Route 12: A breathtaking drive on an All-American Road

The 122-mile Scenic Byway 12 in southwestern Utah is not only an official state scenic highway, but also an All-American Road, one of only 31 in the nation. It’s considered by many as the most scenic highway in the country and one of the best in the world. Locals call it A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway.

You’ll get no arguments from me. The varied and dramatic vistas are breathtaking.

The road runs from Route 89 and Panguitch (population 1,520) in the west and Torrey (population 182) and Route 24 in the east. It provides connection to two of the Mighty Five national parks in Utah – Bryce Canyon in the west and Capitol Reef in the east. Along the route, you pass through the magnificent Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument that covers 1 million acres of southwestern Utah and three state parks – Kodachrome, Escalante Petrified Forest and Anasazi Museum. And if that’s not enough, there are several spur scenic backways – some paved and some not – with intimidating names such as Hell’s Backbone and Hole-in-the Rock.

The section from Torrey to Boulder in the east is considered the most scenic, although the ride through the Grand Staircase-Escalante also gets your blood flowing – literally.

The westward climb from Torrey starts with a ride through farmland before reaching Dixie National Forest where cattle roam freely – crossing the road as well. As you pass meadows and groves of aspen and pine, you reach the summit at 9,800 feet. The middle of the route traverses Grand Staircase-Escalante, one of the most formidable landscapes in the region. The final section of the roadway passes though Red Canyon where hoodoos, or red-rock spirals, dominate the landscape.

You also pass through several small towns with populations less than 500.

See more information on Route 12 at scenicbyway12.com. See a map of the byway at scenicbyway12.com/the-byway/map.