Hiking the Cohab Canyon Trail to Fruita Overlook in Capitol Reef National Park

Looking for more hikes near Cohab Canyon in Capitol Reef National Park?
Hit the trail for Hickman Bridge or Cassidy Arch, or soak in the evening views from Sunset Point.

WE HIKED IT

April, 2026, 2 hours and 15 minutes

CURRENT INFO

Find more information about Capitol Reef National Park on the National Park website. Maps and reviews for this route are available on the AllTrails website. If you’re planning a trip to Capitol Reef National Park, I recommend the guidebook Moon Zion & Bryce: With Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase-Escalante & Moab by Maya Silver.

GOOD TO KNOW

• There is a $10 to $20 fee to enter Capitol Reef National Park. It’s also covered by the America the Beautiful Pass. If you don’t already have a pass, check ahead of time to see if you qualify for a free or reduced price pass — veterans, seniors, and 4th graders do!
• Full disclosure: during our visit in April, we were never asked to show our America the Beautiful Pass. Maybe it was because we arrived early in the season. But the Capitol Reef National Park website states that payment is required, so be prepared to show your pass or pay the fee.
• Park in the lot across the road from the Gifford House to access the Cohab Canyon trailhead. The trailhead is on the same side of the road as this parking lot, across from the Fruita Campground entrance.
• Restrooms and drinking water are available at Fruita Campground across the road from the trailhead. Be sure to fill up your bottle before you go.
• Bring water, shade hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen. There is little shade on the trail.
• There are beautiful, shady picnic areas near the parking lot and across the road by the Gifford House. These spots are perfect for relaxing after your hike, and a restroom is available in the main picnic area.
• Be sure to stop by the Gifford House for pie before or after your hike! This cute historic cottage is famed for its homemade fruit pies, sold daily. Come early in peak season, as they are known to sell out. All pies are personal-sized, so you can buy several and enjoy a post-hike taste test (we especially like the mixed berry and strawberry rhubarb).
• I recommend hiking the Cohab Canyon Trail in fall or spring. You can hike in summer, too, but expect heat.
• Looking for a longer hike? The full Cohab Canyon Trail is 3.3 miles one way with a trailhead at each end. The other trailhead also connects to the Hickman Bridge Trail, one of the most popular hikes in Capitol Reef National Park.
• Always follow Leave No Trace principles.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Cohab Canyon Trail is a great introduction to Capitol Reef National Park. With terrific views of Fruita (the orchard community at the heart of the park), the striking cliffs of the Waterpocket Fold, and a walk through a sandy canyon, Cohab Canyon gives you a little taste of everything. You can even get a literal taste of what Capitol Reef has to offer by stopping at the Gifford House before your hike. Conveniently located across from the Cohab Canyon trailhead parking lot, the Gifford House sells homemade fruit pies, baked fresh daily. Hiking and pies? This must be heaven! Now, if only they sold coffee…

THE KIDS’ TAKE

For kids who are are up for a few switchbacks, the Cohab Canyon Trail is so much fun to explore. The sandy wash and expanses of slickrock leading through the canyon are especially entertaining for young ones. If you have time, find a shady place to sit and let the kids scamper over the rocks.

For a post-hike treat, stop in at the Gifford House before you hit the trail for some pie. I say before you hit the trail because these tasty pies are known to sell out early. Stash your pies in the car, then pick them up after your return before heading to the picnic area. Located just a few minutes’ walk north of the parking lot, this shady oasis near the river is the perfect place to wind down after your hike. Or, if the kids haven’t yet burned off all their energy, it’s the ideal place to run them ragged. Plus, it has a restroom.

If your kids enjoyed the Cohab Canyon Trail, consider upping the ante with the Cassidy Arch Trail. This trail is more strenuous than Cohab Canyon, and the switchbacks at the start are more exposed, so I don’t recommend it for very young children who aren’t prepared to hike along a few high ledges. But for those who are ready, it’s a great companion hike to Cohab Canyon.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE

Capitol Reef National Park is a bit of a hidden gem within the Utah National Parks, although it is gaining in popularity. For good reason — we love this park! There are a wealth of short but stunning hikes in the central hub near Fruita. Cassidy Arch and Hickman Bridge are my favorites. Capitol Gorge is also fun to explore, and the golden hour views at Sunset Point can’t be beat. Any of these options can easily be paired with the Cohab Canyon hike.

It takes a few days to fully explore the area. Camp at the lovely Fruita Campground for easy access to all the park has to offer. Fruita Campground is literally across the road from the Cohab Canyon trailhead, and about a mile from the visitor center. Most importantly, it’s next door to the Gifford House, purveyor of homemade fruit pies so tasty that a line forms well before the shop opens at 9am. Plan to purchase your pies before you hike, as they are known to sell out.

With more time, the “Loop the Fold” scenic drive is a great way to spend half a day (or more) exploring some of the further reaches of Capitol Reef National Park. The visitor center sells a helpful driving guide that points out many areas of geological interest. The highlight is the trek up (or down) the infamous Burr Trail switchbacks. This section of the road is unpaved, and high clearance is helpful. Be sure to check the weather before you go, as rain storms can turn the otherwise dry roadbed to a thick slurry of slick mud. Hungry? This route passes through the tiny town of Boulder, where both the Burr Trail Grill and Little Bone Food Truck serve excellent meals.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I love setting off on a hike directly from the campground. No getting in the car, no driving, just strapping on a backpack and letting my feet do the walking. It was no wonder, then, that our first hike at Capitol Reef National Park was the Cohab Canyon Trail. We walked from our campsite to the Fruita Campground entrance, crossed the road, and started up the switchbacks.

Not, however, before picking up some pies from the Gifford House next door. Close proximity to the Gifford House is another advantage of staying at Fruita Campground, and we enjoyed a hearty breakfast of freshly baked fruit pie before hitting the trail.

The Cohab Canyon Trail starts off steep. At this point, we weren’t in the canyon yet; you have to work a little to get there. We dutifully climbed the natural stone steps built into the dusty trail while Fruita Campground slowly shrank below our feet.

Before long, the path leveled out. We were now walking along a trail of crumbling dirt, cliffs towering above on our left, while a jumble of boulders spilled into the valley on our right. This part of the trail is fairly exposed, and those with a fear of heights may find it disconcerting. But this section is brief, so I encourage you to keep going. We’re about to enter Cohab Canyon.

The trail veered suddenly to the left, where a hidden oasis stood squeezed between two massive sandstone walls. This was Cohab Canyon. We followed the trail along a sandy wash. After passing through a narrow passage lined with bristlecone pines, the canyon widened, and we found ourselves climbing gradually higher across an expanse of red slickrock.

The Cohab Canyon Trail continues for several miles, but our destination was already close at hand. Soon, the trail split, giving us the option of continuing through the canyon to Hickman Bridge or heading up to the Fruita Overlooks. We chose the overlooks, and found ourselves marching uphill once more.

The initial climb to the Fruita Overlooks can be challenging, with uneven steps and the occasional loose stone. Take heart — you don’t have far to go. Once we reached the top, we continued straight ahead for the North Fruita Overlook, where we were met with this stunning scene:

Pictures just don’t do it justice. Yes, I know, that’s what everyone says about any epic viewpoint. But that doesn’t make it any less true.

After drinking in the view from the North Fruita Overlook, we headed back onto the trail and made our way to the South Fruita Overlook. This involved a relatively short up-and-down trek over more slickrock, culminating with a view down into the heart of Fruita. In the distance, the slopes of the Waterpocket Fold slanted toward the horizon.

Not familiar with the Waterpocket Fold? You will be if you spend much time at Capitol Reef National Park. It’s essentially a place where the earth folded, creating a sharp bend in the landscape that stretches for 100 miles. From the South Fruita Overlook, we’re looking out over the top of the Waterpocket Fold. On the other side of those ridges, the earth folds, taking a sudden dive downwards. In the process, rock layers that were once horizontal become nearly vertical before leveling out again on the valley floor. In geological terms, it’s a monocline. To get a better look at this crazy anomaly, I highly recommend the Loop the Fold scenic drive.

Now that we’ve enjoyed our mini geology lesson, it’s time to hit the trail again. From the overlook, we headed back down into Cohab Canyon. It’s amazing how different the landscape appears on the return trip. With ever-changing views and fantastic rock formations, you’re sure to spot something magical that you didn’t even notice on the way up.

Back in Cohab Canyon, we followed the rocks marking the trail before entering the sandy wash. Here in the desert, many trails follow the natural lay of the land without a clear path cut into the rock. A narrow canyon wash is pretty easy to follow, but in some places the trail is less obvious. At Capitol Reef, lines of stones often mark the path, and you will see small stacks of stones, called cairns, as well. In order to help all hikers easily navigate, do not move any trail markers or create your own cairns.

It wasn’t long before we left Cohab Canyon and found ourselves back on the switchbacks to Fruita Campground. By now, more people were out on the trail, and we passed numerous hikers on their way up. As with many trails in our national parks, you’ll have more of your hike to yourself if you head out early.

Back at Fruita Campground, I marveled at the hikers climbing up the switchbacks. What wonders awaited them! Just as I had hoped, Cohab Canyon was the perfect introduction to Capitol Reef National Park. Combine it with pie from the Gifford House, and you’re golden. It wasn’t even lunch time on our first day at Capitol Reef, and I couldn’t wait to see what else this park had to offer.