Torrey
Torrey is a town in Utah's Canyon Country and a gateway to the nearby Capitol Reef National Park and other attractions in Canyon Country.
Understand
Torrey is situated at the intersection of Highway 12 and Highway 24 in Wayne County, Utah and is a popular resting spot between Bryce Canyon National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to the south and Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park to the east. The entrance to Capitol Reef National Park is only a few miles east of Torrey. Although many of the locals continue to raise cattle and sheep on the public lands that surround the town, the public lands are increasingly used for hunting, fishing, hiking, bicycling, ATVing, cross-country skiing, and other outdoor sports. Because of the dark, rural skies, tourists are also coming for night sky viewing. Torrey is the hub of activities for this part of the state.
Get in
By car
From I-70 driving west coming from Green River / Colorado, take exit 149 to Hanksville. Follow SR-24 to Torrey.
From points north including Salt Lake City, exit I-15 at Scipio and follow US-50 West, turn onto SR-260 to Aurora, turn south onto SR-24, following signage for Capitol Reef National Park.
If you're coming from the southwest, you'll be driving the beautiful backcountry byway known as Highway 12 over Boulder Mountain.
From points south including St George and Las Vegas, exit I-15 at exit 95 to Panguitch, follow SR-20, turn left onto SR-20, turn left onto US-89, turn right onto SR-62, turn right onto Browns Lane just past Koosharem, then turn right onto SR-24 to Loa and Torrey.
By plane
The closest airfield is Wonderland Airport in Wayne County near Bicknell, Utah. However, it is an unattended airfield and there are no commercial flights. Although there's a small airfield in Moab, Utah, larger airports can be found 3.5 hours from Torrey in St. George (Utah) and Grand Junction, Colorado. Many travelers fly into Salt Lake City, Utah (a 3.5 hour drive) or Las Vegas, Nevada (a 5 hour drive). You'll need to rent a car and drive to Torrey.
By train
There's no passenger service to Torrey, nearest stop is in Green River 91 mi (146 km) to the northwest. From there you need to organize your own transport.
See
- Boulder Mountain (Just south of Torrey). You can explore Boulder Mountain. Part of Dixie and Fish Lake National Forests, this mountain, 7,000–11,000 ft (2,100–3,400 m) above sea level, is filled with pine forests and world-renowned trout fishing lakes.
- Capitol Reef National Park Just east of Torrey. Enjoy both ancient and pioneer history, beautiful orchards, and endless opportunities for hiking.
- Thousand Lake Mountain (just north of Torrey, part of Fish Lake National Forest). Thousand Lake Mountain, 7,000–11,000 ft (2,100–3,400 m) above sea level, is popular with those interested in hunting, fishing, camping, horseback riding, bicycling, and off-road driving.
- Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area. Part of the Mormon Pioneer Heritage area, there are lots of local history places to explore.
- Torrey Gallery, 160 West Main Street, ☏ +1 435 425 3909, info@torreygallery.com. Art gallery featuring Utah artists and Navajo rugs.
Do
Special Events
- Torrey Apple Days. The first Saturday of July come and enjoy Torrey Apple Days. Festivities include breakfast, a 5K race, arts and crafts swap meet, a parade, pie eating contest, children's games, lunch, patriotic program, live music and an evening dance.
- BIFF (in nearby Bicknell, Utah). The third weekend in July enjoy the Bicknell International Film Festival, held in the town of Bicknell at the historic Wayne Theatre, the BIFF celebrates the role of classic small-town movie theaters in a classic setting. BIFF has annually celebrated B movies for over 18 years in July. Themes have run the gamut from Bad B Westerns to UFO's, Japanese monsters, Christmas in July, gangsters, aliens, and doomsday. Each BIFF includes movies, parties, swap meet, lunchtime activities, the fastest parade in the world and plenty of free parking.
- Heritage Starfest. The annual Heritage Starfest held during a moonless Saturday night in September encourages people to enjoy the dark skies of the Colorado Plateau, share the heritage of night skies, and encourage preservation of dark skies.
Backcountry Experiences
Eat
- 1 Hunt & Gather, ☏ +1 435 425 3070, huntandgatherrestaurant@gmail.com. Th–Tu, 5PM-9PM. Closed winters.
- Cliffstone Restaurant.
- Red Cliffs.
- Rim Rock Patio.
- Rim Rock Restaurant.
- Slacker's Burger Joint.
- Torrey Ranch House.
- Capitol Burger, ☏ +1 801-362-0226. Popular burger truck usually parked in the side lot of the Chuckwagon Store in the center of town. Vegetarian burgers available. Open for lunch and dinner.
Sleep
- Cougar Ridge.
- Chuckwagon Motel.
- Cowboy Homestead.
- Days Inn.
- The Lodge at Red River Ranch.
- Red Sands Inn.
- The Rim Rock.
- Sand Creek RV.
- Thousand Lake RV.
- Torrey Pines B&B.
- Torrey Schoolhouse.
- 1 Skyview Hotel, 876 West State Route 24 (About 1 mile west of town on the north side of SR-24), ☏ +1 801 362 0657, info@skyviewtorrey.com. Check-in: 3pm-10pm, check-out: 11am. Newer hotel with modern rooms. Some rooms have private hot tubs. All rooms have a mini fridge, French press and Keurig coffee makers, and complementary snacks and beverages. On the pricier side of the Torrey hotel options. Boxed breakfast from Hunt & Gather restaurant available for around $12. No vegetarian breakfast option.
Go next
- Arches National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument