It holds one of the greatest galleries of early Indian rock art in the world. The canyon is about 30 miles inland over the Maze road. There is a parking area near the trailhead to the canyon, and primitive camping is permitted. The hike into the canyon is about six miles round trip.

The Maze road also leads to some of the lesser-seen splendor within the park, like the Doll House area, which overlooks the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers.

The Maze District of Canyonlands is rugged, primitive and remote. Camping in the district is primitive.

As in other parts of Utah with steep rock walls, rock climbers are starting to take notice of Capitol Reef. This, however, is not an area for inexperienced climbers. There are two kinds of sandstone inside the park — Entrada, which is soft and crumbly, and Wingate, which is much harder but can flake off and is unpredictable.

Areas such as Temple of the Sun and Moon are closed to climbers, as are Hickman Natural Bridge and Chimney Rock.

Before Capitol Reef was a park, it was a farming community, and some of the fruit orchards remain.

There are approximately 2,700 trees bearing such fruits as cherry, apricot, peach, pear and apple, with a few plum, mulberry, almond and walnut trees.

The National Park Service owns and tends the orchards. Visitors are welcome to enter one of the orchards and eat all they want. If they choose to take some home, however, there is a fee. Bags for carrying out the fruit are provided. Hand-held fruit pickers and ladders are available.

One of Utah's 70 Scenic Backway tours starts near Fremont and travels into the park and connects up with the Cathedral Valley Road.

Called the Thousand Lakes Mountain Road, it travels through Fishlake National Forest, which is in sharp contrast to the sandstone formations in Capitol Reef. This is a single-lane graded road. Four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended.

Also within the county is the Capitol Reef Scenic Byway, which runs along U.S. 24 from Loa to Hanksville. The road follows the Fremont River. Scenery ranges from open fields and pastures to the barren Mancos shale landscape around Hanksville.

Another popular hiking/biking route is Velvet Ridge. The trailhead is about two miles east of Bicknell and comes out on U.S. 24. The route takes hikers and bikers along red-cliff ridges and down onto the Sand Creek Road. For those riding one way, a shuttle service is required, either as a do-it-yourself or through one of the shuttle services in Torrey.

While ATV use is not allowed within the park, there is riding available along the Great Western Trail, which passes through Thousand Lakes Mountains. This is also a popular route for hikers, bikers and equestrian enthusiasts.