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Brian's Wild Stuff

Wild stuff here! Welcome to my backcountry camping site.

A good hiker is a prepared hiker, make sure you bring all the items below.

CAMP STOVE
You can cook food and boil water over a fire but you will be wasting precious time and energy. You need to have a good wood powered camp stove. I bought a Trailstove after a friend of mine told me how it had saved his life in a snow storm. I've been trying to find something like it in stores but I haven't had any luck with that. It's a very simple and fool proof design, no moving parts that can break down. It cooks a bit slower than a gas stove but that's no problem at all. It's pretty cheap too.

LAMP
Always carry two separate light sources with you. If one lamp goes bad you've still got a good one. You need to see stuff around your camp site at night, and sometimes you need a light to see your way home in the dark.

STRING
If you've ever gone on an over night backpacking trip and didn't bring string you probably ended up wishing you would have brought some string with you. String is very useful every time.

BACK PACK
Be very careful when you buy a backpack, many of the big brands are selling low quality junk and charging you big bucks for the brand. If you're looking for a top of the line backpack it's good to look at less known brands that have a good reputation. These kinds of brands are generally very local and it's hard to know what to get. If you're looking for a good backpack but are not ready t spend $250 or so just get a well known non-fancy brand, nobody will think you're cool but you'll have a good backpack.

FOOD
Rice is a perfect emergency food. Very light weight and full of energy. In an emergency you just need lots of energy, don't worry so much about vitamins. Bring about 3 cups of rice per person per day you think you will spend in worst case.

TOOL
These tools come in a variety of models, generally Leatherman type tools or Swiss Army type knives. I myself have both a Leatherman Tool and a Swiss Army Knife.

DEADFALL TRAP

This type of trap is very effective but it will kill the animal that gets caught in the trap, so if you decide not to eat it you killed an animal for nothing. Only make a deadfall trap in an emergency.

You need the following things: A heavy log, a round rock, a sturdy stick about 1 to 2 feet long, a thinner stiff stick about a foot long.

Lift one end of the log up and support it with the sturdy stick. The sturdy stick in turn should be standing on top of the round rock. One end of the smaller stiff stick is placed between the rock and the sturdy stick, the other end should be suspended in the air right under the log, the stiff stick should be roughly horizontal.

Carefully place the bait on the stiff stick.

To make the trap more stable and more difficult to trigger you can cut the part of the stiff bait stick flat where it rests between the rock and the sturdy stick. You can also cut the bottom of the sturdy stick flat, it all depends on what size animal you are trying to kill.

Capitol Reef National Park

Torrey, UT

The Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long wrinkle in the earth's crust known as a monocline, extends from nearby Thousand Lakes Mountain to the Colorado River (now Lake Powell). Capitol Reef National Park was established to protect this grand and colorful geologic feature, as well as the unique historical and cultural history found in the area.

CONTACTS

Email - CARE_Interpretation@nps.gov

Fax- 435-425-3026

Write to
HC 70 Box 15
Torrey, UT 84775-9602

Phone
Visitor Information - 435-425-3791

TRAVEL BASICS

Operating Hours, Seasons
The park and campgrounds are open year round. The Visitor Center is open daily (except Christmas Day) from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with extended hours during the summer season.

Getting There
PLANE - Nearest major airport is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, approximately 250 miles north of the park.

CAR - Capitol Reef National Park is located in south-central Utah on Utah Highway 24.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - There is no public transportation to the park.

Weather & Climate
Summer tempertures often climb into the upper 90s (F), but nights cool down into the 50s (F) and 60s (F). The thunderstorm season from July through September brings cloudbursts, flash floods and lightning.

Spring and fall are milder with highs generally in the 50s (F) and 60s (F).

Daytime winter highs average less than 50 (F). Snowfall is usually light, especially at lower elevations.

Humidity is low all year.

Accessibility
A number of facilities and activities are accessible to the disabled. The Visitor Center and its restroom facilities are moderately accessible. The restrooms in the picnic ground and in loop “B” and “C” in the Fruita campground are also accessible. The amphitheater programs accommodate sensory and mobility impaired individuals.

Getting Around
Utah Highway 24 runs east and west through the park. The Scenic Drive (25 mile round-trip)begins at the Visitor Center. Other dirt roads traverse the park both north and south of Highway 24. Be sure to check current conditions before heading out on these backcountry roads.

FEES/PERMITS

Entrance Fee
SCENIC DRIVE
$5 for 7 Days
There is an entrance fee of $5 per vehicle for traveling the park’s Scenic Drive beyond the Fruita campground. Entrance fees are good for seven days from date of purchase.

Permits
OVERNIGHT BACKCOUNTRY PERMIT
Free!
If you are planning a backcountry trip, a free permit (available at the park Visitor Center, the Glen Canyon/Bullfrog Visitor Center, Anasazi State Park in Boulder, and the multi-agency Visitor Center in Escalante) is required for overnight trips.

CAMPING

Cathedral Valley Campground
Open All Year
Cathedral Valley campground offers primitive camping. Camping is free. Pit toilets, picnic tables, and fire grates are the only facilities available. There is no water.
For More Information on this campground please call 435-425-3791

Cedar Mesa Campground
Open All Year
Cedar Mesa campground offers primitive camping. Camping is free. Pit toilets, picnic tables, and fire grates are the only facilities available. There is no water.
For More Information on this campground please call 435-425-3791

Fruita Campground
Open All Year
The 71 site Fruita campground is the only developed campground in the park offering picnic tables, restrooms, water, and a dump station. A $10 use fee is charged at the Fruita campground. It is open year-round
For More Information on this campground please call 435-425-3791

LODGING

none available in the park
There is no lodging in the park. For information on nearby accommodations, visit the Wayne County Travel Council website: www.capitolreef.org or the Garfield County Travel Council website at: www.brycecanyoncountry.com

FACILITIES

Visitor Centers
CAPITOL REEF VISITOR CENTER
Open All Year 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (extended summer hours)
Phone - 435-425-3791 ext. 111
Location - The Visitor Center is located 10 miles east of the town of Torrey, Utah or 37 miles west of the town of Hanksville, Utah on Utah Highway 24.
Closures - Closed Christmas Day.
Special Programs - A variety of brochures, books, and maps are available for sale. Rangers are on duty to answer questions and provide information including travel and trail information, road conditions and weather updates.
Exhibits - The visitor center museum offers an overview of park features and includes exhibits on geology, archeology, and history as well as a short orientation slide program.
Available Facilities - Restrooms available 24 hours a day.

Some content donated by Hikercentral.com and the National Park Service

CAMP STOVE	You can cook food and boil water over a fire but you will be wasting precious time and energy. You need to have a good wood powered camp stove. I bought a Trailstove after a friend of mine told me how it had saved his life in a snow storm. I've been trying to find something like it in stores but I haven't had any luck with that. It's a very simple and fool proof design, no moving parts that can break down. It cooks a bit slower than a gas stove but that's no problem at all. It's pretty cheap too.
LAMP	Always carry two separate light sources with you. If one lamp goes bad you've still got a good one. You need to see stuff around your camp site at night, and sometimes you need a light to see your way home in the dark.
STRING	If you've ever gone on an over night backpacking trip and didn't bring string you probably ended up wishing you would have brought some string with you. String is very useful every time.
BACK PACK	Be very careful when you buy a backpack, many of the big brands are selling low quality junk and charging you big bucks for the brand. If you're looking for a top of the line backpack it's good to look at less known brands that have a good reputation. These kinds of brands are generally very local and it's hard to know what to get. If you're looking for a good backpack but are not ready t spend $250 or so just get a well known non-fancy brand, nobody will think you're cool but you'll have a good backpack.
FOOD	Rice is a perfect emergency food. Very light weight and full of energy. In an emergency you just need lots of energy, don't worry so much about vitamins. Bring about 3 cups of rice per person per day you think you will spend in worst case.
TOOL	These tools come in a variety of models, generally Leatherman type tools or Swiss Army type knives. I myself have both a Leatherman Tool and a Swiss Army Knife.