The Long Way
Garfield County
A winding road cuts through an expansive desert landscape with rocky terrain and hills.
Plate I. Winding road, Scenic Byway 12. From visitutah.com
A paved road passes through a natural rock tunnel under a red rock formation.
Plate II. Rock arch over Scenic Byway 12. From brycecanyoncountry.com
A winding road cuts through a vast desert landscape with rocky terrain and sparse vegetation.
Plate III. Scenic Byway 12 winding through desert landscape. From brycecanyoncountry.com
A paved road winding through a desert landscape with red rock formations and mountains.
Plate IV. Desert road along Scenic Byway 12. From utah.com
A paved road curving through a landscape with red rock formations and a blue sky with clouds.
Plate V. Red rock formations along Scenic Byway 12. From utah.com

Scenic Byway 12

Escalante, Garfield County, Utah. All-American Road.

Details

Map. Escalante, Garfield County, Utah. Larger map
Where
Escalante, Garfield County, UT. No street address stated. Directions
Season
The road is open year-round, but after major winter storms, sections might be impassible until plowed, and ice can make some sections white-knucklers especially on the Boulder Mountain stretch during the winter.
Getting there
Scenic Byway 12 begins at U.S. Highway 89, just south of Panguitch and north of Hatch, and travels east across Garfield County.
Fees
Fees at campgrounds and parks along the way.
Access
Parts of Scenic Byway 12 are under construction, with completion anticipated in Summer 2026.
Phone
800-444-6689
Website
utah.com
Managed by
Garfield County Travel Council; Wayne County Travel Council; Dixie National Forest.

A 120-mile All-American Road in southern Utah connecting Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Capitol Reef National Park.

Notable Events

  1. 1935Civilian Conservation Corps crews began to build the Lower Boulder Road, now part of Highway 12. hmdb.org
  2. 1940Jubilant community members celebrated completion of the first all-season automobile road between Escalante and Boulder. hmdb.org
  3. 1977The Boulder Mountain stretch was the only remaining unpaved section of Highway 12, and the Utah Department of Transportation began to prepare it for paving. hmdb.org
  4. 1985Nearby residents gathered with highway officials on Boulder Mountain to celebrate completion of Highway 12 pavement. hmdb.org
  5. 2002Scenic Byway 12 was designated a National Scenic Byway and All American Road. reginfo.gov

People

  • Clemn Church, State of Utah Transportation Commissioner; instrumental in obtaining the funding and approval for paving the Boulder Mountain road; the Homestead Overlook wayside is named in his honor.

Sources

  1. visitutah.com/articles/the-all-american-road-scenic-byway-12
  2. brycecanyoncountry.com/worlds-10-most-beautiful-highways-scenic-byway-12
  3. townoftropicut.gov/scenic-byway-12
  4. fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/bywaysp/byway/2020
  5. scenicbyways.info/byway/2020.html
  6. utah.com/things-to-do/scenic-drives/highway-12-scenic-byway
  7. hmdb.org/m.asp?m=146682
  8. hmdb.org/m.asp?m=146684
  9. intermountainhistories.org/items/show/73
  10. reginfo.gov/public/do/DownloadDocument?objectID=236701