Capitol Reef Visitor Center

The Capitol Reef Visitor Center sits just off Highway 24 at the edge of the historic Fruita district, in a mid-century Mission 66 building that is a good example of Park Service design from that era. Newly renovated exhibits explain the park’s human history, its plants and animals, and the geology of the Waterpocket Fold, and there is an orientation film and a bookstore run by the Capitol Reef Natural History Association. Rangers can tell you current road and trail conditions, what is open on the Scenic Drive, and what is ripe in the orchards. The Scenic Drive starts right here, and the Fruita campground, historic orchards, and the Gifford House are all close by.