbler feel just as comfortable here as various types of frogs and insects.
But also predators like puma and bobcat populate the area in the Capitol-Reef National Park. Native bird species and bats feel particularly at home in the climate of the Capitol Reef.

If you want to hike the area, you should definitely bring your own provisions and supplies with you, as there are no shops other than a souvenir shop in the park. You should also pay attention to the poisonous rattlesnakes and avoid these animals.
Otherwise you can especially admire the colorful rock walls and rocks. In winter, fewer visitors come here for the simple reason that the temperatures are very low at this time. The Capitol Reef National Park is therefore more suitable for summer vacationers.