How We Saved $200 on Glamping Near Capitol Reef National Park

Hi, JJ here! Brittany and I are both Utah natives but until recently neither of us had ever been to Capitol Reef National Park. We started this blog to chronicle our efforts to get out and explore more of our home state, and came up with our Utah Bucket List. This was high on my list, especially when I learned that there are some really unique spots to go glamping near Capitol Reef National Park.

Utah National Parks: Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef is considered one of the “Mighty Five” National Parks in Utah, but it is so much less crowded, which is heavenly. When we first arrived in Torrey, we were blown away by the natural beauty all around us and couldn’t believe we had overlooked this place. We’re not the only ones, either. Compared to Greater Zion or Moab, the town of Torrey where Capitol Reef is quite small and undeveloped. There are no major major brand-name hotels, very few restaurants, and one tiny general store. But that’s part of the charm of Capitol Reef! It’s still a hidden gem – though probably not for long- and somewhere you can go to escape the crowds that plague some of the other national parks.

Camping Near Capitol Reef

Many people love going to National Parks for the experience of fully immersing themselves in nature, including camping in a tent or RV. Capitol Reef is no different and you can stay at the Fruita Campgrounds inside the park for $20/night.

Hotels Near Capitol Reef

Unless you’re camping inside Capitol Reef, the best place to stay is in the adjacent town of Torrey. There are no brand-name hotels in this small town but there are several motels and lots of rental options on Airbnb.

Glamping Near Capitol Reef National Park

What really sold me on the idea of spending the weekend at Capitol Reef was when I learned about the unique experience of glamping in a covered wagon! Glamping near Capitol Reef National Park sounded like a lot of fun so we gave it a shot and weren’t disappointed. There are two places in Torrey where you can get this type of glamping experience – Capitol Reef Resort and Broken Spur Inn. Capitol Reef Resort sits nearer to the park and closer to the red cliffs, so it offers a much more scenic view. It also has nicer amenities, such as a workout room and outdoor pool. You can choose from the teepees, covered wagons, or private cabins. But it’s also very expensive. It costs around $400/night and requires a two night minimum stay.

How we saved $200 on covered wagon glamping Near Capitol Reef National Park:

We opted for the more budget-friendly option at Broken Spur Inn because we were still able to sleep in an air-conditioned covered wagon for half the cost. The teepees only fit a single king bed so they weren’t big enough for our family. But the wagons are much more spacious than you’d expect – they fit a king-size bed, a set of bunk beds and a couch. We usually opt for hotels in our travels but this was such a unique experience that we’d recommend these to anyone!

Staying at the Broken Spur Inn instead of Capitol Reef Resort will save you nearly $200/night. But we took it one step further and stayed at the Broken Spur Inn for FREE by travel hacking. You don’t have to just use Delta SkyMiles or Marriott Bonvoy points to get free travel. My favorite travel-hacking credit card is the Capitol One Venture Card because they’re offering 50,000 points for a sign-on bonus right now, which is worth $500 towards any travel expense – including glamping! I simply used my Capitol One to pay for the stay, then redeemed 20,000 points to erase the purchase and get a free night, which saved us another $200. Click the link to sign up and go glamping for free!

Learn about pioneer & Native American history

One of the reasons glamping near Capitol Reef National Park in a covered wagon or a teepee is that the area is steeped in pioneer & Native American history. The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Fremont people, who resided here from around 300-1300 CE/AD. There are several easily-accessible places where you can see petroglyphs carved into the cliffs. The most popular is the Capitol Reef Petroglyph Trail, a 0.3 mile round-trip walk along a relatively flat boardwalk.

The first Mormon Pioneers arrived to settle the area in the 1870s and established the town that would eventually be known as Fruita. They were the ones who came up with name Capitol Reef. ‘Capitol’ because the white sandstone domes reminded them of the US Capitol building and ‘Reef’ because they found the huge cliffs to be impassable, like a barrier reef. Fun fact! As you meander through Capitol Reef, you can see old historic buildings, cabins, barns, and schoolhouses throughout the park. The most iconic of them is the Fruita Barn, seen below.

Whether you’re a Utah local planning a weekend getaway or someone planning an epic road trip to visit Utah’s national parks, make sure you don’t overlook Capitol Reef! You won’t regret it.

Check out the best things to do in Capitol Reef and other Utah national parks.

Enjoy your trip!🤘🏻

-JJ

Our family is on a mission to experience the best our home state of Utah has to offer and help other families find affordable, kid-friendly adventures in the process. You can follow us on Instagram @theminivanbucketlist or download our free printable The Ultimate Family-Friendly Utah Bucket List with the top 100 things to do in Utah, both kid-friendly and more adventurous.