Torrey, Utah / Tours / Jeep and backroad
Four wheel drive and high clearance
Capitol Reef Jeep Tours and Backroad Rentals
Capitol Reef jeep tours exist because 7.9 miles of road in this park are paved and everything else is not. The Park Service grades every one of those unpaved roads by what your vehicle needs, and publishes the grades. Here is what they mean, which routes fit which vehicle, and what every operator charges.
Start here
The park says 8 inches. Others say 9
Capitol Reef publishes its own definition, and it is unusually blunt about the disagreement. The park counts high clearance as eight inches of ground clearance minimum, and notes in the same breath that many outside agencies define it as nine inches or more.
That gap is the whole problem with renting a vehicle for these roads. A crossover marketed as an SUV often sits at seven inches or less. It looks the part in a car park and it does not meet the park's own floor, let alone the stricter number other land managers use. Nobody at the rental counter is going to tell you that, because nobody at the rental counter is measuring.
The park uses three codes on its road pages and they are worth learning before you plan a day:
2WD
Two wheel drive. Accessible to standard vehicles. This is the code that means your rental sedan is fine.
HC2WD
High clearance two wheel drive. You need the eight inches, but you do not need the drivetrain.
HC4WD
High clearance four wheel drive. Both. This is where a rental crossover stops being an option.
Grades change with weather, so the code is a starting point rather than a promise. The road information line is 435 425 3791, and the park says plainly that the phone line is more current than its own website, which updates weekly.
The thing nobody translates
Every road in the park, graded
Lengths and requirements as the Park Service publishes them. Where the park does not state a grade, this table says so rather than guessing, because guessing is how people end up walking out.
| Road | Length | Surface | Vehicle | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scenic Drive | 7.9 miles | Paved, with dirt spurs | 2WD | The one road with an entrance fee. Passenger vehicles and RVs up to 27 feet. Not a loop, so you return the way you came |
| Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge spurs | Short spurs off the Scenic Drive | Dirt | 2WD | Open to passenger vehicles and RVs up to 27 feet, weather permitting. Both dead end at a trailhead, and both are washes, so leave in a storm |
| Notom Bullfrog Road | Paved for the first 15 miles, then dirt | Paved then maintained dirt | Weather dependent | The park does not publish a fixed grade. It is maintained, and it changes with the weather. Check the line |
| Burr Trail Road | 8.5 miles inside the park | Paved from Boulder to the boundary, graded dirt inside | Weather dependent | The switchbacks climb 800 feet in half a mile and the park says they are not suitable for RVs or anything towing |
| Hartnet Road, the west half of Cathedral Valley | 27.8 miles to Hartnet Junction | Unimproved | High clearance, often 4WD | Includes the Fremont River ford, which has no bridge. Covered in full on the Cathedral Valley page |
| Cathedral Road, the east half | 29.9 miles back to Highway 24 | Unimproved | High clearance | No river crossing on this side, and the Park Service puts Temple of the Moon 17.1 miles up it |
| South Draw Road | 5 miles to the boundary, 5.7 beyond | Non maintained | HC4WD | The park says outright that it is not recommended. Impassable in bad weather and closed in winter |
Two things the grades do not capture. Rental agreements almost universally forbid unpaved roads, so the legal question is separate from the mechanical one. And off highway vehicles are prohibited on every road in the park, so a UTV cannot legally be on any line of this table. Full road detail is on the road conditions guide.
Worth doing before you book
What fits inside a rental's included miles
A Jeep out of Torrey comes with 150 miles and charges $0.35 a mile after that. Nobody publishes which routes actually fit, so we worked it out from the Park Service's own mileages plus the 11 miles from Torrey to the visitor center. Treat these as close, not exact.
| Route from Torrey | Round trip, roughly | Time | Inside 150 miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scenic Drive with both spurs | 40 miles | Half a day with walks | Comfortably |
| Temples of the Sun and Moon, out and back from the east | 95 miles | 4 to 5 hours | Yes |
| Full Cathedral Valley loop | 110 miles | 6 to 8 hours | Yes, with 40 to spare |
| Burr Trail and the Notom Bullfrog run | Well over 150 | A long full day | No, budget the overage |
$249
Rent and drive it yourself
A four door Wrangler for the day, picked up after 8am and back by 7pm, with 150 miles included. Add fuel, and add the fact that every decision on the road is yours.
$150
The cheapest guided seat
The lowest published guided price for a Cathedral Valley day. Two people on a guided trip is usually cheaper than the rental. Four is usually not, unless the operator prices per trip.
The field
Every four wheel drive operator, and what they charge
Prices as each company published them in September 2026. The column that matters most is the last one, because two companies price per vehicle and the rest price per head, and that flips the answer depending on how many of you there are. We take no commission from anyone here.
| Operator and phone | What they run | Published prices | Priced by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backcountry Outfitters435 425 2010 | Four wheel drive tours alongside horses, hiking and fly fishing | Cathedral Valley $150 | Not stated on the page, so confirm on the phone |
| Backcountry Safaris307 413 9300 | Three half day Jeep tours: Cathedral Valley, the Waterpocket Fold, and the Temple of the Sun | From $230, $230 and $180. April to October | Per person, five adult seat minimum on private trips |
| Capitol Reef Outfitters435 425 3999 | The widest menu here. Cathedral Valley, Waterpocket Fold, Bentonite Hills, Moonscape and Factory Butte, Henry Mountains bison, Hells Backbone and Boulder Mountain, Goblin Valley, the Pando aspen clone | Cathedral Valley $210 adult and $180 child for 5 hours, $230 and $200 for the 8 hour loop | Per person, and the only one publishing a child rate |
| Meridian Tours435 491 0150 | Ten named trips from three hours to all day, plus Milky Way photography and hiker shuttles | $180 to $350 depending on the trip, tax included. One to eight passengers, two minimum | Per person |
| Waterpocket Adventure Company801 400 7558 | Eleven trips including Burr Trail, Goblin Valley and the Escalante slots, plus sunset and dark sky photography | $260 to $820 depending on length | Per trip, which is why it wins for four people and loses for one |
| Western Whiptail Adventures801 946 6879 | Temples of the Sun and Moon, Waterpocket Fold, Bentonite Hills, Moonscape Overlook and a Hanksville trip, plus shuttles | Not published | Private and shared departures, so ask which you are joining |
| Capitol Reef Jeep Rentals435 425 3500 | Self drive four door Wranglers, no guide | $249 a day plus tax, 150 miles included, $0.35 a mile after | Per vehicle. Out after 8am, back by 7pm |
Backcountry Safaris is the only company on this page that states on its own site that it is an authorized National Park Service permittee. That is not a mark against the others, since the park publishes no list of who holds an authorization, but it does mean you may have to ask. The full operator directory has the three questions worth asking.
Beyond Cathedral Valley
The other places these trips go
Cathedral Valley takes most of the attention and has its own guide. These are the rest of the named destinations Torrey operators sell, and a fair share of them are nowhere near the national park.
Outside the park
Moonscape Overlook and Factory Butte
Bureau of Land Management ground east of the park, and the most otherworldly thing within an hour of Torrey. Sold by Capitol Reef Outfitters, Meridian and Western Whiptail.
Burr Trail and the Waterpocket Fold
The switchbacks climb 800 feet in half a mile inside the park, then the road runs on toward Boulder. The fold itself is the reason the park exists.
Outside the park
The Bentonite Hills
Banded brown, red, purple, gray and green clay on BLM land, on the road to Cathedral Valley. The most photographed thing here that is not actually in the park.
Outside the park
The Henry Mountains bison herd
A free roaming herd on BLM ground east of the park. A long day and genuinely unusual. Capitol Reef Outfitters runs it.
State park
Goblin Valley
A Utah state park north east of here, sold as a full day out of Torrey by Waterpocket and Capitol Reef Outfitters. Also reachable in your own car on pavement.
National forest
Boulder Mountain, Hells Backbone and Pando
Up on Boulder Mountain in the Dixie and Fishlake forests, thousands of feet above the desert, including the Pando aspen clone. The trip to book when the canyon floor is too hot.
Half of these sit outside the national park, which is normal here and worth understanding before you book. The tours hub maps every category to the ground it happens on and the rule that puts it there.
Straight answers
Backroad questions
What counts as a high clearance vehicle at Capitol Reef?
The park sets its own floor at eight inches of ground clearance and notes that many outside agencies use nine inches or more. Most crossovers sold as SUVs sit below both figures. If you are not sure what your rental has, look it up by model before you commit to an unpaved road.
Do I need four wheel drive, or is high clearance enough?
It depends on the road and the week. The park marks roads as 2WD, HC2WD or HC4WD, and the Cathedral Valley roads are the ones where four wheel drive is often recommended rather than always required. Weather moves these grades, so call the road line on 435 425 3791 rather than trusting a page.
Can I take a rental car on the backroads?
Mechanically, on the Scenic Drive and its two dirt spurs, yes. Contractually, on anything unpaved, almost certainly not. Nearly every rental agreement forbids unpaved roads, and that clause is what voids your cover if something happens out there.
Is it cheaper to rent a Jeep or book a guided tour?
For one or two people, a guided seat usually wins, with the cheapest published Cathedral Valley trip at $150 and most between $180 and $350. For three or four, a $249 rental or an operator who prices per trip rather than per head is usually cheaper. Work out which model your operator uses before comparing headline numbers.
Can I drive a UTV or ATV on park roads?
No. Off highway vehicles are prohibited on every road inside Capitol Reef. The UTV and ATV trips sold in Torrey run on Bureau of Land Management and national forest routes outside the boundary, which is legal and often very good riding.
How far do the included rental miles go?
A Torrey Jeep rental includes 150 miles, then charges $0.35 a mile. The full Cathedral Valley loop from Torrey and back runs roughly 110 miles, so it fits. A Burr Trail and Notom Bullfrog day does not, so budget for the overage.
When are the backroads at their best?
Late spring and autumn. The roads dry out through April, the monsoon from mid July can wash them out fast, and winter brings snow, mud and freeze thaw. See the month by month guide before you fix dates.
Road lengths, surfaces and the clearance definition on this page come from the National Park Service pages for park roads and current conditions, checked September 2026. Prices come from each operator's own website.
Next step
Match the road to the vehicle, then book
The order that saves money here is unusual: work out what your vehicle can legally and safely do first, then decide whether you are buying a seat or a set of keys.
Still shaping the trip? Start at the planning hub or where to stay, or read who writes this site.