The park's Visitor Center stands at the junction of Highway 24 and the Scenic Drive, with exhibits, a park film, staff and a bookstore. The Castle rises above the lot as a textbook section of the local rock, and the desk is the place to ask about roads, weather and anything else that changes.
The Visitor Center comes first. Its lot is on your right, and oversized rigs use the road across from it. Inside are exhibits, a park movie, water, restrooms, and a desk that knows what's changed. Past the campground a private vehicle pays twenty dollars, at the self-pay station or here, free with a pass. The highway's free. That was a deal. When Utah took on the new road, one condition was that the Park Service would never charge anyone just traveling through. From the lot, read The Castle from the bottom up. Red Moenkopi, gray Chinle, sheer Wingate. If you've pulled in, stay by the car. A short one on how that highway got here, about a minute and fifteen, starts on its own.
Photo: NPS / Chris Roundtree · Public domain (U.S. Government work)