Overview

Hype:

Primitive camping near the Sand Creek Great Western Trailhead in Torrey, Utah, offers a mixed experience. While the location is free and conveniently close to the highway for easy access to Capitol Reef National Park, it has its drawbacks. The ground is rocky, there's no shade, and the area can become crowded during peak seasons. However, the unobstructed view of Torrey Knoll is a highlight that makes the spot worth considering for a short stay. With its balance of pros and cons, this campsite earns a 3 out of 5 stars, ideal for those looking for affordability and proximity to adventures while being prepared for its basic conditions.

Time:

Fees: None

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Links: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/fishlake/recarea/?recid=12260

Location

Closest City or Region: Torrey, Utah

Coordinates: 38.316026, -111.439810

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August 30, 2024 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye, Madilyn Dye, Cooper Dye, Matt Laurendeau, Amanda Laurendeau, Alex Laurendeau, Caleb Laurendeau, Rose Laurendeau, Lila Laurendeau, Trey Laurendeau,

Story

Friday, August 30 - Madi's birthday! I worked a half day then got everything packed up for our trip to Capitol Reef. The Laurendeaus picked up pizza and met up at our house. After we ate, we caravanned down to Torrey, where we set up camp. We had quickly scoped out a camping spot on Google Earth that might work. The Laurendeaus attempted the road but couldn't make it because it was too high clearance, so then turned around. They were ahead of us, but they made a detour to the bathroom, so we didn't connect with them right away. We went up the rough dirt road further than we should have because we couldn't turn around with the trailer. We crossed the stream then made it up to a flat spot to camp. We disconnected the trailer but didn't get everything set up because we weren't sure if the Laurendeaus could make it. We walked back to the rough spot on the road and found them setting up camp before the road got rough. So we walked back to the truck and rejoined them at their camp. The only problem was that on the way back, we ran into some issues with the trailer not being able to clear some of the bumps in the road. We tried various things for a long time and ended up making an elevated bridge out of stacked 4x6s to give the trailer enough clearance to get over the humps. At the stream crossing, we spent more than an hour stacking boards up, driving onto them, then pulling the boards from the back and moving them to the front so that we could make it across. It was quite the process. We dragged the stairs on the road and ended up bending them. We also bent the leveling legs. After we were almost done getting across the river, Madi, who was listening to her book in the back seat of the truck, looked up at me and asked if the trailer was leveled and if she should move her book reading party into the trailer. She was completely clueless of all the work that we were doing. We made it to camp and got everything set up just in time for bedtime. We didn't stay up or talk or anything and just went to bed.

Saturday, August 31 - We set our alarms for 7:00, had breakfast, and got everyone packed for our canyon day. Morning came early for the Laurendeaus because Trey had thrown up a couple times in the night. We left Torrey shortly after 8:00 and got to Capital Reef in good time. We filled out a permit and tried to drive to the trailhead for Cassidy Arch canyon, but we found out that the road was closed, so we made some adjustments to our plans. We decided to do the Wives instead. We did Wife 6 first. We rappelled all the down climbs and stopped for lunch in an alcove at the bottom of the canyon. Then we circled around and descended Wife 1 last. We rappelled a ton of the drops that could have been down climbed by capable climbers, so it took several hours.We finished up around 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. and went back to camp for dinner. It was a little bit more effort than the littlest kids wanted, but for the most part everyone had a great time. We fixed dinner and made a peach cobbler. Then we went to bed.

Sunday, September 01 - We got a little bit later start but still hit our canyon at a decent time in the morning. We did Watson Canyon, which was up the really bad dirt road. Since the Laurendeaus' van couldn't make it up the road, we packed all the gear and 12 people into our truck and drove up to the trailhead. It took us most of an hour to drive a couple miles. The road was super rough with lots of round bumpy rocks that we had to drive over. They were also sections of slick rock shelves that we had to make our way up. Matt was in the back with the kids and did not appreciate the rough ride. The approach to Watson Canyon was awesomely short, and we tried to sequence as much as we could and spread out in the canyon, so we weren't bottlenecked. We still ended up getting bottlenecked a little bit toward the end, but it wasn't too bad. The biggest bottleneck was where there was a pond that we ziplined people over. A few competent canyoneers could do the canyon quite quickly because most of the drops were down climbable, but for our group, we rappelled most of the drops. Once we finished the canyon, we exited up the nasty steep exit hike and got cliffed out early on. We were knocking huge loose rocks down on other people, and it was very scary. We did eventually find our way up and did the slog up to the rim. I carried Trey in my backpack. Matt carried Lila on his shoulders. By the end of that, his back was hurting pretty bad. Then we still had most of a mile of road walking to get back to the truck. The littlest kids and Cooper were dragging, but we all made it eventually. Then we took the nasty bumpy road back to camp. We fixed dinner and had a campfire with s'mores.

Monday, September 02 - We packed up camp and got everything cleaned up. Then we did a quick hike to the Fish Creek Cove pictograph and petroglyph panel. Amanda, Caleb, Alex, Tara, and I hiked to the waterfall while the rest stayed back and hung out at the rock art panel. The parking area was so small that we barely got the trailer turned around. We had to unhooking it and then rehook it back up to get the truck in the right angle to get out. Then we drove home, stopping for curry pizza on the way.

Pictures