After the madness of Zion, Capitol Reef felt nearly deserted. We didn’t have to fight anyone for parking and sometimes spent entire minutes on the trails without seeing anyone else. I saw someone call this park Utah’s red-headed step child, but I don’t know why it should be. It’s smaller, yes, but it’s gorgeous (literally! see: Capital Gorge) and offers quite a lot of wonderful hikes. Maybe it’s a question of marketing? Before this trip, I knew Utah had five big, wonderful national parks, but I’d’ve been hard-pressed to name more than Zion and Arches. … More Laura’s Journal: Capitol Reef National Park