Capitol Reef National Park Alerts and Current Conditions

Cover of Brian Russ's guide to Capitol Reef National Park

Last checked: October 25, 2026. This page tracks what's closed, what's changed, and what's coming up at Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, from the park's alerts, conditions, and hours pages. I check it daily and rewrite it when the park posts something new, so bookmark it rather than an old news story. Dirt roads here open and close with every storm, so check the park's own alerts and road line the morning you go.

Current alerts

  • The Scenic Drive is open only as far as Grand Wash. As of October 24, the paved Scenic Drive is closed beyond the Grand Wash turnoff, and the Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge spur roads are closed. Pleasant Creek Road is closed, South Draw is likely impassable, and Sulphur Creek is listed as unknown and not recommended. Gooseneck is open to standard cars. (NPS)
  • Backcountry roads are likely impassable. As of October 22, the park lists the Notom-Bullfrog Road, the Burr Trail, the Strike Valley and Halls Creek overlook roads, and Bullfrog Creek Crossing in the Waterpocket District as unknown and likely impassable. In the Cathedral Valley District, the river ford, Hartnet Road, the Bentonite Hills area, and Cathedral Valley are likely impassable, and Baker Ranch, Polk Creek, and Oil Well Bench are unknown. (NPS)
  • Elevated E. coli in the Fremont River and Sulphur Creek. Utah's Department of Environmental Quality has issued a warning advisory. The park says not to swim, keep water out of your mouth, and wash your hands with soap and water if you go in. (NPS)
  • Flash floods. Heavy rain can flood canyons and washes suddenly. Don't drive or hike through floodwater; get to high ground and wait. Temporary road closures are posted at the visitor center. (NPS)
  • Orchards: two open, one closed. As of October 23, the Jackson orchard is closed until further notice because of flooding and mud. The Krueger orchard is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for its last Yellow Delicious apples, and the Chesnut orchard is open dawn to dusk for its remaining Red and Yellow Delicious. Apples are $2 a pound or $30 for a 50-pound bushel. (NPS)

Open and closed right now

  • The park is open 24 hours a day, and the park's conditions page calls it fully open, with road closures listed separately. Entrance is $20 per private vehicle, $15 for motorcycles (good for seven days), or $10 per person on foot or by bike. (NPS)
  • Visitor center: open daily, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Backcountry camping permits are issued there during open hours; arrive early enough to finish before closing. Most canyoneering routes are open with a permit.
  • Gifford House: open daily, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., for the rest of its season.
  • Fruita Campground: open year-round, reservable on Recreation.gov, $25 a night. The park says winter demand is low and sites are easy to get. (NPS)
  • Primitive campgrounds: Cathedral (six sites) and Cedar Mesa (five sites) are open year-round, free, and first-come, first-served, with no water. Both depend on road conditions, and the roads around them are on the likely-impassable list above. (NPS)

Coming up in the next few weeks

  • Sunday, November 22: the Gifford House's last day of the season. It reopens March 14, 2027.
  • Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving): the visitor center is closed.
  • Sunday, November 29: visitor center winter hours begin, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, through March 6, 2027. It's also closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
  • Road reopenings aren't scheduled. The park updates its road table weekly and its phone line as conditions change.

What this means for your trip

The road closures are the big one. With the Scenic Drive closed past Grand Wash and the Capitol Gorge road closed, you can't drive to the Capitol Gorge trailhead or the southern end of the Scenic Drive right now. Anyone planning the Golden Throne or the walk to the Pioneer Register should have a backup. Hickman Bridge and the other trails along Utah 24 near Fruita aren't on the closure list, and they're the obvious substitutes. Grand Wash also has a trailhead on Utah 24. The closure list covers the road, not that trail, but with the park's flash-flood caution still posted, ask at the visitor center before walking the wash.

The backcountry districts are effectively off the table until the park says otherwise. That means Cathedral Valley, the Burr Trail, and the Notom-Bullfrog Road, even with high clearance. If those drives were the point of your trip, call the road line before you leave home.

Fruita Campground is the easy call for campers this time of year. With the E. coli advisory, skip wading in the Fremont River, which is a shame on a warm fall afternoon. Days get shorter fast in November, so start hikes early.

Before you go

  • Check the park's current conditions and road table the morning of your visit.
  • Call 435-425-3791 and press 1, then 4 for road conditions, 3 for the daily weather forecast, or 5 for orchard and fruit information. The park says the phone line is more current than the website for roads.
  • Book Fruita Campground on Recreation.gov, up to six months ahead.

If a closure knocks out part of your plan, my guide to Capitol Reef National Park has nine one- to three-day itineraries at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for weather or closures. You can also check alerts and conditions for every national park.

This page is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Always check the park's current alerts before you go.