- Capitol Reef National Park's Scenic Drive has fully reopened.
- The park began a $12 million project in April 2024 to address issues associated with increased visitation.
- Visitor numbers have been strong despite construction over the past two summers.
TORREY, Wayne County — A popular road within Capitol Reef National Park has reopened with additional parking options just in time for any Labor Day weekend rush.
Construction crews put the finishing touches on the park's project to enhance Scenic Drive, and it's now fully open to Capitol Gorge within the park, Capitol Reef spokeswoman Shauna Cotrell said Monday.
"Capitol Reef National Park would like to thank the contractors for their diligent work, and the visitors for their patience as the park worked to improve the visitor experience with this project," she said in a statement, adding that road conditions are still subject to change because of monsoonal storm potential in the forecast this week.
The $12 million project began in April 2024, as park officials sought to address road issues tied to visitation increases over the past decade. A record 1.42 million people visited Capitol Reef last year despite the construction, which is nearly double the number of visitors in 2014.
It's also close to nine times the number of visitors the park averaged in the 1960s, which is when the facilities were designed, said Jim Roche, the park's resource management chief, in 2023.
"Many of the park facilities are in need of repair and refurbishment, primarily in this case, roads and parking," he said at the time.
Crews spent the better part of the last two years making repairs in and around Scenic Drive, including large-scale upgrades to its drainage within areas prone to monsoonal flooding.
The project called for widening the road just enough to allow two larger vehicles to pass without leaving the pavement, as well as the installation of telecommunication lines in the Fruita area. It was topped off with expanded parking capacity at the park's visitor center, Chimney Rock trailhead and near the starting point of Capitol Gorge.
Its reopening comes as visitation hasn't let up much. Nearly 740,000 people visited the park through the first seven months of this year, which is a 6% decrease from the same point last year, but also higher than any yearly total before 2014.
