There Is Still Fruit

There are still apples in Fruita, which is a pretty good reason not to fill a Capitol Reef day from one end to the other. The park’s September 28 update lists four orchards where you can pick them.

The Mott orchard is open from dawn to dusk for Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious, and Rhode Island Greening apples. Holt has Red Delicious. Chestnut has Red Delicious and Yellow Delicious. And Krueger is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious, Jonathan, and Granny Smith apples. That is enough choices for one afternoon (probably more than enough), honestly.

The apples are $2.00 a pound. Fruit you eat in the orchard is free. The Jackson orchard is closed for irrigation and the park expects it to reopen later this week, so leave that one alone for now.

Apples and red rock are a pretty good combination. Photo by Andrii Spy_k via Shutterstock.

Do Not Rush The Rest

We think Fruita works better when it is not the thing you squeeze in between a long hike and a long drive. Park the car. Walk through the orchard. Eat one there. Look up at the cliffs a few times. Then decide whether you need to go anywhere else.

And if you do, keep the road report in the plan. The September 29 update lists the Scenic Drive and Grand Wash Road as open to standard two-wheel-drive vehicles, though there is some mud in wash crossings on the Scenic Drive. Capitol Gorge Road is closed. And if that sounds like it ruins the day, it doesn’t. It just tells you which road not to take.

The park’s conditions page has the current orchard and road information, and it can change faster than a blog post can. If fruit is the point of the day, call the recorded line at 435-425-3791, then press 1 and 5, before you head over.

There is plenty of road left even when one spur is closed. Photo by Maciej Bledowski via Shutterstock.

A Good Reason To Linger

September is nearly done, but the easy part of a Capitol Reef day is still right there. A few apples, a slow drive, and a walk around Fruita without needing to turn it into a project.

So go get an apple while they are still on the trees.