South Central Utah

Torrey may be out in the middle of nowhere in the South-Central part of Utah, but the surrounding area has an abundance of spectacular scenery, from the scenic drives and National Parks to just the everyday countryside.

Hogan Pass is the portion of Utah State highway 72 which connects I-70 with highway 24 in the little community of Loa. The byway is paved and steep with winding curves displaying high desert scenery as the highway passes through the North West section of Capital Reef National Park. As the byway winds its way up the Fish Lake Mountain Range the timbered peaks display a stark contrast to the desert scenery. At an elevation of 8,835 feet is Hogan Pass overlook, with views of Capital Reef National Park’s Cathedral Valley with the Henry Mountains as a backdrop some forty-miles away.

Utah highway 24 which runs from Salina East down through several small communities and through Capital Reef National Park and back up to I-70 just East of Green River provides some of South-Central Utah’s countryside at its best. As the highway passes through Capital Reef national Park, one will experience some jaw-dropping scenery this area provides due to its unique geological features, which took millions of years to develop. At the Chimney Rock pullover is a hiking trail which leads deeper into the canyon where the panorama views of Water pocket cliffs are outstanding. Just down the highway is a one-mile unpaved road which leads to Gooseneck overlook. A 600-foot trail over and around boulders leads to dramatic canyon views with the Fremont River flowing along the canyon floor. Other inspiring sights along highway 24 are the rock formations of the castle and capitol dome which reaches an elevation of 6,120 feet.

Right at the Capitol Reef visitor center is the historic district of Fruita with its old schoolhouse still intact, which the early Mormon settlers used, along with a blacksmith shop and the Gifford House. Just down the street is the Orchard where one can pick their own fruit when is season, be careful when in the orchard, for deer like to eat the fruit as well. This is where the eight-mile one-way paved scenic drive starts which leads right through the heart of the geological forces that created this rugged landscape known as the Water Pocket Fold. Along the way are outstanding views of Danish Hill, Slick rock Divide, and the Eph Hanks Tower rock formation. In addition, there are two spur roads which lead through a narrow canyon with cliff walls of Wingate and Navajo sandstone with heights of 500 feet; however, both roads are unpaved, narrow and bumpy. The Grand Wash road is 1.3 miles one way and provides an excellent view of Cassidy Arch at the top of a cliff wall. The Capital Gorge road is 2.4 miles one way with a spectacular view of the Golden Throne rock formation at an elevation of 7,042 feet.

Bryce Canyon National Park is a wonderland in itself, with endless red rocks, pink cliffs and vistas. As a matter of fact, Bryce Canyon is nothing but a series of amphitheaters carved into the edge of a high plateau. Just before the entrance station to the park, one should take the one-mile road to Fairyland Canyon, the step hiking trail into the canyon allows for some spectacular close-up views of the youngest hoodoos in the park. Just inside the park entrance is Sunrise Point overlooking the Bryce Amphitheater and a half-mile paved walkway leads to the Sunset view point. The parks only main road starts at the only entrance to the park and travels for 18-miles along the plateau rim with its highest elevation being over 9,000 feet. Along the scenic drive is many viewpoints where one can see the geological wonders that makes this park so famous.

At the Fair view point, not only can parts of Bryce Canyon be seen, but the famous features of Aquarius Plateau and the Kaiparowits Plateau, as well as Molly’s Nipple in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument can be seen, with the Navajo Mountain as a backdrop. From the natural bridge viewpoint is the most photogenic natural arch in Bryce Canyon. From many viewpoints the arch frames the rich green colors of Ponderosa Pines. The two most prominent hoodoos in the park can be viewed from the aqua canyon overlook. The tallest hoodoo is known as the hunter, while the smaller one is known as the rabbit. Named for the large forest of huge Ponderosa pines which grow on the canyon floor is Ponderosa Canyon overlook. At the end of the main park road, which is the highest point in the park at 9,115 feet is Rainbow Point, where the view to the North shows most of Bryce Canyon National Park to the snaking rim of the Pink Cliffs. Just 50-yards away is Yovimpa Point which provides outstanding views to the West and South of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Other points of interest in Bryce Park are the overlooks at Black Birch Canyon and Swamp Canyon and the two-mile spur road which leads to Inspiration Point, Bryce Point, and Paria View.

Scenic highway 12 from just South of Panguitch to Torrey is 122 miles of incredible geographic diversity which is unique to Utah. The byway affords access to National Parks, State Parks, National Monuments, and plenty of overlooks to provide one with a lasting memory of sheer beauty. Not only does the Byway enter into the Dixie National forest, but the Red Canyon as well and for the next four miles is sheer beauty of Claron limestone weirdly sculpted into forms of turrets, hoodoos, and pinnacles ending at the edge of the plateau. Just before the byway reaches the end of Red Canyon the road passes right through two red arches.

Just past the town of Bryce Cannon the byway cuts across the Northeast portion of Bryce Canyon National Park where a scenic pullout to Mossy Cave is located. A.4-mile one-way trail gets one up close to hoodoos amidst a lush green forest. The left fork of the trail leads to Mossy Cave, a spectacular overhang fed by an underground spring. A short walk along the right fork leads to a cascading waterfall with twin arches sitting near the top of a red rock formation.

As the byway traverses along the plateau it enters into the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument where too the south are views of the sandstone staircase and to the north is a different color of sandstone sitting amidst the Dixie National Forest. Between the towns of Escalante and Boulder is a section referred to as the “Hogsback” Leaving the pines behind the highway twists and turns its way through and over the towering cliff walls with several scenic pullovers providing spectacular views of the canyon floor, and in one section of the summit, there was barely enough width to lay the highway. As the highway makes its finale descent from the cliff walls it passes through the pine and aspen groves through the meadows of Boulder Mountain.

Just past the byways’ summit at 9,600 feet is a pullover where sub alpine fir and aspens decorate the surrounding area, with a grand view of the red rocks of Capital Reef National Park, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and the distant lands of the Henry Mountains. The last overlook at Larb Hollow showcases the La Sal Mountains to the Northwest 100 miles away. As the byway turns and twists its way from the mountain tops through the Dixie National Forest down to the arid land surrounding Torrey, one will see why this stretch of pavement became Utah’s first All American Road due to its unique features

Just East of Capital Reef National Park is the Notom Road Scenic Back way. The first 11 miles are paved and passes over private land used for grazing, yet scenic in the very near distance. As the pavement turns to dirt, the back way follows the Water Pocket Fold through Strike Valley on the Eastern edge of Capital Reef National Park. For the next 23 miles this dirt back way passes through several narrow canyons with breath taking views of red circle cliffs and the Henry mountains in the distance. At the Southern tip of Capital Reef, the back road connects with the Burr Trail to Boulder where the first 6 miles remain unpaved.

Right off the Burr Trail shows its fearsome reputation as the dirt back way leaves Burr Canyon and crosses the Water Pocket Fold through a series of steep switchbacks to the top, not for the faint of heart or legs, but certainly an adrenaline-pumping journey. The view from the top down into the canyon floor is sheer breathtaking beauty and displays an amazing journey just traveled. After the back way passes through Muley Canyon the unpaved road changes back to pavement, leaving Capital Reef behind and entering the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, one of the few passages across the Grand Staircase. After the back way menders its way through a Juniper-laden desert, it starts a climb to the top of a cliff wall with a scenic viewpoint of Escalante National Monument which no photo could ever capture the sheer beauty that mother nature created. From here the back way drops into Long Canyon where the narrow passageway provides outstanding views of red cliff walls and red rock formations. As the back way leaves the red cliffs behind, it enters the sandstone cliffs of Singing Canyon passing by Durffey Mesa before reaching Boulder.