Utah
Scenic Byway 12
About this scenic drive
Highway 12 links Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef by way of Grand Staircase-Escalante, and it changes character every twenty miles: hoodoos, then slickrock desert, then the exposed Hogback ridge with drop-offs on both sides, then aspen forest at 9,600 feet on Boulder Mountain. It is a National Scenic Byway and an All-American Road, and the Hogback section in particular is the part people remember.
Bryce Canyon to Torrey over the Hogback and Boulder Mountain, one of the great American back roads.
Highlights
What earns the trip
- The Hogback, a ridge-top mile with canyon falling away on both sides
- Escalante and the slot canyons of Grand Staircase-Escalante
- Boulder Mountain climbs to 9,600 feet through aspen
- Bryce Canyon at one end and Capitol Reef just past the other
Stops
- 1
Bryce Canyon National Park
The western anchor of the byway.
- 2
Escalante
Base town for Grand Staircase-Escalante.
- 3
Boulder
North end of the Hogback, at the foot of Boulder Mountain.
- 4
Torrey
The eastern end, at the gate of Capitol Reef.
When to go
Best time to go
April through October. Boulder Mountain gets real winter and can close.
Planner estimate for the mapped line: 7h 49m
Before you go
Know before you go
- The Hogback has no shoulder and no guardrail for a sustained stretch. Crosswinds matter for a high-profile rig.
- Services between Escalante and Torrey are minimal. Fuel up before Boulder.
- Summer flash flooding closes the side roads into the slot canyons with little warning.
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