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As you travel
Highway 12 Scenic Byway, take time to
explore the designated scenic backways. A backway is
a paved or dirt road that reaches less traveled, but
breathtaking areas. Check with the nearest visitor
center or any local business for road and weather
conditions. Be sure to have plenty of gasoline,
food and water as there are usually no facilities
along these beautiful corridors.
East Fork
of the Sevier Scenic Backway
Double
and single lane gravel road / passenger cars / fair
weather only
Excellent wildlife viewing opportunities for seeing pronghorn
antelope, deer, prairie dogs and elk can be found. Features:
East
Fork of the Sevier River, Tropic Reservoir, Great Western Trail,
Dixie
National Forest and King Creek Campground. Distance 17 miles one
way (1-1/2 hours).
Cottonwood Canyon Road Scenic Backway*
Graded
dry-weather road. Do not travel this route if storms are
threatening. A photographer's dream. Features:
Kodachrome Basin State Park (camping and
picnicking facilities), Grosvenor Arch, Cockscomb, Paria River
and
views of Bryce Canyon National Park, Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area and Table Cliffs Plateau. Paved to Kodachrome
State Park, dirt after. Distance 49 miles (2 hours).
Griffin
Top Scenic Backway
Narrow
single lane dirt and gravel road (closed in winter) /
passenger cars
This 32-mile gravel road crosses the Table Cliffs Plateau on the
Dixie
National Forest. Features: secluded lakes, excellent wildlife
viewing,
and vistas from the high plateau. The road is wonderful for
snowmobiling in the winter. Distance 32 miles (1 hour).
Smokey
Mountain Scenic Backway*
Dirt
and gravel / impassable in bad weather / high
clearance vehicles
This rugged corridor between Highway 12 and Highway 89 requires
a
high clearance vehicle. Spectacular views of Fifty Mile
Mountain,
Powell Point, desert slickrock and Lake Powell can be seen while
traveling this backway. Distance 78 miles (5 hours).
Posey Lake
Scenic Backway
Single
lane dirt and gravel road (closed in winter)
Camping, fishing, hiking, hunting and mountain biking
opportunities
abound on the road through the Dixie National Forest. This
backway
provides access to Posey Lake and Posey Lake Campground with
beautiful scenery and wildlife viewing opportunities. The
backway
starts in Escalante and ends on Highway 24 at Bicknell. Distance
40
miles (1 hour).
Hole-in-the-Rock
Scenic Backway*
Gravel
and graded dirt road / passenger cars in good
weather; 4-wheel drive recommended.
Step back in time and travel the route that Mormon pioneers took
on their historic journey to the San Juan country. Access is
provided
to Devil's Rock Garden, Dance Hall Rock, Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area, Hole-in-the-Rock and several desert hiking
trailheads. Last five miles requires a high clearance vehicle.
Distance
56 miles one way (6 hours round trip).
Burr Trail
Scenic Backway*
Hard
surfaced, graded dirt and gravel road / passenger car
in good weather; 4-wheel drive recommended.
Beautiful scenery can be found around every turn! Features
access
to Deer Creek Recreation Site, Long Canyon, Capitol Reef
National
Park, Lake Powell and Bullfrog Marina. Impassable when wet.
Distance 66 miles (4-1/2 hours).
Hell's
Backbone Road
Gravel
and dirt road (closed in winter) / high clearance
vehicles recommended
Although this is not a designated scenic backway, Hell's
Backbone is
one of the most dramatic roads in the world. The road makes a
loop
connecting Escalante with Highway 12, three miles west of
Boulder.
From the Posey Lake Scenic Backway, Hell's Backbone heads east,
passes Blue Spruce Campground and circles the Box Death Hollow
Wilderness Area. Hell's Backbone Bridge is an engineering feat.
Distance 44 miles (1-1/2 hours).
Notom Road
Scenic Backway
Dry
weather road (open all year) / high clearance vehicles
Recommended Notom Road parallels the Waterpocket Fold of Capitol
Reef National
Park. It skirts the eastern section of Capitol Reef between Hwy
24
and the Burr Trail. Views of the Henry Mountains and Capitol
Reef
are among the highlights. Impassable when wet. Distance 29 miles
(2 hours).
Bull
Mountain Road Scenic Backway
Single
lane dry weather road / high clearance vehicles
Required Vistas of the Colorado Plateau can be seen along the
Bull Mountain
Road. It climbs from the desert floor to 10,500 feet as it
crosses the
Henry Mountains. Splendid scenery includes beautiful canyons,
red
cliffs, forests and mountains. Impassable in winter and when
wet.
Distance 68 miles (6 to 7 hours).
Some of the
Scenic Backways are gateways to the Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Stop at the Interagency
Office in Escalante for information and topographic maps of the
area. When driving in the back country, please stay on the roads
to
avoid damaging the environment.
*Indicates the
road is inside the Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument
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