What:
Utah state
Route 12 Scenic Byway is a 123-mile-long state starting at it southwest end at
highway 89 near the small town of Panguitch, from here its travers all the way
to it northeast end at highway 24 near the town Torrey.
This southern
Utah's road pass by 2 National Park, Bryace Canyon at the south side and
Capitol Reef at the north side. It is the gateway to the large Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument area, State Parks, small rural pioneer
origin communities, large open Plateau, Dixie National Forest, and the scenic high
Escalante Mountains range.
Link to my highway
12 Blog link
There are so
many things to see and visit along this drive but the drive itself is tourist
destinations unto themselves, this is why it was also designated an
All-American Road.
Boulder Mountains Viewpoints
Scenic Byway 12
crosses Boulder Mountain, the highest forested plateau in North America. This high
mountain forest view contrast the desert landscape along the rest of the
highway 12 drive.
The DIxie
National Forest cover the mountain with pine and aspen trees.
At elevation of
over 9,000 feet Larb Hollow Overlook is the highest viewing point along the
drive. Here the trees open and you can get a clear panoramic view to the east across
miles and miles of Utah’s natural beauty in the general direction of Capitol
Reef and Waterpocket Fold.
Along the road you
can find several scenic pullouts that provide a safe place to park, walk to the
platform and enjoy the view. The mountain on the other side of the view exceeds
up to 11,000 feet and during fall season it offer spectacular fall-colors from
the aspen trees.
Listing the
official viewpoints along the road: Heritage Overlook, Homestead Overlook, Steep
Creek Overlook, and Larb Hollow Overlook.
Link to my blog
with a lot more pictures from fall road trip I did during Dec. 2024.
Dixie National Forest
Your drive
along Highway 12 will take you past a few areas of Dixie National Forest, a
nearly 2-million-acre expanse of outdoor lover’s paradise. The forest includes
peaks and plateaus, lakes and valleys. There are many camping options along the
Boulder Mountains section of the drive, stop for a camping or just take in the
views as you go.
Google map link
Comments
Post a Comment