Utah Highway 12

Highway 12 Scenic Byway, an “All-American Road,” is one of the most amazing drives in Utah. According to the United States Department of Transportation, a scenic byway must have one of six of the following intrinsic qualities, and an All American Road two of six: historic, cultural, archeological, natural, recreational, or scenic. An All-American road must also have features unique to the area and be important enough to be considered tourist destinations. There are about 150 Scenic Byways in the United States, Utah is home to 8 of them. 

Day 1-

I started my journey in Torrey, UT, gateway to Capitol Reef National Park. It is the least-visited of the Mighty 5, which is a shame, because it is quite spectacular. It gets its name from the Navajo sandstone domes (Capitol) and the large, rocky cliffs that act as a barrier to travel, much like an ocean reef. Capitol Reef is part of a geologic formation called the Waterpocket Fold- a huge warp in the Earth’s crust almost 100 miles (60 km) long! Movement on a fault line caused the west side to be lifted over 7000 ft (2134 m) higher than the layers on the east. 

I swung into the visitor’s center upon my arrival to pick up a map and stamp my National Park Passport (a must for any park enthusiast), then set off to find a campsite. There is a campground in the park, which I find to be a bit sparse with little privacy. I opted to camp outside the park on BLM land (known as “dispersed camping”), which is free. I had some info from a friend for a good spot to camp on the Fremont River, just outside the park’s east entrance. If camping isn’t your jam, there are a handful of hotels, restaurants, and a general store located in Torrey.

This was not my first visit to the park, so I did not feel the need to see All The Things. After setting up camp, I waded in the river, had a beer, read my book, and I may have taken a nap. 

Day 2-

I hiked to Hickman Bridge. It is only about 2 miles out and back, with about 400 ft (122 m) of elevation gain- so easy to moderate, depending on your fitness level. The wild flowers were in bloom and there were some really nice views of Capitol Dome and the canyon. The trail passes under the natural bridge and loops back around. Even though I got an early start, it was pretty sweltering by the time I finished hiking.

Allow me to pontificate for a moment. The desert is a hot place from mid-Spring until late Fall. The sun is trying to kill you. Your job is to out-smart it. Even 75F (23C) feels hot because everything around you is reflecting the sun and there is little to no shade or water. When you hike, even if it’s a short hike, take more water than you think you need and make sure you have adequate nutrition. If you’re going to be out in the sun all day, consider some sort of electrolyte supplement, too. I prefer NUUN tablets and tend avoid things like Gatorade because I do not want the sugar or artificial colors. You do not want to bonk. It is most unpleasant. Trust me. Eat and drink appropriately. Wear athletic or hiking shoes/sandals- no hiking in Vans or Chucks or flip-flops. I shouldn’t even need to tell you to wear sunscreen. And no selfie is worth your life. People die in the outdoors every year because they do dumb shit. Don’t be that guy.  

Things worth doing, based on my past experiences in the park: Cassidy Arch hike, Capitol Gorge and Golden Throne hike (trailhead is at the end of the Scenic Drive- two birds one stone!). Speaking of birds, make sure to listen for the soft, descending call of the canyon wren when you’re in the Gorge. People think the desert is a desolate place, but you’re surrounded by a lot of life if you look and listen.

Boulder, UT

I highly recommend Hell’s Backbone Grill. This gem in the desert grows a lot of their own ingredients and sources many other things locally. They’ve been a James Beard Semifinalist for several years. Boulder is also home to Anasazi State Park museum and pueblo, a partially excavated village dating back to the 11th or 12th century. (See, Europe! You’re not the only ones with old stuff! We just need to dig in the dirt a bit to find it.) Also in the area is the Burr Trail Road– a Scenic Backway that cruises through a slickrock canyon and desert forest of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It eventually connects to the Notom Road, which will take you back up toward Capitol Reef or down toward Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. This road is fairly well-maintained, but pay attention to signs, road, and weather conditions. Know what your vehicle is capable of. Know what you are capable of. You are in the middle of nowhere. Calling for help is not an option and it’s a long stroll back to civilization.

Escalante, UT

I love this little town. Once a quiet, fairly unheard of place, it has grown tremendously in popularity over the last several years. You could spend a week exploring the area- there is so much to see and do! I’ll hit the must-see things here and do a more in-depth post in the future. On the way into town, you’ll encounter the Calf Creek Falls trailhead. It is one of the most popular hikes in the area- get there early, the parking lot fills up quick. First timers will want to hike the lower portion. It’s about 6.5 miles (11 km) out and back, but mostly flat, so a fairly easy jaunt. Pick up the trail guide at the trailhead so you know where to look for petroglyphs, granaries, and other points of interest. I was going to hike the upper portion and couldn’t find parking, so on I went. Just passed the Calf Creek area, you’ll run into Kiva Koffeehouse, a café and bed and breakfast tucked into the hillside. Definitely worthy of a stop for a dose of caffeine and a snack; local artists also display their work there.

Of note in town, Escalante Outfitters (a restaurant, gear shop, and state liquor outlet), Circle D, who serves a mean burger made with local beef and a nice cold beer, and the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center. I cruised down Hole-in-the-Rock Road to Devil’s Garden Outstanding Natural Area. HITR Road is a well-maintained dirt road and most cars can handle the first 20 miles or so. Watch out for cattle- this is an open grazing area. Where do you think that locally-raised beef at Circle D comes from? The road has many spurs off it that lead to loads of hikes, some backpacking-length. Since this is BLM land, camping is free. I found a spot and settled in for the evening.  Just me, my gin and tonic, and the desert. Not a soul around. Except cattle. There was a very vocal bull showing off for the ladies that got a little too close for comfort, so I had to hide in my car for a bit! He woke me again in the middle of the night with his felicitations.

There is a campground at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park and lodging available in town if you aren’t into the primitive camping thing. Protip: there is a pit toilet at Devil’s Garden, so if you don’t want to dig a cat hole for your morning, um, constitutional, consider driving back over there. Very civilized!

Day 3-

My hopes and dreams of hiking Peekaboo and Spooky slot canyons were dashed by the weather. With the threat of thunderstorms comes the very real danger of flash floods. They are deadly, unpredictable, and seemingly come out of nowhere. A flash flood in another popular Utah slot canyon killed two little girls. If it even looks like it’s going to rain, reconsider your plans. Rain miles away can cause a flash flood in your area. If you are ever in a canyon and hear the roar of water heading toward you, get up high as fast as you can and hang on. So. No hiking.

My Plan B was Kodachrome Basin State Park, named for the Kodak film (ask your parents, kids). The park is known for large sand “chimneys” that jut up from the earth. I hiked the Grand Parade Trail when I got there. It was short and easy- a nice way to stretch the legs after being in the car a while. There were tons of wild flowers in bloom among all of the red rocks.

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I thought I’d have another night of BLM land ahead of me, but on a whim, decided to see if they had anything available in the park campground. They had one spot! It felt so good to rinse the sunscreen and sweat off and the facilities were great- I’ve stayed in Marriotts with worse bathrooms!

Day 4- 

In the morning, I hiked the Panorama Trail to Panorama Point, which offers aptly named panoramic views of the area, including the east rim of Bryce Canyon, my next destination and favorite Utah national park. It was getting pretty hot, so I didn’t hike to any of the other features on the trail.

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On to Bryce Canyon! I hit up the visitor center to get maps and my park stamp. I drove over to the Sunrise point area and made some lunch and took in the views. My plan was to hike the next morning and my friends were going to come down and join me for the weekend. I found a really great camp spot in Red Canyon, which is only 20 minutes or so away from Bryce. Once again, the weather ruined my plans. A pretty gnarly storm was blowing in the next night that would drop overnight lows into the high 20s F (-2 C) and the winds were going to be nasty all weekend, so back to SLC early. There are loads of lodging options in Bryce Canyon City, for the non-campers.

Day 5- 

I hiked the Queens Garden and Navajo loop trail, which winds through the hoodoos and pine trees, exiting out through Wall Street. I was sad my trip came to an early end, but all in all, I had a great time wandering Utah Highway 12. There are countless things to do and I discover something new every time I’m in the area.

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I stopped for lunch at a really good barbecue spot in Panguitch called Cowboy Smokehouse Café. 10/10 would eat there again! As I was driving up I-15, my inner fat kid got the best of me in Beaver, so I stopped at The Creamery for some squeaky cheese and a scoop of ice cream.