Fruita, UT

Travel Guide

Torrey showing tranquil scenes and a house
Capitol Reef National Park featuring tranquil scenes, desert views and a gorge or canyon
Torrey featuring desert views and signage
Capitol Reef National Park showing desert views, tranquil scenes and a gorge or canyon
Torrey featuring interior views

Learn about Mormon pioneers at the historic farmhouse and visitor center and embark on scenic treks to see petroglyphs and arches.

Fruita is a historic base in a scenic valley of Capitol Reef National ParkOpens in a new window. It’s the park’s administrative center and contains surviving relics from early Mormon pioneers. Piece together the intriguing history of this settlement through its homestead and visitor center.

While most of the houses have disappeared, the Gifford Homestead remains an enlightening example of Mormon pioneering lifestyle. It includes a barn, a smokehouse and the main home, where you can enjoy baked pies and cinnamon rolls.

See the schoolhouse for a glimpse into the past. Stay at the adjacent Fruita Campground to sleep under the stars. Watch for rabbits and deer quietly moving across the open areas.

For a sense of the region’s history before the Mormon pioneers, take a short hike with your family to the Petroglyphs. Gaze up at the large slab of works of art carved onto a red rock wall by the Fremont and Ancestral Puebloan peoples. The engravings include animals, crops, and human-like figures.

Appreciate the majestic scenery of the Fruita region, which comprises a green valley with orchards surrounded by the iconic red rocks of the national park. Have a picnic beside one of the roughly 3,100 trees that make up Fruita’s orchard.

Try the Hickman Bridge Trail to encounter a granary and an old pit house. The trail offers excellent views of the Fremont River. Arrive at the Hickman Natural Bridge, an enormous arch that frames a vista of red mountains.

The old community stands at the meeting point of the Fremont River and Sulphur Creek in the center of Capitol Reef National Park. Drive south from Salt Lake City for 225 miles (362 kilometers) to get here and leave your car in one of the parking lots. Visit nearby parks, such as Fishlake National Forest, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Dixie National Forest.

Find Fruita’s historical and verdant oasis at the heart of this red-rock national park.

Capitol Reef Resort
Capitol Reef Resort
4 out of 5
2600 E. Hwy 24, Torrey, UT
$166 nightly
The price is $188 total per night from Jul 20 to Jul 21
$188 total
Jul 20 - Jul 21
Total includes taxes and fees
Stay at this 4-star hotel in Torrey. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and an outdoor pool. Our guests praise the restaurant and the helpful staff in our reviews. ...
8.6/10 Excellent! (1,018 reviews)
"Loved our stay here. The staff were very accommodating to our needs. Great amenities. Loved the extras such as Starbucks coffee in the rooms, plush towels in the room and pool and nice fitness room."

Reviewed on Jul 9, 2025

Capitol Reef Resort
Broken Spur Inn & Steakhouse
Broken Spur Inn & Steakhouse
2.5 out of 5
955 East SR-24, Torrey, UT
$131 nightly
The price is $148 total per night from Jul 14 to Jul 15
$148 total
Jul 14 - Jul 15
Total includes taxes and fees
Stay at this hotel in Torrey. Enjoy free breakfast, free WiFi, and free parking. Our guests praise the breakfast and the pool in our reviews. Popular attractions ...
9/10 Wonderful! (1,040 reviews)
"So much fun to stay in the wagon. The bed were super comfy! The bathrooms were great but I was kind of hoping for a more “wagon or rustic” bathroom (on theme maybe?). We loved sitting around the fire pit and getting to know our wagon neighbors. The lights around the bathroom made stargazing hard ..."

Reviewed on Jul 11, 2025

Broken Spur Inn & Steakhouse
The Rim Rock Inn
The Rim Rock Inn
2.5 out of 5
2523 Highway 24 E, Torrey, UT
$111 nightly
The price is $125 total per night from Jul 13 to Jul 14
$125 total
Jul 13 - Jul 14
Total includes taxes and fees
Stay at this hotel in Torrey. Enjoy free parking, 2 restaurants, and daily housekeeping. Our guests praise the restaurant and the helpful staff in our reviews. ...
8/10 Very Good! (1,005 reviews)
Amazing
"Amazing. We love it at Rim Rock. The only complaint is the restuarant. Food and drinks are very inconsistant."

Reviewed on Jul 4, 2025

The Rim Rock Inn
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
Cowboy Cabin
Cowboy Cabin
3 out of 5
2345 Cowboy road, Torrey, UT
Stay at this 3-star cabin in Torrey. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and a picnic area. Popular attractions Gifford Homestead and Dixie National Forest are located ...
9.6/10 Exceptional! (11 reviews)
"Amazing cabin in a great location. The cabin was well-equipped, clean, and very spacious. I would recommend this property to anyone wanting to visit Capitol Reef National Park."

Reviewed on Jul 7, 2025

Cowboy Cabin
Spend a romantic night in a shepherds camp wagon
Spend a romantic night in a shepherds camp wagon
Teasdale
Stay at this cabin in Grover. Enjoy memory foam beds. Popular attractions Gifford Homestead and Goosenecks Overlook are located nearby.
9.6/10 Exceptional! (21 reviews)
"beautiful property and very nice experience staying in this unique refurbished shepherds wagon."

Reviewed on Jun 7, 2025

Spend a romantic night in a shepherds camp wagon
Peace and Quiet on the Fremont River
Peace and Quiet on the Fremont River
Torrey
Stay at this apartment in Torrey. Enjoy free WiFi, a garden, and patios. Popular attractions Dixie National Forest and Gifford Homestead are located nearby.
9.6/10 Exceptional! (33 reviews)
Perfect location.
"Everything you need. Clean."

Reviewed on Jun 25, 2025

Peace and Quiet on the Fremont River
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

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