Torrey & the Skyview Hotel

Back in 2015, HC does a farewell tour of Southern Utah, as he was moving to the Sonoran Desert of Arizona in just a few short months. He goes to take pictures of the small towns one can find. One of those towns was Torrey, a tiny dot on a map, just outside of Capital Reef National Park.

This year (2025) he returns to Torrey to spend a few days before heading back up to Salt Lake City for the Thanksgiving holiday. Base camp was at the Skyview Hotel. A place created by two local artists to mirror the red rock beauty that surrounds the area. A dark sky community, The Skyview has rooms with a hot tub on the outside patio so one can soak after a day of hiking and enjoy the Universe in all of it’s glorious splendor.

The front of the Skyview has artwork meant to mirror a slot canyon. The back of the hotel has the amazing Red Rock mountains, with a deck where one can enjoy a cocktail during sunset. No restaurant on site, but amazing European style coffee. The best part though was the skies at night. Probably the best night captures HC has gotten yet so far….

Mornings, albeit downright chilly, had their own kind of sunrise magic, as clouds would turn from pink to orange as the high desert would light up as the light rose in the sky.

Getting food was a bit challenging since the high tourist season ends after Labor Day, but HC finds a local Indian style pizza place, and a large Chicken Tikka Masala style pizza gave him the sustenance needed while exploring.