This byway is one of our choices for Utah’s Top Scenic Byways, as listed in our Utah section.
While the name is somewhat uninspiring, Scenic Byway 12 is one of Utah’s most celebrated roads, connecting two national parks, Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef, via Utah State Highway 12 with numerous other attractions along its 124 miles. The views from this All-American Road are everything you’d want on a southwest road trip: desert landscapes, sandstone rock formations and impossibly bright nighttime skies. This is one of the best places to see the stars. But as this byway ebbs and flows, it passes by waterfalls and through forests, too. From Panguitch in southcentral Utah (where the Patchwork Parkway ends, see our article in the Utah section), it’s seven miles southeast on US 89 to UT 12 and the byway’s official start. The route then heads east, quickly passing through Red Canyon, where ponderosa pines thrive among rock spires and weather-sculpted buttes. It’s easy to see why camping, biking and hiking are popular here.
Panguitch east to Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef national parks including Grosvenor Arch side trip
186 miles / 299 km
This is hoodoo country, and just up the bend lies Bryce Canyon National Park where 12 colossal amphitheaters feature the world’s largest grouping of these colorful stone pinnacles. From the turnoff for Bryce Canyon, go 3.5 miles on UT 12 to the popular Mossy Cave Trailhead where a nearby waterfall is more of a draw than the cave.
At Cannonville, a right turn and eight miles gets you to Kodachrome Basin, named after the old school color film. So, you can imagine how pretty the rock formations, cliff walls and hiking trails are at this state park! Another 12 miles down a well-traveled gravel road and you’re at Grosvenor Arch, one of Utah’s most impressive and accessible double spans.
From Cannonville, it’s about 30 minutes to Escalante, a cool little town with various camping, lodging and dining options. Escalante Petrified Forest is the second of three state parks along Scenic Byway 12. The somewhat steep hike up the mesa is worth it for the views. At the top, it’s an enjoyable amble through living pinyon and juniper interspersed with fossilized trees some 135-150 million years old.
I think the prettiest section of Scenic Byway 12 is the 28 miles from Escalante to Boulder. The road curves around mounds, domes and cliffs in white, cream, orange and red as it crosses through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. About 20 miles from Escalante, look for the Lower Calf Creek Falls parking area to the left. It’s six miles roundtrip but the moderate trek to this 126-foot waterfall is worth it.
Boulder is home to the third state park, Anasazi State Park Museum which features dwellings and artifacts from Ancestral Puebloan people who once lived here.
Another option to Boulder from Escalante is the RV-accessible Hell’s Backbone, a gravel road penetrating national forest with a couple of campgrounds. Keep in mind that before you get to Boulder, you’ll have to cross a bridge that’s 109 feet long, 14 feet wide with 1,500-foot drops on either side. But the views of the Box-Death Hollow Wilderness are to die for!
Boulder is also the start of the Burr Trail, which heads east of town toward Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Lake Powell and the Bicentennial Highway (see our article in the Utah section). The road cuts through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and follows a red rock canyon before precipitously dropping by several switchbacks to the desert floor. You’re now in Capitol Reef National Park. Burr Trail is paved except for the switchbacks so again, do your research before attempting. At the fork, go right toward Lake Powell. DO NOT go left and deeper into Capitol Reef on the sandy, dirt road unless you’re 4WD.
Back in Boulder, Scenic Byway 12 continues north through alpine woods with great views to the east. It’s 50 minutes to Torrey and the west entrance of Capitol Reef National Park.
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