Torrey - town in Wayne County, Utah, United States

Torrey is a town in the 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

If you are approaching Torrey while driving along I-70, use Utah Route 24 coming from either the east or the west. If you're coming from the southwest, you'll be driving the beautiful backcountry byway known as Highway 12 over Boulder Mountain.

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 or Las Vegas, Nevada. You'll need to rent a car and drive to Torrey.

By train

The AMTRAK train has a whistle stop in Green River, Utah (GRI). However, you'd need a ride from there.

See

• Boulder Mountain. You can explore Boulder Mountain. Part of Dixie and Fish Lake National Forests, this mountain feet elevation) 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 and part of Fish Lake National Forest, Thousand Lake Mountain (7000-11000 feet elevation) 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.

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. The third weekend in July enjoy the Bicknell International Film Festival in nearby Bicknell, Utah. An annual celebration held in the tiny, south-central Utah 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!
• Women's Redrock Music Festival. An extraordinary weekend in August for anyone who loves music by women.
• 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

• Backcountry Outfitters. Adventures exploring the area – hiking, riding and 4x4 touring.
• Hondoo Rivers & Trails. Experience the backcountry with horseback rides and custom backcountry explorations.
• Redrock Adventure Guides. Enjoy day hikes, backpacking, canyoneering, and photo tours.

Eat

• Hunt & Gather.
• Capitol Reef Cafe.
• Castle Rock Coffee.
• Cliffstone Restaurant.
• Red Cliffs.
• Rim Rock Patio.
• Rim Rock Restaurant.
• Slacker's Burger Joint.
• Saddlery Cowboy Bar and Steakhouse.
• Torrey Ranch House.

Sleep

• Best Western.
• Boulder View Inn.
• Cougar Ridge.
• Capitol Reef Inn.
• Chuckwagon Motel.
• Cowboy Homestead.
• Days Inn.
• Howard Johnson.
• The Lodge at Red River Ranch.
• Red Sands Inn.
• The Rim Rock.
• Sand Creek RV.
• Thousand Lake RV.
• Torrey Pines B&B.
• Torrey Schoolhouse.

Go next

• Arches National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Canyonlands National Park
• Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument