The Long Way
Washington County
A dirt road winds through a desert landscape towards layered red rock mountains under a blue sky.
Plate I. View from Smithsonian Butte National Back Country Byway. From blm.gov

Smithsonian Butte National Back Country Byway

Rockville, Washington County, Utah. Back country byway.

Details

Map. Rockville, Washington County, Utah. Larger map
Where
Rockville, Washington County, UT. No street address stated. Directions
Getting there
From Rockville, UT (north): Turn south on Bridge Road. After 0.3 miles, continue around sharp righthand turn onto 250 South/Grafton Road. In 1.3 miles, turn left onto Smithsonian Butte National Back Country Byway. From Apple Valley, UT/State Hwy 59 (south): Turn north onto Main Street. Proceed 2.9 miles onto Smithsonian Butte National Back Country Byway.
Fees
No fees.
Access
Route becomes impassable during heavy rain and periods of inclement winter weather. No services are available along the Byway.
Phone
435-688-3200
Website
blm.gov
Managed by
Bureau of Land Management, St. George Field Office.

A 9.25-mile Back Country Byway between Rockville and Apple Valley, Utah, just south of Zion National Park. Carries visitors from the Virgin River floodplain, through pinyon-juniper woodlands, to sagebrush desert at the Big Plain Junction of Highway 59.

Notable Events

  1. 1861Several rehabilitated buildings and interpretive information at Grafton provide a glimpse into early pioneer life along the Virgin River. blm.gov
  2. 1930When the Zion Mt. Carmel Highway and tunnel was completed in 1930, this more direct and easier route became the favored way to access Zion National Park from the Grand Canyon. rockvilleutah.gov
  3. 1995On August 4, 1995, the Rockville Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places; its structural and historical integrity have been exceptionally well preserved. rockvilleutah.gov
  4. 2018After the Town petitioned to alter the work from a replacement bridge to a full rehabilitation of the existing bridge, the Town celebrated completion of the rehabilitation project on May 3, 2019 with State and local officials, residents, supporters and vintage Model T's from the same era as the bridge. rockvilleutah.gov

People

  • C.F. Dinsmore, Ogden bridge contractor who erected the Rockville Bridge on site from prefabricated steel components.
  • Edward Dutton, geologist with the Powell Expedition who named Smithsonian Butte.

Sources

  1. blm.gov/visit/smithsonian-butte-national-back-country-byway
  2. blm.gov/documents/utah/public-room/map/smithsonian-butte-backcountry-byway-map
  3. blm.gov/visit/smithsonian-butte-national-back-country-byway
  4. rockvilleutah.gov/historic-rockville
  5. fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/bywaysp/byway/68995
  6. wildaboututah.org/utah-at-the-smithsonian