from Away.com

Related Guides


Article Menu
Introduction

   Activities
Top Picks

Hiking
Biking
Scenic Driving
Wildlife

Overview Map

Environment & History

Essentials
Contacts & Links
Practicalities

Index

   Ratings
View Rating
Submit Rating

Related Resources
Utah Resources
GORPtravel

online favorites
PARKS
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Scenic Driving

Scenic Highway 12 is one of this country's great drives. It cuts through the northern portion of the Monument, connecting the Bryce Canyon National Park and Dixie National Forest. In the southern portion, Highway 89 between Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona offers spectacular vistas of the Vermilion Cliffs layer of the Grand Staircase geologic feature.
Special Feature

Canyon Country Drives - A FalconGuides excerpt that goes into fine detail on spectacular Highway 12.

Other roads that are partially surfaced include the Burr Trail (to Capitol Reef National Park) and Johnson Canyon (to the Skutumpah turn off). Gravel roads include the Glendale Bench Road and a portion of Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Driving conditions on sandy and clay roads, such as Cottonwood (connecting Kodachrome State Park with Highway 89), Smoky Mountain, Skutumpah, and Croton depend on weather and current maintenance status. Please check current road conditions before traveling on theses routes.

All roads within the Monument's interior, except for portions of the Burr Trail and the Johnson Canyon Road, are unpaved. The principal access roads within the Monument are dirt or gravel surfaced and intermittently maintained late spring through fall. Unmaintained routes are rough, rocky, or traverse areas of deep sand requiring high clearance or 4WD. Bad weather can leave any dirt or gravel road impassable, sometimes for several days. Some roads, including the Skutumpah, Cottonwood Canyon, Smoky Mountain, Hole-in-the-Rock, and the Paria River Valley roads, cross sections with a clay surface which becomes extremely slippery when wet. Check for current road conditions and weather forecasts.


Return to *Top

RELATED GORP LINKS
* GORP Utah Resources
* GORPtravel Adventure Vacations



Road Trip Guides

National Park Guides

Hiking Guides

Today's Gear Guy

Gear Guides
[from Outside magazine]