Stops along Scenic Byway 12
Petroglyphs and pictographs
| Dixie
National Forest |
Bryce Canyon
National Park |
Powell Point
| Grand
Staircase Escalante National
Monument |
Kodachrome Basin State Park
| Escalante
Petrified Forest State Park's
|
Posey Lake
| Hell's
Backbone Road |
Hole-in-the-Rock
Road |
Devils Garden |
Head of the
Rocks and Escalante
Canyons
|
Calf
Creek Recreation Area |
The Hogsback
| Burr Trail
| Anasazi
State Park Museum |
Boulder Mountain |
Capitol Reef
National Park |
Escalante,_Utah
|
Boulder,_Utah
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Petroglyphs and pictographs
Petroglyphs and pictographs
reveal Indian history.
Petroglyphs are pecked on walls
while pictographs are painted on
walls. For those interested in
natural history, these are a
must-see.
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Dixie
National Forest
Dixie National Forest spans an
area from the border of Nevada
to Capitol Reef National Park. A
highlight of this forest is Red
Canyon, and there are also
several trails on which visitors
can explore.
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Bryce Canyon
National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
has red pinnacles and spires
surrounded by pine trees that
captivate visitors. The visitor
center has an award winning
video program and museum.
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Powell
Point
At 10,188 feet above sea level
Powell Point served as a great
landmark for Major John Wesley
Powell's late 1800s expeditions
in the area. Likewise, it
provides spectacular views for
the modern-day visitor.
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Grand Staircase
Escalante National
Monument
This high, rugged, and
remote region, where
bold plateaus and
multi-hued cliffs run
for distances that defy
human perspective, was
the last place in the
continental United
States to be mapped.
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Kodachrome Basin State Park
Kodachrome Basin State Park
filled with many geysers of
stone. These geysers blasted
through sediment of an ancient
lake-bed, and harder sediment
later filled the vertical tubes
created by the geysers. As
softer sediment eroded away it
left the geyser tubes of stone.
Escalante Petrified Forest State
Park's
This area is open to campers
year round. Wide Hollow
Reservoir provides great
opportunities for fishing,
boating, and swimming. Of
course, petrified wood from
millions of years ago is strewn
throughout the area. Services,
lodging, and public and private
campgrounds are in
Escalante. It also offers
barbecue and picnic areas along
with rentable canoes courtesy of
the state park.
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Posey Lake
Posey
Lake is accessible Posey Lake
Scenic Backway. Fishing, hiking,
mountain biking, and other
activities are available in the
picturesque area around the
lake.
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Hell's
Backbone Road
Hell's Backbone Road is
dramatic as it has steep
drop-offs on both sides
of the road. This
stretch of road will
offer travelers
excitement - and many
photo-ops - while they
enjoy spectacular views
of the Box-Death Hollow
Wilderness Area and the
famous Hell's Backbone
Bridges.
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Hole-in-the-Rock Road
Hole-in-the-Rock Road is a 70
mile graded road that provides
access to
Devils Garden, Dance Hall
Rock, the Escalante Canyons, and
ultimately to Hole-in-the-Rock.
In the 1880s this area provided
many obstacles for the Mormon
settlers. Traveling this route
was originally meant to take
just two weeks but took six
months to complete.
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Devils
Garden
Many consider Devils Garden to
be a little wonderland full of
nature's enchantment of arches
and unique rock formations.
Hikers will enjoy this area that
offers many challenging treks on
slick-rock.
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Head of
the Rocks and Escalante Canyons
The "Million Dollar Road to
Boulder" section of Scenic Byway
12 leads to Head of the Rocks
and Escalante Canyons. This
section provides an interesting
history for the area. Due to the
ruggedness of the Escalante
Canyons area, mail was carried
in this area by mule until the
early 1970s.
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Calf
Creek Recreation Area
Calf Creek Recreation Area
provides an excellent treat for
travelers - a gorgeous 126 foot
water fall and grotto. This is a
perfect place to wade through a
creek and relax, especially
during the summer.
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The
Hogsback
The Hogsback (part of Scenic
Byway 12) offers dramatic views
from a narrow road that follows
the spine of a dramatic
sandstone ridge. Here cliffs
roll off on both sides of the
road for over 1,000 feet. The
road is well paved with
turn-outs for viewing areas.
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Burr
Trail
Burr Trail is a former cattle
drive route. Travelers on this
trail will enjoy scenery as it
meanders through Grand Staircase
Escalante National Monument,
Capitol Reef National Park, and
Glen Canyon National Recreation
Area.
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Anasazi
State Park Museum
Anasazi
State Park Museum takes visitors
back thousands of years to the
time when the Fremont and
Anasazi civilizations lived
here. At one time approximately
200 Indians lived right on the
site where the museum is
presently located.
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Boulder
Mountain
Boulder Mountain is part of the
Aquarius Plateau -- the highest
forested plateau on the
continent. It also provides awe
inspiring views of the sites
over 100 miles away like the
Henry Mountains and Navajo
Mountain.
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Capitol
Reef National Park
Early pioneers in the area named
this area Capitol Reef National
Park because of its many domes
that reminded them of the
Nation's capitol. One of the
major formations within park is
the expansive Waterpocket Fold
that spans about 100 miles.
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Escalante, Utah
Escalante, Utah is
called the "Heart of
Highway 12." Formerly
known as Potato Valley
because of its wild
potatoes, it was later
renamed after Silvestre
Velez de Escalante, a
Franciscan priest, who
led the first
exploration in the area
in 1776.
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Boulder, Utah
Boulder, Utah was settled in
1889, but it is the last town in
the United States to stop
receiving mail by mule in the
early 1970s. These mules were
literally butter makers since
the milk and cream that they
carried became butter along the
rough path that they traveled
before Scenic Byway 12 was
completed.
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Escalante, UT
