There is a place or two in the National Park System where you can reach up and pluck a fresh apple, or peach, or cherry, or even apricot. But only at Capitol Reef National Park in Utah can you do so against a backdrop of soaring redrock.

There, tucked between the vivid orange, tan and pink sandstone cliffs of Waterpocket Fold in south-central Utah is an unexpected swath of green. That’s where you’ll find 100 acres of orchards and pastures, most of which were established more than 100 years ago by Mormon settlers and where present-day park visitors are still invited to pick and eat the fruit.  

If you’ve been able to partake in one of the harvests, it’s no doubt an experience you’ll never forget. If you haven’t, well, it’s definitely something to put on your to-do list.

Over the years, about 1,000 trees have been lost in this area, known as the Fruita Rural Historic Landscape. Why? Depleted soils, disease, and old age. A large-scale program is underway to restore the orchards to their original glory through the replenishment of the soil, improved irrigation and the planting of hundreds of new fruit trees over the next decade.

The Traveler’s Lynn Riddick reached out to two park officials to get some historic perspective on the orchards…and the details of the substantial rehabilitation project.