Picture of a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

Updated 02/11/23 7:04 PM

Utah’s Scenic Highway 12

Utah’s highway 12 is on many a short list of the top scenic highways in the country. It is 112 miles of some of the most incredible and interesting scenery in Utah’s red rock canyon country.

Utah

1999, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2017

A Most Unforgettable Drive

If you are planning to drive from Bryce Canyon National Park to Moab, Utah to visit Canyonlands and Arches National Parks there two choices.

The easy way is to take Utah highway 12 and US highway 89 about 100 miles north to Interstate 70. Take I-70 east for 160 miles and then US Highway 191 south 31 miles to Moab. This is about a 300-mile trip and can be done in one day of hard and not very scenic driving. A tight time schedule and plans to see Bryce, Canyonlands and Arches in one trip is the only reason to do the drive this way. If this is the route that you planned then you can read the descriptions below to see what you would be missing!

Alternatively, you can take Utah’s scenic highway 12 combined with Utah highway 24, Utah highway 95 and US highway 191. Each of these highways is scenic in its own right. This itinerary will take you 350 miles through Utah’s incredibly beautiful canyon country with its strange and eye-filling vistas. Highway 24 goes through Capitol Reef National Park, Utah’s other national park which is a gem of a park by itself. Along the way there are many side trips to take, or take note of for future trips, as you drive through some of the most remote and amazing country in the United States. This is a drive that you will never forget!

The photo gallery has pictures taken in all of the places mentioned below. Each heading is a link to another website with additional information about each of these places.

Utah Highway 12 - 122 Miles

Red Canyon

If you came from Zion to Bryce Canyon National Park you would have passed through Red Canyon shortly after turning onto highway 12. Red Canyon is a preview of the red rock scenery that you see in Bryce. There is an information Kiosk located at the mouth of Red Canyon. Here you can get information that provides an overview of the entire highway 12 scenic byway and highlights significant features.

Bryce Canyon National Park

This park has its own page on this website. The link is to that page for information about Bryce.

Kodachrome Basin State Park

This is located 11 miles east of the entrance to Bryce. You take a right turn at the intersection and a mile or less down the road is the ‘entrance’ to the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. It is about 9 miles to the park and, to the best of my recollection, the road is a good graded road i.e. not paved. The park was named to highlight the photogenic qualities of the scenery. The Kodak company was happy to have the association with their famous kodachrome brand of color film. This can be about a 2 to 3 hour side trip. Cottonwood Road, which is the road down to the state park, is a terrific back country drive that ends at US Highway 89. It is a 47-mile good graded road, very scenic, on which I saw many a (rented) sedan. It is a nice route to take if you are going from Bryce Canyon to Page, Arizona on Lake Powell. As with any trip on a back country road remember these words: Impassable When Wet.

Hole In The Rock Road
Devil’s Garden

This back country drive is off highway 12 about 5 miles east of Escalante, Utah. Hole In The Rock Trail is a historic trail used by Mormon pioneers. The ‘Hole in the Rock’ is a notch in the sandstone that is right at Lake Powell. It was thought to be a short cut and, for the wagon train of 83 wagons and 250 men, women and children, it was not what they expected. The link has a picture and tells the story. It is 55 miles from highway 12 to the ‘hole’ and the dirt road was not all that great. Not terrible but not worth the time to go all the way to the ‘hole’. As such, I only took the road the 12 miles down to the Devil’s Garden. The ‘garden’ contains sandstone formations of arches and hoodoos. It is about a 1.5 - 2 hour side trip figuring one half hour each way and half and hour or so walking about and photographing the formations. There is absolutely no shade whatsoever here.

The Hogsback

A few miles further the road goes through an expanse of the most rugged wilderness of sandstone formations that stretch for as far as the eye can see. It rides the spine of a long ridge with 360 degree panoramic views of this awesomely beautiful wilderness. There are parts where the road is narrow, with a decent shoulder, and steep slopes on both sides of the road that drop off hundreds of feet. It is not exactly a road that you want to drive at night. Beautiful it is by day; scary at night. It is certainly a highlight of highway 12 that you don’t want to miss. The photo gallery has an aerial photo of the spine of the ridge.

Hell’s Backbone Road

If you have already driven the Hogsback, and are looking for something different, this is a 36-mile gravel road that connects Escalante and Boulder, Utah. It loops around the Hogsback through the Box-Death Hollow Wilderness. The road is very scenic in places, with steep drop-offs when it travels the spine of a ridge, but it also goes through forested areas where cattle are grazing. The road was built by the CCC in the 1930’s and was considered an engineering marvel. This road is maintained and suitable for the average sedan, no 4WD is needed, however it is not suitable for any vehicle when it is wet.

A little past the half-way point between Escalante and Boulder is the Hell’s Backbone Bridge. This is a 109’ concrete and steel bridge spanning a gorge that is 1500 feet deep. At the east end of the bridge there is a very scenic view of the Box-Death Hollow Wilderness. It is a nice place to stop and have lunch.

I had heard back in 1999, when I was taking a trip through the area, of a scary Hell’s Backbone bridge. I can recall seeing a picture of the original bridge which looked narrow, wooden and without sides. On that trip I didn’t have time to go there. In 2005, when I did take the Hell’s Backbone drive, the new bridge had replaced it. It may have been replaced prior to my 1999 trip. I searched the web and haven’t been able to find out that information nor a picture of the original wooden bridge.

Boulder, Utah

After you pass over the Hogsback you reach the ‘town’ of Boulder, Utah which is more a postal code than a town in the sense that most people know the word.

Boulder is at the intersection of Highway 12 and the Burr Trail. You’ll know you are there because you’ll see the Boulder Mountain Lodge at this intersection. Boulder was the last town in Utah to still receive its mail by mule which it did until 1935. I suspect the completion of the Hell’s Backbone road had something to do with that. Electric power came in 1947. As of the 2010 census the population was 226 with a population density of 8.6 people per square mile.

Burr Trail

The Burr Trail travels 69 miles down to the ‘town’ of Bullfrog on Lake Powell. The first 30 miles, up to the border of Capitol Reef National Park, is paved. This part of Capitol Reef is the remote southernmost part of the national park. If you are planning on visiting Capitol Reef National Park the part of the park with the visitor’s center is on highway 24 about 10 miles east of the terminus of highway 12.

About 12 miles east of highway 12 the road goes through dramatic Long Canyon. If you can’t take the entire Burr Trail taking a side trip down to this canyon and back is recommended.

After Long Canyon the road climbs slowly up the Waterpocket Fold and into the national park. In the park the road becomes unpaved but it is a good gravel road that takes you to the Burr Trail switchbacks. The switchbacks are also unpaved but wide and were in excellent condition and did not require 4WD. The switchbacks take you down to the east side of the Waterpocket Fold. The ride down (or up) is spectacular with beautiful views. From the switchbacks it is about another 5 miles until you hit pavement again which you have until you reach Lake Powell. At the base of the switchbacks there’s the very scenic back country Notom-Bullfrog Road which travels north through Capitol Reef National Park and ends at highway 24. You can read about this drive on the page for Capitiol Reef National Park on this website.

One caveat - given that parts of the road, including the switchbacks, are unpaved this is not a road that you should drive if it is raining or has very recently rained. I drove up the trail from Lake Powell in 2008 and loved every incredible mile of it. In 2012 I planned to drive it down from Boulder to Lake Powell but due to some rain, and the BLM visitor center in Escalante advising me that the creek below the switchbacks was prone to flooding the road, I rerouted my trip at the last minute through Capitol Reef National Park.

That being said, the Burr Trail is said to be Utah’s most scenic backway. It typically rates a 10 out of 10 for the unparalleled scenic beauty of the drive. There’s several links below to websites listing the most scenic roads in America and Utah’s highway 12 ranks high, or highest, on each list.

Utah Highway 24 - 48 Miles

Capitol Reef National Park

You reach the end of highway 12 at Torrey, Utah. From here you turn east on highway 24 which takes you through Capitol Reef National Park. The link above takes you to the page for that national park on this website.

Goblin Valley State Park

Forty-seven miles east of Torrey, or about 35 miles east of Capitol Reef National Park, is the small town of Hanksville, Utah. Here, highway 24 turns north and highway 95 heads south towards Blanding, Utah. Goblin Valley is located 12 miles north of Hanksville on highway 24. The park has some very weird otherworldly formations. So much so that, when I visited here in 1999, after traveling about 8 miles down the graded entrance road, all the while wondering where I was headed as there were no other vehicles, I was suddenly greeted by the whirr of a helicopter lifting a large object. It turned out that they had just finished filming the movie Galaxy Quest starring Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver. The helicopter was the only way to get the equipment in and out of the area which was a forest of strange mushroom-like Entrada sandstone pinnacles. You can spend an hour or so meandering around these formations. The picture at the top is of Goblin Valley.

Utah Highway 95 - 121 Miles

Highway 95

This is a long desolate but scenic road that runs 121 miles between Hanksville and U.S. Highway 191 with virtually no services in between. It is even more remote than the most remote parts of highway 12. Make sure that you have enough gas before traveling this lonely stretch. One description that I read said that highway 95 was one of the most underrated, in terms of scenic beauty, roads in the U.S.

Dirty Devil Gorge

The Dirty Devil River is an 80-mile tributary of the Colorado River that has created a magnificent 2000 foot deep gorge. Highway 95 spans the Colorado River at the beautiful steel arch Hite Crossing Bridge. While the deepest part of the gorge/canyon is remote and infrequently visited the part that you can see from highway 95 at the bridge is impressive none the less.

Natural Bridges National Monument

Located 104 miles south of Hanksville, Utah, this is another place to spend a few hours on your drive. The parks scenic drive is a 13-mile one-way road that passes by the three natural bridges for which the park is named. At each there is a trail down to the stream bed over which the natural bridges span. The trails down are relatively easy and at least one, to Sipapu Bridge, is paved. They are generally a 1-2 hour hike. Once down to the stream bed you can hike as much as you want along the bed from one bridge to another but it is generally two to three miles between bridges. For most people driving to the parking area by each bridge and walking down to a particular bridge, or just walking over to a viewpoint, is sufficient.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

The most visited part of this is on the south side of Lake Powell especially the area around the Glen Canyon Dam at Page, Utah. The northern side has a number of dirt roads that lead to the lake for hiking, fishing and boating.

U.S. Highway 191 - 75 Miles

Utah Highway 95 ends at US highway 191 which is no less scenic than any of the others. At the junction you head north towards Blanding, Utah and Moab. It is 75 miles to Moab. Before you reach Moab you will reach the turn off for state road 211 which goes into the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Moab is the quintessential outdoor sports mecca - hiking, biking, rock climbing, off road driving and rafting on the Colorado River. Just north of Moab is Arches National Park and the Islands In The Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. In Moab there’s every kind of lodging option.

This itinerary is obviously not one that can be done in one day. Depending on how much of the above points of interest you want to explore, and how much time you want to spend on them, especially if you want to do justice to Capitol Reef National Park, I would suggest allowing at least 4 days for this drive. These are very good roads, one lane in either direction, that you can easily do 60 MPH or more in many places; much less in others. The scenery begs you to look at it. At 70 MPH you really need to be looking at the road.

Another note about back country drives. What I traveled on and called a good graded road might not be so today. You always need to research this before you take a drive on them. Talk to the park rangers, the BLM and search the web if this is something you might want to do. The condition of the road is a function of how often they send a grader to smooth it out. That is a function of money to spend on this and over the recent years the national parks and state budgets have been cut to the bone and the result is roads in poorer conditions.

Wildlife

Desert Bighorn Sheep, elk, mule deer, foxes, beaver and other small mammals. Parts of this drive pass through desert and the usual array of snakes, including rattlesnakes, lizards, other reptiles and amphibians will be found there. There’s golden eagles, falcons, hawks and a couple of hundred other bird species.

Lodging

Lodging to be found in the Utah towns of Boulder, Torrey, Teasdale, Hanksville, Blanding and Moab.

Boulder Mountain Lodge

At the intersection of the Burr Trail and highway 12 is the Boulder Mountain Lodge which is home to the Hell’s Backbone Grill. Having stayed at the lodge twice I can vouch for both its fine accommodations and dining. It is a great place to stay and I highly recommend it. It’s convenient to Long Canyon, Hell’s Backbone and the Hogback - three super scenic spots in southern Utah.

Defiance House Lodge

If you take a trip down to Lake Powell there is the Defiance House Lodge at Bullfrog which is a Burr Trail terminus. The lodge sits on a bluff overlooking Lake Powell and the views, especially in the dining room, are beautiful.

Hiking

Most of the places mentioned above have hiking options. A search of each individual place that you plan to visit will give you the best and most current picture of what may be available at the level you are comfortable with.

Other - Points of Interest

Utah Highway 276

Five miles north of Natural Bridge National Monument is an intersection with highway 276. This is a paved road that goes down to Hall’s Crossing at Lake Powell. There is nothing there but a ferry that you can take across the lake to Bullfrog where the Defiance House Lodge is. The lodge is a beautiful, scenic place and Bullfrog is one end of the Burr Trail. Knowing the ferry schedule in advance can save hours of waiting.

Utah Highway 261

About 2 miles south of Natural Bridges National Monument is the intersection with Utah’s highway 261. This 30 plus mile road goes through the Grand Gulch Primitive Area wilderness and ends just outside of the town of Mexican Hat, Utah (pop. 31) which is just north of Monument Valley. The road is paved until it reaches an old uranium mining road called the Mokee Dugway switchbacks. Here it is unpaved but wide and in good shape because it is one of the very few north-south routes in the area so the state does a good job of maintaining it. The scenery is magnificent. From the top of the switchbacks you get a panoramic view of a very forbidding, rocky desert wilderness with Monument Valley in the distance. Once you are down the switchbacks the road is paved again.

These side trips are only mentioned because they intersect with highway 95. Unless you have weeks to spend criss-crossing the area, they are only something to keep in mind for future reference if what you see on this drive is to your liking. I’ve been to this part of the country many times and have driven up and down just about all of the roads on my various explorations of southern Utah. I can’t think of one that disappointed me.

Highway 12 and Highway 95 Photo Gallery

Other Resources

These following sites contain lists of the most scenic drives in the U.S.

Reader’s Digest - ranks highway 12 as #1

Trip Advisor - travelers ranked highway 12 as #1

Lonely Planet - ranked 5th

Travel And Leisure - ranked 6th

Attractions of America - ranked 6th

DeskToDirtbag.com’s most scenic drives in the USA - ranked 3rd

Panoramic view of Goblin Valley State Park, Utah

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