Capitol Reef Group Campground
We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 8 of the next 10 nights read 16:38 UTC
- Sites
- 1All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 15 notices
In the agency’s own words
Located in south-central Utah in the heart of red rock country, Capitol Reef National Park is a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes and bridges in the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic monocline (a wrinkle on the earth) extending almost 100 miles (160 km). The Fruita Campground area is located one mile south of the visitor center and is often described as an oasis within the desert. The Group Campsite is near Loop C of the Fruita Campground. It is a semi-shaded, grassy campsite and is located in the Fruita Historic District of the park. Keep reading
Recreation
Walk to historic inscriptions on the Capitol Gorge Trail and stroll the Goosenecks Trail. Visitors looking for longer trails can visit our Trail Guide and perhaps explore Cohab Canyon, Chimney Rock, and Cassidy Arch. Enjoy the geology and view the Fremont Culture Petroglyphs along Hwy 24. In addition, the Scenic Drive will introduce you to the fascinating cultural and geological history of Capitol Reef National Park. The drive includes a portion of the original road through the Waterpocket Fold. The road passes through parts of the Fruita Historic District and follows the western faces of the Waterpocket Fold, and spur roads allow exploration into beautiful Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge. Check at the Visitor Center for a current schedule of interpretive programs, which may include geology talks, Fremont culture talks, evening programs, star gazing, moonwalks, and geology hikes. Stop in at Ripple Rock Nature Center to experience interactive exhibits, games, activities, and free educational programs. Wander through the historic Fruita Orchards and pick fresh fruit when in season. The orchards contain approximately 3,100 trees including cherry, apricot, peach, pear, apple, plum, mulberry, almond, and walnut. Discover Mormon pioneer history at the historic Gifford Homestead store and museum.
Facilities
Sheltered picnic areas are provided at the group campsite and there is a large grassy area for tents and activities. Campers will enjoy the fire pit for relaxing evenings around the campfire and the above-ground grill for cooking. Amenities also include restrooms with flush toilets, a utility sink, drinking fountain and potable water faucets centrally located. There is no electricity available.
Natural Features
At Fruita Group site, large deciduous trees provide a shaded setting among beautiful and striking red rock cliffs. The group site sits adjacent to the Fremont River at approximately 5,500 feet (1676 m) elevation and is surrounded by unique historic orchards. Nearby, the Waterpocket Fold defines Capitol Reef National Park. The varied topography, geology, elevations, and precipitation patterns along the fold have resulted in a diversity of microhabitats and niches for plant species to inhabit. Seventeen geologic formations are exposed within the Waterpocket Fold, each with unique combinations of minerals, soil types, aspect and slope. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (435) 425-3791.
Nearby Attractions
The group site is a short walk from the main campground, amphitheater, picnic areas, hiking trails, the historic Gifford house and orchards.
What the agency tells you
Bring Reservation Information. There is no cell coverage at the campground, so please print, write down or otherwise save your confirmation and site number to present upon arrival.
Campground Regulations. All Campground Regulations apply.
Check In/Check Out. Check out is 11am and check in is 3pm.
Everything else this campground posts · 12
Wildlife. Campers often see Mule Deer in the campground. Feeding, approaching or spotlighting wildlife is prohibited.
Horses. Do not enter horse pastures where horses are present. Do not feed the horses.
Maximum Group Occupancy. Maximum occupancy of the group site is 40 people.
Maximum Vehicles. The total number of vehicles may not exceed 10 and all vehicles must fit in the campsite parking area with enough room remaining to allow emergency vehicles and park staff to drive in and out. A truck and trailer counts as two vehicles. Additional parking for the group campsite may be available at the amphitheater.
Maximum Vehicle Length. Vehicles over 27 feet (8 m) long will not have room to turn around.
Generators. Generator hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Campfires. Fires may be built only in the grills and pits provided. Please fully extinguish fires. The park encourages the use of fuel burning stoves.
Firewood. The park prohibits wood gathering. You may purchase firewood at the Gifford House or at local stores during the summer season. Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.
Washing. Do not wash dishes or clothing at water faucets or in the restrooms. You must collect gray water and dump into the utility sink.
Pets. All pets must be on leash (6 feet or less in length) at all times. The park does not allow pets on the trails or in the backcountry or to leave pets unattended.
Orchards. You may pick fruit in orchards posted as open. There is no charge for fruit consumed within the orchard but all fruit taken out must be weighed and paid for. A scale and self-pay station are provided near each open orchard. Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
For more information: visit the Capitol Reef National Park website. To contact park staff with questions or to report a late arrival, please email care_fees@nps.gov or call 435-425-3791.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 1 · 1 group
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 27 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets
- FLUSH TOILETS on 1 of 1 campsite records
- Drinking water
- Yes
- DRINKING WATER on 1 of 1 campsite records
- Dump station
- Yes
- recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
- Stay limit
- 5 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- River
- Hiking
- Historic site
- Ranger programs
- Night sky · 36th darkest of 458 in UT
- Bortle 2
- Fall color · reported 10 days ago, 0.8 km away
- Patchy color
Full this Saturdayread 16:38 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
OpenBookedClosed
The one site on offer is taken this Saturday. 1 is free on Mon, Oct 19. read 16:38 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 16
What you actually pay
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 16:38 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
1 sites · the site map
All 1 sites
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 1 of the 1 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 1 of the 1 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| Capitol Reef NP Group Campsite | Group Site | group standard area nonelectric | 27 ft | 512 ft | 73 ft | $125 |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Group CampsiteCapitol Reef National Park · 0.0 miBackcountry CampingCapitol Reef National Park · 0.3 mi
Fruita CampgroundCapitol Reef National Park · 0.3 mi
SingletreeDixie National Forest · 9.1 mi
Lower BownsDixie National Forest · 12 mi
Rosebud ATVDixie National Forest · 13 miTraveling westbound on Interstate 70: Take Utah State Highway 24 west towards Hanksville (exit 149). Stay on Highway 24 for 80 miles (129 km) to reach the park Visitor Center.
Traveling on Interstate 15: Take US Highway 50 east at Scipio (exit 188) towards Salina for 30 miles (48 km). At the junction with Utah State Highway 89/259, turn right (south) and travel 8 miles (13 km). Turn left (east) onto Utah State Highway 24 towards Sigurd. Continue on Highway 24 for 82 miles (132 km) to reach the park Visitor Center.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Torrey, UT
Typical weather
Typical October night 43°F, day 66°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 21°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it · a letter you can send
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Capitol Reef Group Campground is in Utah’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Celeste Maloy (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 3
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The member who votes the moneyCeleste MaloyU.S. Representative · Utah’s 2nd district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationJohn R. CurtisU.S. Senator · Utah
- Your senator, on the same appropriationMike LeeU.S. Senator · Utah
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Capitol Reef Group Campground, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Dear Celeste Maloy, I’m a constituent in Utah’s 2nd district. I tried to camp at Capitol Reef Group Campground, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Capitol Reef Group Campground are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, the one site recreation.gov was offering there was already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Capitol Reef Group Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Capitol Reef Group Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Capitol Reef Group Campground (Capitol Reef National Park, Utah) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Capitol Reef Group Campground, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Dear John R. Curtis, I’m a constituent in Utah. I tried to camp at Capitol Reef Group Campground, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Capitol Reef Group Campground are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, the one site recreation.gov was offering there was already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Capitol Reef Group Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Capitol Reef Group Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Capitol Reef Group Campground (Capitol Reef National Park, Utah) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Capitol Reef Group Campground, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Dear Mike Lee, I’m a constituent in Utah. I tried to camp at Capitol Reef Group Campground, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Capitol Reef Group Campground are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, the one site recreation.gov was offering there was already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Capitol Reef Group Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Capitol Reef Group Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Capitol Reef Group Campground (Capitol Reef National Park, Utah) via campanac.com