CAPITOL REEF JEEP TOURS
Capitol Reef is the second largest National Park in Utah, covering almost 100 miles north to south and 240,000 acres encompassing the Waterpocket Fold. The majority of visitors see only a tiny fraction of the park on paved roads around the Visitor Center and Scenic Drive.
Capitol Reef is divided into 3 areas: Cathedral Valley in the north, the Scenic Drive and Historic Fruita in the middle, and the Waterpocket Fold district in the south. Most visitors quickly pass through on Highway 24 and the scenic drive section, missing out on so much that makes this park special.
Explore the expansive, rugged backcountry with us! We’ll show you what makes Capitol Reef so unique and why it’s considered the hidden gem of Utah’s National Parks!

- Cathedral Valley Full Day (5-7 hours)
- Cathedral Valley Half Day (3-4 hours)
- Waterpocket Fold (5-7 hours)
- Scenic Capitol Reef (2-3 hours)
- Temples and Factory Butte (5-6 hours)
CATHEDRAL VALLEY FULL DAY
- Duration: 5-7 hours
- Price: $225 per adult/$150 per child
- Group size: 2 - 12
- Location: Capitol Reef National Park + Bentonite Hills
- Roughness of Road: 2.5/5 - Semi-maintained dirt road with rocky sections, dry wash crossings, river ford. Subject to change based on weather.
- Bathroom: Vault toilet halfway through tour
Tour Description
If you have one day or afternoon to experience Capitol Reef National Park, this tour is for you.
The Cathedral Valley is the more rugged option of our Jeep tours. We venture into the remote northern district of Capitol Reef, driving a 110 mile loop that takes 5-7 hours to complete. The National Park Service recommends this route normally be undertaken by high clearance 4×4 vehicles; few park visitors witness the spectacular landscape that is the Cathedral Valley.
We’ll see massive rock towers the size of skyscrapers, alien moonscapes, epic vistas ripped right out of a western movie, weird crystals, a giant sinkhole, and lava formations. Iconic sites like the Temple of the Sun and Moon, Glass Mountain, and the colorful Bentonite Hills are visited on this adventure.
Highlights
- Temples of the Sun and Moon
- Glass Mountain
- Walls of Jericho
- Gypsum Sinkhole
- Cathedral Mountains
- Epic cliffside overlooks of the Cathedral Valley and South Desert
- Queen of the Wash
- Bentonite Hills and River Ford OR panoramic views and aspen forest on Thousand Lake Mountain. *Depending on length of tour desired/subject to road and weather conditions
Add-Ons
- Sunset departure
- Sunrise departure
- Private yoga class
- Additional jeep
- Extra time and overnight camping
- Temples of the Sun and Moon
- Upper Cathedrals
CATHEDRAL VALLEY HALF DAY - TEMPLES OF THE SUN AND MOON
- Duration: 3-4 hours
- Price: $175 per adult/$125 per child - all tours are private
- Group size: 2 - 12 (solo travelers must typically purchase two seats, see our FAQ)
- Location: Capitol Reef National Park
- Roughness of Road: 2/5 - Semi-maintained dirt road with dry wash crossings. Subject to change based on weather.
- Bathroom: No official bathroom - discreet areas and supplies available
Tour Description
If you don’t have time for the full Cathedral Valley tour, this shorter half day option is definitely still worth the visit! A superb way to get a taste of the backcountry of Capitol Reef without the time commitment of a full day tour, making it perfect for families or groups with limited time.
We’ll adventure directly to the iconic Temples of the Sun and Moon, one of the most stunning, photogenic features in Capitol Reef National Park, with plenty of stops along the way to stretch our legs and admire scenic views.
Highlights
- Temples of the Sun and Moon
- Glass Mountain
- Lower Cathedral Valley
Add-Ons
- Sunset departure
- Sunrise departure
- Private yoga class
- Additional jeep
- Extra time and overnight camping
CATHEDRAL VALLEY HALF DAY - UPPER CATHEDRAL VALLEY
- Duration: 3-4 hours
- Price: $175 per adult/$125 per child
- Group size: 2 - 12
- Location: Fishlake National Forest & Capitol Reef National Park
- Roughness of Road: 2/5 - Maintained dirt road with bumpy terrain in Capitol Reef. Subject to change based on weather.
- Bathroom: Easy and convenient access to vault toilets at sunset location
Tour Description
Journey over an ancient volcanic mountain through aspen forest, and enter the northernmost point of Capitol Reef National Park, where we enjoy a panoramic view thousands of feet over the Cathedral Valley.
We’ll head down switchbacks to get a closer view of the enormous rock towers, and finish with an amazing cliffside overlook of the Cathedral Mountains for a memorable and unique sunset experience, an excellent spot for a picnic dinner!
Highlights
- Upper Cathedral Valley – Cathedral Mountains, Gypsum Sinkhole, lava formations, and the start of the Waterpocket Fold
- 100+ mile views on top of Thousand Lakes Mountain
- Aspen forest – fantastic foliage in the fall
- Stunning cliffside overlooks of desert landscapes
- Wild geologic formations and diverse terrain
Add-Ons
- Sunset departure
- Sunrise departure
- Additional jeep
- Extra time and overnight camping
WATERPOCKET FOLD
- Duration: 5-7 hours
- Price: $225 per adult/$150 per child
- Group size: 2 - 12
- Location: Capitol Reef National Park + Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
- Roughness of Road: 1.5/5 - Most of the tour is on either paved or maintained dirt roads. Optional 4x4 trails to overlooks.
- Bathroom: Frequent vault toilets throughout tour.
Tour Description
The “Waterpocket Fold” is a nearly 100 mile long wrinkle in the earth’s crust, exposing millions of years of colorful rock layers. Although all of Capitol Reef National Park encompasses this amazing geologic formation, the southern district is known as the Waterpocket Fold because this is where we can see the fold at it’s most striking and dramatic.
This Jeep tour travels south along beautiful cliffs nearly a thousand feet high; paved roads turn to dirt with optional 4×4 routes down a canyon to hike Strike Valley Overlook (a jaw dropping panoramic view), or to the Halls Creek overlook (a cliffside overlook above the reef and a double arch below). Next we’ll explore Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on the Burr Trail, before heading over Boulder Mountain on the famous Highway 12 through aspen forest.
Highlights
- The most prominent “Reef” of Capitol Reef
- Strike Valley Overlook or Halls Creek Overlook
- Fossil sites
- Burr Trail Switchbacks
- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (northern section along the Burr Trail)
- Long Canyon
- Singing Canyon slot canyon
- Scenic Highway 12
- Numerous slot canyon hikes if you’d like to book this as an extended hiking tour
- Possible dining at the world famous, Jame’s Beard nominated Hell’s Backbone Grill in Boulder, UT.
Add-Ons
- Sunset departure
- Sunrise departure
- Private yoga class
- Additional jeep
- Extra time and overnight camping
SCENIC CAPITOL REEF
- Duration: 2-3 hours
- Price: $125 per adult/$100 per child
- Group size: 2 - 12
- Location: Capitol Reef National Park
- Roughness of Road: 1/5 - This tour is on the paved scenic drive with short, well-maintained dirt roads to Grand Wash, Capitol Gorge, and Pleasant Creek
- Bathroom: Frequent vault toilets throughout tour.
Tour Description
If you’re looking for a relaxing and brief trip into the park, this tour explores the scenic drive and Historic Fruita area, the most popular section of Capitol Reef National Park. We’ll make sure you see the park’s highlights and a few of our secret spots with an experienced guide sharing their local knowledge on the geology and history of the area.
We’ll drive down the paved scenic drive and into the canyons of Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge, with an option to take a short walk to see the historic inscriptions and petroglyphs.
In the morning we can stop for delicious, homemade pies at the Gifford House, during harvest season we can pick fruit in the orchards, and an evening tour can include a short hike to one of our favorite sunset spots!
If you want a longer tour of the scenic drive area with more hiking, check out our Capitol Reef Classics guided hiking tours.
This is an excellent option to see the “main” part of Capitol Reef if you’re in a large RV, or you don’t want to worry about traffic and parking while trying to find the highlights.
Highlights
- Fruita historic district
- Stop by the Gifford House pies and cinnamon rolls (usually gone by noon)
- Grand Wash
- Capitol Gorge
- Golden Throne
Add-Ons
- Sunset departure
- Private yoga class
- Additional jeep
TEMPLES AND FACTORY BUTTE
- Duration: 5-6 hours
- Price: $225 per adult/$150 per child
- Group size: 2 - 12
- Location: Capitol Reef National Park and Factory Butte
- Roughness of Road: 3/5 - A mix of semi-maintained dirt roads, 4x4 trails, and real offroading at Factory Butte
- Bathroom: A vault toilet is available near Factory Butte
Tour Description
Journey to the towering Temples of Sun and Moon in Capitol Reef’s Cathedral Valley, followed by a 4×4 trail to the incredible feature that is Factory Butte, where we’ll then get to explore and really go off-road in a lunar landscape!
Factory Butte and the surrounding landscape is becoming an extremely popular site for photographers and offroaders. Drones are allowed in this area outside of the National Park. Sunrise and Sunset provide incredible opportunities for pictures here.
Highlights
- Queen of the Wash
- Temples of the Sun and Moon
- Glass Mountain
- Factory Butte
- Moonscape Overlook
Add-Ons
- Sunrise departure
- Sunset departure
- Private yoga class
- Additional jeep
- Overnight camping
- Duration: 5-7 hours
- Price: $225 per adult/$150 per child
- Group size: 2 – 12
- Location: Capitol Reef National Park + Bentonite Hills
- Roughness of Road: 2.5/5 – Semi-maintained dirt road with rocky sections, dry wash crossings, river ford. Subject to change based on weather.
- Bathroom: Vault toilet halfway through tour











Tour Description
If you have one day or afternoon to experience Capitol Reef National Park, this tour is for you.
The Cathedral Valley is the more rugged option of our Jeep tours. We venture into the remote northern district of Capitol Reef, driving a 110 mile loop that takes 5-7 hours to complete. The National Park Service recommends this route normally be undertaken by high clearance 4×4 vehicles; few park visitors witness the spectacular landscape that is the Cathedral Valley.
We’ll see massive rock towers the size of skyscrapers, alien moonscapes, epic vistas ripped right out of a western movie, weird crystals, a giant sinkhole, and lava formations. Iconic sites like the Temple of the Sun and Moon, Glass Mountain, and the colorful Bentonite Hills are visited on this adventure.
Highlights
- Temples of the Sun and Moon
- Glass Mountain
- Walls of Jericho
- Gypsum Sinkhole
- Cathedral Mountains
- Epic cliffside overlooks of the Cathedral Valley and South Desert
- Queen of the Wash
- Bentonite Hills and River Ford OR panoramic views and aspen forest on Thousand Lake Mountain. *Depending on length of tour desired/subject to road and weather conditions
Add-Ons
- Sunset departure
- Sunrise departure
- Private yoga class
- Additional jeep
- Extra time and overnight camping
- Duration: 3-4 hours
- Price: $175 per adult/$125 per child
- Group size: 2 – 12
- Location: Capitol Reef National Park
- Roughness of Road: 2/5 – Semi-maintained dirt road with dry wash crossings. Subject to change based on weather.
- Bathroom: No official bathroom – discreet areas and supplies available










Tour Description
If you don’t have time for the full Cathedral Valley tour, this shorter half day option is definitely still worth the visit! A superb way to get a taste of the backcountry of Capitol Reef without the time commitment of a full day tour, making it perfect for families or groups with limited time.
We’ll adventure directly to the iconic Temples of the Sun and Moon, one of the most stunning, photogenic features in Capitol Reef National Park, with plenty of stops along the way to stretch our legs and admire scenic views.
Highlights
- Temples of the Sun and Moon
- Glass Mountain
- Lower Cathedral Valley
Add-Ons
- Sunset departure
- Sunrise departure
- Private yoga class
- Additional jeep
- Extra time and overnight camping
- Duration: 3-4 hours
- Price: $175 per adult/$125 per child
- Group size: 2 – 12
- Location: Fishlake National Forest & Capitol Reef National Park
- Roughness of Road: 2/5 – Maintained dirt road with bumpy terrain in Capitol Reef. Subject to change based on weather.
- Bathroom: Easy and convenient access to vault toilets at sunset location
Tour Description
Journey over an ancient volcanic mountain through aspen forest, and enter the northernmost point of Capitol Reef National Park, where we enjoy a panoramic view thousands of feet over the Cathedral Valley.
We’ll head down switchbacks to get a closer view of the enormous rock towers, and finish with an amazing cliffside overlook of the Cathedral Mountains for a memorable and unique sunset experience, an excellent spot for a picnic dinner!
Highlights
- Upper Cathedral Valley – Cathedral Mountains, Gypsum Sinkhole, lava formations, and the start of the Waterpocket Fold
- 100+ mile views on top of 1000 Lake Mountain
- Aspen forest – fantastic foliage in the fall
- Stunning cliffside overlooks of desert landscapes
- Wild geologic formations and diverse terrain
Add-Ons
- Sunset departure
- Sunrise departure
- Additional jeep
- Extra time and overnight camping







- Duration: 5-7 hours
- Price: $225 per adult/$150 per child
- Group size: 2 – 12
- Location: Capitol Reef National Park + Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
- Roughness of Road: 1.5/5 – Most of the tour is on either paved or maintained dirt roads. Optional 4×4 trails to overlooks.
- Bathroom: Frequent vault toilets throughout tour.
Tour Description
The “Waterpocket Fold” is a nearly 100 mile long wrinkle in the earth’s crust, exposing millions of years of colorful rock layers. Although all of Capitol Reef National Park encompasses this amazing geologic formation, the southern district is known as the Waterpocket Fold because this is where we can see the fold at it’s most striking and dramatic.
This Jeep tour travels south along beautiful cliffs nearly a thousand feet high; paved roads turn to dirt with optional 4×4 routes down a canyon to hike Strike Valley Overlook (a jaw dropping panoramic view), or to the Halls Creek overlook (a cliffside overlook above the reef and a double arch below). Next we’ll explore Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on the Burr Trail, before heading over Boulder Mountain on the famous Highway 12 through aspen forest.
Highlights
- The most prominent “Reef” of Capitol Reef
- Strike Valley Overlook or Halls Creek Overlook
- Fossil sites
- Burr Trail Switchbacks
- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (northern section along the Burr Trail)
- Long Canyon
- Singing Canyon slot canyon
- Scenic Highway 12
- Numerous slot canyon hikes if you’d like to book this as an extended hiking tour
- Possible dining at the world famous, Jame’s Beard nominated Hell’s Backbone Grill in Boulder, UT.
Add-Ons
- Sunset departure
- Sunrise departure
- Private yoga class
- Additional jeep
- Extra time and overnight camping










- Duration: 2-3 hours
- Price: $125 per adult/$100 per child
- Group size: 2 – 12
- Location: Capitol Reef National Park
- Roughness of Road: 1/5 – This tour is on the paved scenic drive with short, well-maintained dirt roads to Grand Wash, Capitol Gorge, and Pleasant Creek
- Bathroom: Frequent vault toilets throughout tour.
Tour Description
If you’re looking for a relaxing and brief trip into the park, this tour explores the scenic drive and Historic Fruita area, the most popular section of Capitol Reef National Park. We’ll make sure you see the park’s highlights and a few of our secret spots with an experienced guide sharing their local knowledge on the geology and history of the area.
We’ll drive down the paved scenic drive and into the canyons of Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge, with an option to take a short walk to see the historic inscriptions and petroglyphs.
In the morning we can stop for delicious, homemade pies at the Gifford House, during harvest season we can pick fruit in the orchards, and an evening tour can include a short hike to one of our favorite sunset spots!
If you want a longer tour of the scenic drive area with more hiking, check out our Capitol Reef Classics guided hiking tours.
This is an excellent option to see the “main” part of Capitol Reef if you’re in a large RV, or you don’t want to worry about traffic and parking while trying to find the highlights.
Highlights
- Fruita historic district
- Stop at the Gifford House pies and cinnamon rolls (usually gone by noon)
- Grand Wash
- Capitol Gorge
- Golden Throne
Add-Ons
- Sunset departure
- Private yoga class
- Additional jeep






- Duration: 5-6 hours
- Price: $225 per adult/$150 per child
- Group size: 2 – 12
- Location: Capitol Reef National Park and Factory Butte
- Roughness of Road: 3/5 – A mix of semi-maintained dirt roads, 4×4 trails, and real offroading at Factory Butte
- Bathroom: A vault toilet is available near Factory Butte
Tour Description
Journey to the towering Temples of Sun and Moon, followed by a 4×4 trail to the incredible feature that is Factory Butte, where we’ll then get to explore and really go offroad in a lunar landscape!
See one of the most iconic feature of Capitol Reef, then get your offroad adventure on! Factory Butte and the surrounding landscape is becoming an extremely popular site for photographers and offroaders.
Highlights
- Queen of the Wash
- Temples of the Sun and Moon
- Glass Mountain
- Factory Butte
- Moonscape Overlook
Add-Ons
- Sunset departure
- Sunrise departure
- Private yoga class
- Additional jeep
- Overnight camping







ADD-ONS AND ADDITIONAL SERVICES
$15 per picnic box
Requires 36 hours advance notice
Most restaurants in Torrey close by 9pm, almost always after we return from our sunset adventure. You are free to bring your own food and drink, and we provide a tasty selection snacks for you to enjoy, but you may find it convenient (and delicious!) to order a prepared picnic dinner.
We’ll send you lunch order forms and handle the rest. You’ll get a fresh, large sandwich with cookie that is the perfect companion to an incredible setting to enjoy it.
Please note: Starting November 1-April 1, we will be unable to provide picnic lunchboxes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
At no additional charge, we can modify departure time to make sure we’re out in the Cathedral Valley during the golden hour and sunset.
Depending on the time of year, we may not need to adjust our departure time. Sunset in the Cathedral Valley begins about half an hour before our location in Torrey, Utah.
$25 for each half hour increment of an earlier than scheduled departure– for example a 5am departure on a 7am tour would be an additional charge of $100.
If you’re an early riser or can’t pass up a chance to see a sunrise at an epic spot, this is the add-on for you.
It takes almost 1.5 hours to safely and directly reach our preferred spot of the Temples of the Sun and Moon. Depending on the time of year, you may not need to pay for this service, but in the summer we’d depart around 4:30 am to ensure we reach the Temples of the Sun and Moon right at sunrise.
Our Jeeps have a capacity of 4 passengers, groups of 4 paid passengers will share one Jeep. If you’re concerned about space in the Jeep for your group or your gear, or have little ones or furry friends that require extra capacity, this reserves an additional Jeep for the price of an adult ticket.
Check with us to confirm availability
Contact us directly to book a custom 7+ hour tour or overnight camp!
Want to spend as much time as possible for photography, or perhaps you’d like to do some more hiking? Or you’d enjoy a glamping-style camp in the backcountry, and get the opportunity to see the stars and sunrise in a unique, incredible setting?
ADD-ONS AND ADDITIONAL SERVICES
$15 per picnic box
Most restaurants in Torrey don’t open until 7am or 8am, and close by 9pm. You are free to bring your own food and drinks, and we provide a tasty selection snacks for you to enjoy, but you may find it convenient (and delicious!) to order a prepared picnic lunchbox.
We’ll send you lunch order forms and handle the rest.
With 36 hours notice we can provide picnics from the Wild Rabbit Cafe. Click here to view their order form. They are one of our favorite spots to dine in Torrey for breakfast and lunch and are known for their fresh, local ingredients and hearty portions.
Our alternative option for a picnic box is from Austin’s Chuckwagon Deli.
At no additional charge, we can modify departure time to make sure we’re out in ideal locations during the golden hour and sunset.
Depending on the time of year, we may not need to adjust our departure time. Sunsets on our tours often occur earlier than our location in Torrey.
$25 for each half hour increment of an earlier than scheduled departure– for example a 5am departure on a 7am tour would be an additional charge of $100.
If you’re an early riser or can’t pass up a chance to see a sunrise at an epic spot, this is the add-on for you.
If you’re an early riser or can’t pass up a chance to see a sunrise at an epic spot, this is the add-on for you.
It’s $25 for each half hour increment of an earlier than scheduled departure– for example a 5am departure on a 7am tour would be an additional charge of $100.
It takes almost 1.5 hours to safely and directly reach our preferred spot of the Temples of the Sun and Moon. Depending on the time of year, you may not need to pay for this service, but in the summer we’d depart around 4:30 am to ensure we reach the Temples of the Sun and Moon right at sunrise.
Our Jeeps have a capacity of 4 passengers – a group of 4 paid passengers will share one Jeep. If you’re concerned about space in the Jeep for your group or your gear, or have little ones or furry friends that require extra capacity, this reserves an additional Jeep for the price of an adult ticket.
Check with us to confirm availability
Contact us directly to book a custom 7+ hour tour or overnight camp!
Want to spend as much time as possible for photography, or perhaps you’d like to do some more hiking? Or you’d enjoy a glamping-style camp in the backcountry, and get the opportunity to see the stars and sunrise in a unique, incredible setting?
At no additional charge, we can modify departure time to make sure we’re out in ideal locations during the golden hour and sunset.
Depending on the time of year, we may not need to adjust our departure time. Sunset/golden hour on our tours can occur hours earlier than in the town of Torrey.
If you’re an early riser or can’t pass up a chance to see a sunrise at an epic spot, this is the add-on for you. Sunrise is the best lighting for most “serious” backcountry photography.
It’s $25 for each half hour increment of an earlier than scheduled departure– for example a 5am departure on a 7am tour would be an additional charge of $100.
It takes almost 1.5 hours to travel directly and safely to most backcountry locations. Depending on the time of year, you may not need to pay for this service, but in the summer we’d depart around 4:30 am to ensure we reach the Temples of the Sun and Moon right at sunrise.
$15 per picnic box
Most restaurants in Torrey don’t open until 7am or 8am, and close by 9pm. You are free to bring your own food and drinks, and we provide a tasty selection snacks for you to enjoy, but you may find it convenient (and delicious!) to order a prepared picnic lunchbox for your sunrise or sunset tour.
We’ll send you lunch order forms and handle the rest.
With 36 hours notice we can provide picnics from the Wild Rabbit Cafe. Click here to view their order form. They are one of our favorite spots to dine in Torrey for breakfast and lunch and are known for their fresh, local ingredients and hearty portions.
Our alternative option for a picnic box is from Austin’s Chuckwagon Deli. We can order here with same day notice on our tours.
Our Jeeps have a capacity of 4 passengers – a group of 4 paid passengers will share one Jeep. If you’re concerned about space in the Jeep for your group or your gear, or have little ones or furry friends that require extra capacity, this reserves an additional Jeep for the price of an adult ticket.
Check with us to confirm availability
Want to spend as much time as possible for photography, or do some additional hiking on our Jeep tours?
We can also set up a glamping-style camp in the backcountry, and give you a chance to see sunset, the night sky, and sunrise, in a unique, incredible settings?
Contact us directly to book a custom tours or overnight camp!
Unlike other tour companies in the area, all of our Jeep tours are private; you won’t be sharing a Jeep with strangers. We want to be able to tailor your tour to what you want to see and experience!
Single riders are welcome but usually must purchase two seats. You will have the whole Jeep to yourself and the tour will be tailored to what you want to see!
However, please email us to be added to a single rider waitlist. We may see if another tour is willing to accommodate you as well, however, the tour will be tailored for the group you join.
Routes and itineraries are subject to change based on weather, road conditions, and other circumstances.
If you cancel your tour 72 hours or more in advance, or if SRA cancels your tour due to acts of god, you will receive a 100% refund. Cancellation with 48-72 hours prior to your tour, results in a 50% refund. No refund will be provided with less than 48 hour notice of cancellation, however options are available to credit your payment towards a rescheduled or future tour.
We encourage everyone to obtain travel insurance in case of last minute cancellations.
We do not rent our Jeeps.
All our tours include a guide/driver, recovery equipment, and satellite phone for safety. You can travel where are tours go on your own, please check with the Capitol Reef Visitor Center for changing road conditions in the backcountry – they often require high clearance 4WD. It changes by the season and weather – in 2020 we saw sand pits that swallowed up multiple 4wd vehicles a day, while flash floods in 2021 rendered many roads completely impassable for a month.
The Cathedral Valley, Waterpocket Fold, Factory Butte, and, Grand Staircase are rugged wilderness with no cell reception. Bring extra food, water, and warm clothes in case you have to spend the night. Do not attempt to walk out, you’re safest option with be relying on a Good Samaritan to take you to town to call a tow truck. Tows in these backcountry areas can vary from $500-2,000 dollars, depending on how remote.
We provide pickup from your lodging in the Torrey, Utah area. We can arrange to take you from other locations if, for example, you are passing through Capitol Reef, are exploring the park before your tour, or are staying in a town like Hanksville, Boulder, or Escalante. Additional charges may apply depending on meeting location and your tour.
While not required, it is customary to tip tour guides. You may tip the guide in cash, or use Venmo at the end of the tour.
We do have a picnic option available for the sunrise and sunset Jeep tours and provide a lunch on custom all day tours.
All Jeep tours come with water and snacks – (chips, Clif Bars, Kind Bars, Nature Valley Bars, fruit snacks, and Rice Krispie treats). We may adjust the snacks we provide depending on food allergies.
Our tours our scheduled so you can eat before or after your tour – this gives us more time in the backcountry to explore and adventure!
You are welcome to bring any food or beverages you’d like to put in our coolers with ice. We can even provide glasses and bottle openers/corkscrews for adult beverages!
When you book a 7 am tour, keep in mind no restaurants or hotel breakfasts are open before then. Some hotels can arrange a breakfast box for you if requested in advance, otherwise we recommend picking up food in advance.
Bring your camera or cell phone and sunscreen. We provide water and snacks (e.g. chips, Clif Bars, Kind Bars, Nature Valley bars, fruit snacks, Rice Krispie treats, etc) but feel free to bring your own snacks and beverages. You can even bring your own meals in our cooler, let us know to bring our chairs and table to set up for a picnic.
We can provide trekking poles for you, just let us know when you book!
We bring first aid kits and emergency equipment, but please bring any medications you might need if there’s an emergency or we get delayed for any reason. We are going to be very far from medical facilities.
A purse or standard-sized backpack is totally fine to bring.
For clothing, we highly recommend layers – the coldest part of the day is just before the sun rises, but it can warm up 30-40 ℉ once it does. Wind, clouds, shade, and significant elevation changes on our tours mean you may be changing layers frequently. Dress for the season in comfortable outdoor clothing with footwear that can handle dirt, sand, and rock (and mud on rainy days). Hats and sunglasses are good to bring too. On windy days, contact lens wearers may want to switch to eyeglasses to avoid dust.
Anytime is great, really! If you are interested in perfect golden hour lighting, we recommend a sunset or afternoon tour. Most times of the year, we must leave very early to get to the photogenic spots for morning light. Additional charges apply for an earlier departure for sunrise.
Spring may offer opportunities to see desert wildflowers and fantastic weather, but it will be quite chilly in the mornings. Summer is very hot in the lower elevations we travel but our enclosed Jeeps offer great air conditioning! July through early September is our “rainy season” which means we have occasional storms usually in the afternoon, so we recommend morning tours to avoid flash flooding. Fall brings stunning foliage to the aspen forests as we travel through in higher elevations. In winter, the majority of our tours are still available, and the lower elevations receive little if any snowfall! Winter is the quietest time of the year in Southern Utah.
We offer several short hikes on our Jeep tours if you enjoy walking, so you won’t be sitting in the car the whole time. However, if you have mobility concerns, you don’t even need to leave the Jeep to see many of the amazing views!
We provide collapsible steps and our Jeeps are equipped with handlebars to help you get into our lifted vehicles. We have a Jeep truck in our fleet that can securely hold any portable mobility devices you may require.
Child prices are for ages 5-14. Infants and toddlers under the age of 5 are free, but may not be comfortable on our longer tours.
You must provide your own car seats and boosters. Utah car seat laws apply to all child passengers who are younger than eight years of age and shorter than 57 inches tall. As part of these car seat regulations, child passengers must use a rear- or front-facing restraint or a high-back or backless booster seat whenever they travel by passenger vehicle.
We do allow furry friends on our Jeep tours on a case by case basis. Pets are not allowed on hikes or off the road inside Capitol Reef National Park, but can roam freely on other surrounding public lands.
We reserve the right for additional charges in case of extra cleaning or damage to our vehicles, so keep this in mind if your dog has long nails and scratches a lot and sheds.
For groups of 8 or more, please call or email to book. Our software is set to only allow 8 people to go out at a time, but with enough advance notice, we can accomodate up to 20 people!
Group rates vary by the size of your group, contact us for details!
Capitol Reef and Grand Staircase-Escalante have some incredible slot canyons, but they usually aren’t the easiest to get to. The most easy and convenient slot canyon is visited by the Waterpocket Fold Jeep Tour and the Burr Trail – Hell’s Backbone Jeep Tour. The Singing Canyon slot is beautiful but only about 300 feet long. It’s accessed just off a paved spot on the Burr Trail and visitors are common. If you were traveling to or from Bryce Canyon, it’s a pretty easy trip if you’re traveling on scenic Highway 12.
The Waterpocket Fold is the southern district of the park and where the slot canyons of the park are found. Headquarters and Surprise Canyons are the easiest to hike to, each hike is only about 2 miles and flat by slot canyon standards (you’ll still need to navigate uneven terrain and climb over one 4 foot boulder). It can take over an hour to hike one of these canyons (going there on your own is about a 2 hour drive from Torrey to the trailheads). Sheets Gulch and Burro Wash are our favorite slot canyons, but require an hour of hiking across the open desert and several hours each to explore, and feature scrambling and rock climbing moves like “stemming.” We’d love to help succeed at the challenge these canyons provide, but you’ll need to either book one of our slot canyon guided hike or a custom tour that is 7+ hours to see these on a tour with us.
The Grand Staircase-Escalante slots canyons are possibly the best collection in the world. Unfortunately they typically require several hours of driving to reach and an hour of walking across the desert. They are worth the effort, but none of our Jeep tours venture into this area. A full day hiking here while based out of Torrey or Boulder would be about 8-12 hours , long but very fun.
Unfortunately the northern Cathedral Valley district doesn’t feature any slot canyon. However our Factory Butte to Goblin Valley Jeep Tour passes what is likely the most convenient, wild slot canyon in the state. Little Wild Horse is a great slot canyon introduction. It does have a couple of climbs but overall is an accessible canyon. It is extremely popular with Utah natives so you’ll likely share the canyon with families and children. We are in the process of applying for permits to guide here, so it may be an option to add on to your tour; if you’re driving to or from Moab it’s at the halfway point; the road to the trailhead is typically in good enough condition for normal cars.
All waterfalls in Capitol Reef require hiking, the exception being a small manmade waterfall on Highway 24. Some of these hikes are easy and popular, others require more work and effort to see but promise solitude. There are a number of “secret” waterfalls located around the Torrey area but they’re not much for swimming. The easiest waterfall hike and swimming area would be walking up Sulphur Creek from the park visitor center. It’s about 1 mile to a small waterfall and pool. Please do not leave mud imprints and art on the walls or jump off the cliffs into the pool. The waterfall is suitable for sliding down if you can safely climb up a small cliff. Children can usually be safely boosted up to the waterfall slide by a parent.
Slide, swim, and jump at your own risk!
Wildlife in the desert is very elusive, typically active at night and early morning and sleeping when we are out on our tours. We relish every rare encounter we have with them!
Interesting animals we have encountered on our tours include Bighorn Sheep, antelope, coyotes, fox, badgers, tarantulas, and rattlesnakes, and fresh cougar and bobcat tracks.
It’s a very lucky day to encounter wildlife, but if you are particularly interested, we may be able to take you on a custom tour to search for Bison (American buffalo) in the Henry Mountains.
Due to the high levels of dust, sun, and extreme variability in temperature, we do not take the tops off our vehicles. Trust us, you’ll be far more comfortable in our enclosed, air-conditioned Jeep. We can take off the front panel above the driver and passenger seats occasionally depending on the space available in the “trunk.”
We have many different options for time constraints. Our longer 5-7 hour tours may seem like a long time to spend inside a Jeep but the stunning scenery and frequent stops to walk and enjoy views make the time fly.
We try to arrive 5-10 minutes before departure time to load up and provide safety rules.
Frequent stops for pictures and extended “soaking in the moments” will push the tour to the 7 hour mark. If you would like your tour to be on the shorter side of things, let your guide know at the beginning of the tour. We can modify the routes, stops, and keep your tour on schedule for a shorter adventure.
Road and traffic conditions and weather may also impact your tour time.
Our tours have bonus opportunities for unique hikes, additional 4×4 trails and scenic spots, and fantastic photography settings. If you want to make the most of your day, custom tours are available – 7+ hour tours start at $300 per adult and include lunch. Shorter custom tours follow our standard pricing: 3-4 hours is $175 per adult, 4-5 hours is $200 per adult, and 5-7 hours is $225 per adult. Overnight options may even be available with advance notice.
We hold permits for numerous surrounding areas, so if you have a special request we have the experience and paperwork to provide what you’re seeking. Please contact us so we can create the perfect experience for you.