An EV Road Trip to Capitol Reef: Scenic Drives & Stargazing Skies
EV Road Trip Guide: Exploring Capitol Reef National Park
Utah’s “Big Five” national parks are legendary for their scenery, but planning an electric vehicle (EV) road trip to these remote destinations takes a little extra preparation.
Two questions always guide my planning: How far is it? and Where will we charge?
In October 2025, we set out for Capitol Reef National Park, a less-crowded gem among Utah’s red rock wonders.
After a stop at Great Basin National Park, we rolled east with a clear plan: overnight in Torrey, Utah to charge up at The Broken Spur Inn & Steakhouse, and spend a full day exploring scenic drives, historic orchards, and rugged trails.
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Dark Skies and Red Rocks
Capitol Reef National Park, located in south-central Utah, preserves a striking section of the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile-long wrinkle in the Earth’s crust formed millions of years ago.
Human history here spans thousands of years, beginning with Archaic hunter-gatherers and later the Fremont Culture, who farmed and left behind petroglyphs between 600 and 1300 CE.
In the late 1800s, Mormon pioneers settled in the Fruita valley, planting orchards that still thrive today.
The area was first protected as a national monument in 1937 and became a national park in 1971 to safeguard its unique geology and cultural heritage.
With one day in Capitol Reef, start at the Visitor Center for maps and orientation.
Drive the Scenic Drive for views of colorful cliffs and domes.
Hike to Hickman Bridge or Cassidy Arch for iconic photo spots and stroll the Grand Wash for towering canyon walls.
Visit the Fruita Historic District to see pioneer buildings and enjoy fresh pie at the Gifford Homestead.
Don’t miss the petroglyph panels along Highway 24 and end your day at Panorama Point or Sunset Point for breathtaking views.
If time allows, stay for stargazing, as Capitol Reef is an official dark-sky park.
Planning Your EV Charging Stops
Cell service fades quickly inside the park and outside the park, so download maps and plan your charging before you arrive.
From the West: We left Great Basin National Park and cruised down Utah Highway 21 to the Electrify America station in Beaver, Utah.
Extra Insurance: Not fully trusting Torrey’s charging situation, we topped off at 80% in Richfield at another Electrify America station.
Final Leg: From Richfield, it’s about 70 miles east on Highway 24 to Torrey and The Broken Spur Inn & Steakhouse—just six miles from the park entrance.
Arriving from the East you can charge in Green River, Utah; offering Electrify America, Rivian and Tesla Superchargers.
The 105-mile drive to Torrey should not be a problem for modern EVs.
Amp’d Advice: The Broken Spur Inn & Steakhouse in Torrey, Utah is a great restaurant with a comfortable place to stay. To maximize your dollars, charge just enough to make the 63 hilly miles from Richfield to Torrey, then top off overnight.
The Broken Spur Inn: Your EV-Friendly Base
This stop was a trifecta of good:
Clean, comfortable rooms with strong showers
An excellent on-site steakhouse for dinner and complimentary breakfast
A ChargePoint Level 2 charger for a full overnight top-off
We simply backed in and tapped our ChargePoint RFID card, plugged in and headed to dinner. By morning, we had a full battery and peace of mind for a day of exploring.
If you skip a great night at The Broken Spur Inn and go straight from Green River to Richfield, expect about 168 miles—added scenic detours could push it to 200 miles. It’s doable with efficient driving, but tight for (my) comfort.
Preparation and planning eliminated range concerns—at least when it came to charging (there where a few outhouse needs that are best for the imagination).
Helpful Resources for Planning:
PlugShare – My choice for checking real-time charger availability and user reviews (Site).
A Better Route Planner (ABRP) – Ideal for mapping out your entire EV route with charging stops (Site).
SightSee EV - Use our road trip planning method to identify usable charging stations.
Birds Eye Review: A Red Rock Spectacular National Park EV Road Trip
A Less Busy Utah Great Five
Balancing Rocks, Capital Reef National Park
Capitol Reef is a destination you’ll never forget. Your EV can take you there smoothly with a little preparation, making the journey as rewarding as the destination.
Key Takeaways for EV Travelers
Plan charging stops before you lose cell signal
Overnight charging in Torrey makes the trip stress-free
Capitol Reef offers a quieter, equally stunning alternative to Utah’s busier parks
After a full day of exploring, we continued east on Utah Highway 24, passed through Caineville, then turned north at Hanksville to connect with I-70.
A few miles east, we topped off at the Green River Electrify America station—conveniently located at the Green River Coffee Co.—before continuing toward Grand Junction, Colorado.
Looking back, I’m not sure how comfortable I would have been going straight from Richfield to Green River without the Torrey stop.
That overnight charge gave us peace of mind and made for a much more relaxed and rewarding visit to Capitol Reef.
