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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 (It's a push
to include these reference, sort of misleading). You can see
them, but just barely. Paved to Kodachrome State Park, dirt
after. Distance 49 miles (2 hours).
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 seven miles requires a high clearance
vehicle. Distance 57 miles one way (6 hours round trip).
Burr Trail Scenic Backway*
Hard surfaced to Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument boundary, 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).
Southern Utah's Scenic Byways 7
Days
Spanning a route of more than 120 miles, Utah's Highway 12
Scenic Byway travels through some of the most diverse and
ruggedly beautiful landscapes in the country. Included in this
natural showcase is the newly created 1.9 million acre Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Spanning a route
of more than 120 miles, Utah's Highway 12 Scenic Byway travels
through some of the most diverse and ruggedly beautiful
landscapes in the country. Included in this natural showcase is
the newly created 1.7 million acre Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument.
Scenic Byway 12
is one of two paved highways in the monument. Rated among the
top ten Scenic Byways in America by Car and Driver magazine,
Scenic Byway 12 is a unique route well worth traveling. It winds
through slickrock canyons, red rock cliffs, pine and aspen
forests, alpine mountains, national parks, state parks, a
national monument, and quaint rural towns. Highway 12 travels
from west to east through Garfield County, the home of three
national parks, three state parks, a national recreation area,
and the nation's newest national monument.
Highway 12
Scenic Byway begins at U.S. Highway 89, seven miles south of the
city of Panguitch and eight miles north of the town of Hatch.
From the junction, the byway quickly bisects the beautiful red
rock formations of Dixie National Forest's Red Canyon. A Forest
Service campground, visitor center and hiking trails are in the
canyon. The route continues
eastward, crossing the top of the Paunsaugunt Plateau through
the northern section of Bryce Canyon National Park. The main
section of the park, with campgrounds, visitor center, overlooks
and hiking trails, is just a short drive from Highway 12.
Continuing to
the east, the Scenic Byway passes through a combination of
private and public lands including the Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument. Spectacular views along Byway 12 include
Powell Point and rock formations like the Blues. Stone and mud
food storage structures called granaries can also be seen along
the route. Travelers pass through the rural communities of
Tropic, Cannonville, Henrieville and Escalante. Kodachrome Basin
State Park and Grosvenor Arch in the Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument are short drives from Highway 12. And
Escalante State Park is well worth visiting. Visitor centers and
businesses located along Highway 12 have additional information
about the area.
From Escalante,
the road turns north winding through vast expanses of slickrock
country including the Escalante Canyons and other popular desert
canyon hiking areas on the way to Boulder, Utah. Along the way,
travelers are rewarded with views of the Escalante River, Calf
Creek Canyon, the Hogsback - where Highway 12 crosses a narrow
ridge with steep cliffs on either side and magnificent views of
the surrounding slickrock canyon country - and Boulder Mountain.
Many of these
areas are located inside the Grand Staircase-Escalante National
Monument. Other areas inside the monument can be accessed via
Scenic Backways that branch from Byway 12. The Hole-in-the-Rock
Road and the Burr Trail are two of these backways that provide
opportunities for hiking, camping or sight-seeing. Another
optional side trip from Scenic Byway 12 is the spectacular
Hell's Backbone in the Dixie National Forest. At Boulder,
visitors can get a firsthand look at life in a prehistoric
Native American village at Anasazi Indian Village State Park.
North from Boulder, Highway 12 crosses the eastern flank of
Boulder Mountain with spectacular views of Capitol Reef National
Park, Boulder Top, the Henry Mountains, Circle Cliffs, and
Navajo Mountain on the far side of Lake Powell. On a clear day
(and there are lots of
them), travelers can see more than 100 miles into Colorado and
Arizona. Hiking trails, campgrounds and side roads along the way
provide numerous opportunities to further explore the area.
Highway 12 ends at its northernmost point where it joins Highway
24. Travelers can take the short drive east along Highway 24 to
Capitol Reef National Park, thus adding to the Highway 12
experience.
Features
Along Scenic Byway 12
1. Red Canyon
2. Tropic Reservoir / East Fork of the Sevier River
3. Bryce Canyon National Park
4. Pine Lake / Powell Point
5. Kodachrome Basin State Park
6. Griffin Top
7. Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
8. Smokey Mountian Road*
9. Posey Lake
10. Hell's Backbone / Box Death Hollow Wilderness Area
11. Hole-in-the-Rock / Devil's Rock Garden*
12. Calf Creek Recreation Area / Escalante Canyons*
13. Burr Trail*
14. Anasazi Indian Village State Park
15. Boulder Mountian
16. Capitol Reef National Park
*Part of the
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Scenic
Backways
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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