Where to Stay Near Capitol Reef National Park: Breakdown By Price
Are you planning a trip to Capitol Reef National Park in Utah and looking for the perfect place to stay?
I have you covered! Dave and I have road tripped from Salt Lake City to Hanksville and Capitol Reef and not only did we stay near Capitol Reef, but I did a LOT of research on accommodation when I was planning our trip because I’m super fussy when it comes to where we stay.
I usually like to stay somewhere that is affordable (unless I’m in splurge mode), that is also clean, comfortable and if possible is unique and photo worthy in some way.
In this guide I have listed the most beautiful and unique accommodation that you can stay in near Capital Reef National Park and included where we stayed.
Each hotel has been given a price bracket –
Budget 💲, Mid-range 💲💲 and Premium 💲💲💲 to cater to all budgets.
The list is ordered by cost (cheapest to most expensive).
P.S. I’ve saved the best until last! 😉
All of the accommodation listed in this guide is near Capitol Reef National Park so that you can easily drive to and from the park to hike and explore.
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Capitol Reef National Park in a Snapshot
📍 Where is Capitol Reef National Park: Utah
✈ Where to fly into: Salt Lake City – FIND FLIGHTS
📆 When to visit: March – May or September – November
🛌 Top Places to stay:
Red Sands Hotel ⭐⭐⭐ 8.7 rating – absolutely STUNNING!
Capitol Reef Domes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ which is super unique accommodation!
Cougar Ridge ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9.2 rating – based on a farm with llamas, horses and more!
🎫 National Park Passes or Permits: America the Beautiful
What to see in Capitol Reef:
1. Temples of the Sun and the Moon
2. Cathedral Valley Loop
3. Capitol Reef Scenic Drive
4. Hickman’s Natural Bridge or Cassidy Arch
🙋♀️ Best Capitol Reef Tour: Capitol Reef: The Iconic Temples of the Sun and Moon
Pro Tip: Use this Ultimate Itinerary to plan your Capitol Reef National Park trip!
What Area to Stay in Near Capitol Reef National Park
Before I get into the fun stuff and pretty hotel stays, I want to go over where abouts you could choose to stay. There are 2 main towns that you could stay in and then a couple of smaller areas as shown on the map below.
- Torrey – the best town to stay for Capitol Reef because it is only a 6 minute drive away.
- Hanksville – a little further away (30 mins) but there are other things to see and do around Hanksville.
- Fruita – Not much here except the Fruita Campground.
- Caineville – There is one hotel in Caineville which is the perfect place to stay if you want to do the Temple of the Sun and Moon for sunrise.
Where to Stay Near Capitol Reef
This list of beautiful places to stay is broken down by cost, starting at the most affordable and ending at the most expensive.
Dave and I were budget travellers on this particular trip and so we stayed at one of the more affordable hotels. It was a lovely hotel though and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who is also on a budget.
Fruita Campground – Capitol Reef
Key Features
Price: 💲
- ⛺ 65 reservable sites
- 🔌 3 sites have electric hook ups but only for medical needs
- 📆 On March 02, 2025 at 07:00 am PST, availability will be released through September 02, 2025.
- 📍 Located only a 1 mile drive from the Capitol Reef Visitors Centre
The Fruita Campground is located in the Fruita Historic District of the park which is about 1 mile South of the visitors centre. There are 65 campsites that you can book head of time.
Cathedral Valley Inn – Caineville
Key Features
Price: 💲
- 🏊♀️ Outdoor swimming pool available!
- 🥐 Free breakfast included
- 📍 Literally close to EVERYTHING – Located right near Capitol Reef where the Temples of the Sun and Moon are located
Cathedral Valley Inn is located in a really convenient place between Hanksville and Torrey, meaning it is nice and close to Capitol Reef National Park and also close to the all of the incredible sights around Hanksville!
Broken Spur Inn and Steakhouse – Torrey
Key Features
Price: 💲💲
- 🙋♀️ We stayed here and I’m still dreaming about the comfy beds!
- 🥐 Famous for their delicious breakfasts
- 🤠 Has a fun cowboy theme throughout the hotel!
- 📍 Located only a 13 minute drive from the Capitol Reef Visitors Centre
At the Broken Spur Inn and Steakhouse, you can choose to stay in a hotel room or in a wagon that looks like it’s come straight out of a wild wild west movie! There is an indoor pool and hot tub with incredible views of the red rock landscapes outside through its glass walls.
We used the Broken Spur as a quick overnight stay so sadly didn’t have time to use their facilities but when we arrived, I was so glad that I had chosen this one! The rooms were lovely and looked newly renovated and very clean and the bed was to die for!
The Broken Spur serve a daily delicious homemade hot breakfast which is complementary when you book and they also have a steakhouse restaurant.
Red Sands Hotel – Torrey
Key Features
Price: 💲💲
- 💰 Different rooms availability for different budgets
- ⭐Onsite Spa experience
- 🤠 Hot tub and indoor heated pool with a view of the mountains
- 📍 Located only a 12 minute drive from the Capitol Reef Visitors Centre
The Red Sands Hotel is also located in Torrey, about a 12 minute drive from the National Park’s Visitor Centre. It has rooms for every kind of budget, from classic Queen Rooms to Suites that can sleep up to 5 people.
There is a restaurant onsite called The Rock Garden Eatery and Bar which serves breakfast and dinner and offers gluten free, dairy free and vegan options.
There is a fitness centre and a spa onsite where you can book a massage for an additional charge.
Capitol Reef Dome – Hanksville
Key Features
Price: 💲💲
- ☀ Domes have partial kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, and coffee maker.
- 🌵 Unique dome tent accommodation in the middle of the desert
- ⭐ Stargaze from hammocks
These Domes are DREAMY! You will feel like you are camping but in a mansion and they are pretty affordable too! One of the most unforgettable things about this stay is the insanely bright night sky! You can relax in your own hammock whilst staring up at the stars.
Skyview Hotel – Torrey
Key Features
Price: 💲💲
- ☀ Rooftop chill out area with insane views of Capitol Reef!
- 🌵 Unique dome tent accommodation + modern hotel rooms
- ⭐Stargaze from your bed in a dome tent with skylight!
- 🤠 Hot tub
- 📍 Located only a 15 minute drive from the Capitol Reef Visitors Centre
The Skyview Hotel is a really unique and very modern hotel in Torrey. From the moment you walk into the Skyview Hotel, you will know that you are in for a treat!
It has a beautiful rooftop with loungers and little coffee tables where you can sit and enjoy the sun setting over the red rocks of Capitol Reef after a day of adventures.
It also not only has hotel rooms with the most beautiful décor, but also gives you the option to stay in a dome tent with or without a skylight, meaning you can see stargaze from your bed!
There are dome tents and hotel rooms for couples and for groups of 4. Oh! and the Superior Rooms come with an outdoor hot tub. There is also incredible coffee at the hotel café.
Honestly, if we had been staying for longer in Capitol Reef, we probably would have chosen the Skyview Hotel to stay in because.. WOW 😍
The Pinyon House – Torrey
Key Features
Price: 💲💲
- ⭐ Incredible views surrounding the cabin
- 😍 HUGE and beautiful kitchen
- 📍 Located only a 15 minute drive from the Capitol Reef Visitors Centre
- 🛀 New hot tub!
The Pinyon House is a gorgeous A Frame modern cabin located 15 minutes from Capitol Reef National Park with it’s own private hot tub! The views from all directions are stunning. I can just imagine sitting out on that huge balcony with a glass of wine watching the sunset while dinner is cooking on the BBQ.
This cabin is the perfect self-catered accommodation. The kitchen is TO DIE FOR and the living space is huge and very comfortable. Honestly, the worst thing about this cabin is that it might be hard to make yourself leave to go explore.
Cougar Ridge
Key Features
Price: 💲💲💲
- ⭐ Based on a farm with goats, lamas, horses and more!
- 😍 The location is 100000% picturesque
- 🤠 I could be wrong but there appears to be a small BOWLING ALLEY in the hotel!! 😮
- 🧖♀️ Saunas, a unique outdoor pool, resting pavilions, hot tub, a BBQ and a fire pit area
- 📍 Located only a 17 minute drive from the Capitol Reef Visitors Centre
Cougar Ridge is currently rated 9.2 and after doing a lot of research I can see why! At first glance, I thought.. “that’s strange, the rooms look kind of old and dark,” but then I checked the reviews and even though the photos of the rooms aren’t the best, they are actually NEWLY RENOVATED, the beds are SUPER comfy, and the kitchenettes are equipped with everything you need!
The hotel also serves breakfast and the staff are absolutely lovely and ready to help you with anything you need including teaching you how to feed the animals!
Honestly, after seeing the photos of this place and reading the reviews, I think I’m ready to book a trip there!
Capitol Reef National Park FAQs
Do I need a national parks pass to visit Capitol Reef?
You don’t need a National Parks Pass for all of the hikes in Capitol Reef, however you will need one for many of them.
An America the Beautiful Pass is useful if you are planning on visiting a few of the US national parks over the course of a year.
How many days should you spend in Capitol Reef?
You could spend anywhere from 1 -3 days in Capitol Reef National Park itself, or even more if you like hiking because there are a lot of hikes to do!
There are lots of hikes in Capitol Reef but then there is also the Cathedral Valley Loop drive which goes in and out of the park. This drive is something you should not miss as some of the most beautiful sights that we saw on our trip were located in this area.
Note: You will need a 4×4 vehicle to do the drive or Book a Tour like this one!
Do you need a car to get to Capitol Reef National Park?
Yes, you will need a car to get around Capitol Reef National Park, unless you join a group tour like this 7 day Mighty 5 Tour which starts in Salt Lake City.
The tour takes you to all of the must-see spots on a Utah road trip. The tour takes you to Instagramable spots in Utah like:
- Horseshoe Bend
- Canyonlands National Park
- Bryce Canyon
- Monument Valley
- SO MUCH MORE
Are there campsites in Capitol Reef?
There is only one developed campground in Capitol Reef National Park. It is called Fruita Campground, which has 71 sites and you can reserve from March 1 to October 31.
There are also 2 primitive campgrounds, the Cedar Mesa Campground which has 5 sites and a pit toilet and the Cathedral Valley Campground, which you will need a 4×4 vehicle to get to. There are no toilets available at this campground.
What is the closest town to Capitol Reef National Park
The closest town to Capitol Reef is Torrey which is only a 15 minute drive from the Visitors Centre. There is also Hanksville, which is a 45 minute drive from the Visitors Centre.
Hanksville is famous for having lots of hidden gems and adventure activities. We spent some time there during our Utah road trip and were blown away by some of the things we saw in the area.
The next closest small town is Boulder which is about a 1 hour drive from Capitol Reef and then Escalante, which is a 1.5 hour drive.
You might also enjoy:
- How to Hike the Cassidy Arch Trail in Capitol Reef National Park
- How to Visit the Temple of the Sun and Moon, Utah
- Cathedral Valley Loop Guide – The Best Stops and Views!
- Our Ultimate 7 Day Utah Road Trip from Salt Lake City
- Long Dong Silver Spire – One of Utah’s Hidden Gems
- How to Visit the Bentonite Hills in Utah
- 10 Amazing Things to Do in Hanksville Utah
- How to Get to Moonscape Overlook in Utah
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