Fall Colors Scenic Drives

Fall in Utah Will is a Never-ending Scenic Drive

Here's some of our must-drive scenic routes through the months of September, October and November. Grab your chai-pumpkin-spiced-latte drink thing, a sweater, and your camera. It's going to be awesome.

Brigham City to Logan to Bear Lake

Follow US 89-91 from Brigham City north to Logan via Sardine Canyon (25 miles). Continue northeast from Logan on US 89 to Bear Lake through Logan Canyon (now a National Scenic Byway) and the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Read More

Ogden Canyon to Huntsville to Woodruff

Follow UT 39 (Ogden Canyon) east from Ogden into the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Read More

Ogden to Weber Canyon to Parley's Canyon to East Canyon to Emigration to Salt Lake City

Follow I-84 southeast from Ogden to the Morgan exit. Take UT 66 south to East Canyon State Park and UT 65. Continue south on UT 65 along Pioneer Memorial Highway to I-80. Take I-80 west to Salt Lake City.

Bountiful Peak Drive

This route connects Bountiful and Farmington on unpaved roads in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. You can take the Lagoon exit in Farmington, head east to Main Stree and then stay on 600 north, and ends at 100 East. Merge onto Farmington Canyon Road.

Parley's Canyon to Emigration Canyon

This is a Salt Lake area version of tour #3a 25-mile loop tour along I-80 and Emigration Canyon. Near the entrance to Emigration Canyon, you'll pass by two landmarks: Hogle Zoo and This Is The Place Heritage Park. Other nearby sites: Fort Douglas (site of Olympic Village during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games) and the University of Utah. Option: follow I-80 east to Park City.

Big Cottonwood Canyon to Solitude to Brighton

In Salt Lake City, get off I-215 at Exit 6 and follow UT 190 south to the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Turn left here. UT 190 continues up this canyon. As you head up the canyon, you enter the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Toward the top of the canyon, you'll pass Solitude Mountain Resort en route to the village of Brighton and Brighton Resort. Read More

Big Cottonwood Canyon to Guardsman's Pass to Park City to Heber Valley

Same directions to Big Cottonwood Canyon (preceding tour). Just below the village of Brighton, take the Guardsman's Pass road over the mountain to either Park City or Heber. Look for the signs. You'll make a left turn just after Solitude Resort.

Little Cottonwood Canyon

Get off I-215 south at Exit 6, then proceed south on UT 190. Continue straight through the Big Cottonwood Canyon intersection. The route becomes UT 210. Follow this road, which becomes Little Cottonwood Canyon (UT 210). The route ascends into the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. En route to Snowbird and Alta. Read More

Kamas to Mirror Lake

This 30-mile drive on UT 150 takes you from Kamas into the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Read More

Alpine Loop - One of Utah's Most Spectacular Scenic Drives

Take UT 92 east from the Alpine / Timpanogos Cave National Monument exit #284 off I-15, or exit #272 off I-15 in Orem and take UT 52 east to US 189 to UT 92. UT 92-The Alpine Loop carves through dramatic mountain terrain as it traverses the Uinta National Forest. Regional sites include Provo Canyon, Bridal Veil Falls, Cascade Springs, Mt. Timpanogos, Tibble Fork Reservoir, Timpanogos Cave and Sundance Village. Read More

Vernal - Red Cloud Loop

Views of towering mountains highlight this route accessed 14 miles north of Vernal. Read More

Flaming Gorge - Uintas - Wildlife through the Ages National Scenic Byway

Running between Vernal and Manila on US Highway 191 and Utah Highway 44, this byway climbs foothills and major geological formations that go back a billion years and reveal the core of the Uinta Mountains near Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Read More

Mt Nebo Scenic Loop

At 11,877 feet, Mt. Nebo is one of Utah's highest peaks. Access to this tour starts on the north side of the loop in Payson or from the south via UT 132 east of Nephi. Although the route is entirely paved, it is unsuitable for large RV's, large motorhomes and large trailers. Route covers large forest recreation area in the Uinta National Forest. Read More

Skyline Drive

The "backbone" of central Utah, the Skyline Drive winds along the Wasatch Plateau through the Manti La Sal and Fishlake National Forests. Read More

Price - Castle Valley

Several roads and canyons surrounding Price offer colorful autumn drives including Price Canyon (US 6), Indian Canyon (Scenic Byway US 191 from Helper to Duchesne) and Nine Mile Canyon 

UT 10 between Price and I-70 provides access to the Manti-LaSal National Forest

Once in Fairview, you can head south on US 89 (Utah's Heritage Highway)

Tushar Plateau

This 40-mile drive on UT 153 connects Beaver and Junction, Utah, through the southern end of the high Fishlake National Forest.

Fish Lake Plateau

Take UT 25 from its junction with UT 24 between Burrville and Loa northeast to Fish Lake. The east fork of UT 25 meets UT 72 5 miles north of Fremont. Option: continue east from Loa on UT 24 to Capitol Reef National Park. Read More

Aquarius Plateau to Capitol Reef National Park to Boulder Mountain

Access these destinations via UT 24 at Torrey or UT 12 at Escalante. These routes cut through the southern tier of the high Dixie National Forest and it is advisable to carry a good area map. Although it is major south-central Utah highway, UT 12 between Boulder and Escalante is not for the faint of heart! Called the Hogsback, this segment of UT 12 features steep drop-offs on both sides of the road. See the "All American Road" that follows. Read More

Highway 12 - All American Road

Highway 12, a showcase of dramatic, naturally-sculpted sandstone, winds its way through some of the most stunning geography in the United States--Bryce Canyon National Park, the Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument, Capitol Reef National Park and thousands of acres of the Dixie National Forest. Although this route has been chronicled for years by the travel and automobile-enthusiast press, it defies description and must be seen first-hand. Read More

LaSal Mountain Drive

Take UT 128 east from Moab for 16 miles along the Colorado River. Then turn right (southeast) onto County Road 73 that leads into Castle Valley. As you proceed through Castle Valley, you'll ascend into the Manti-LaSal National Forest.

Although this route is paved, it may be temporarily impassable in case of snow. Due to several hairpin turns, parts of this route, particularly on the Castle Valley side, are unsuitable for large RV's, large motorhomes and large trailers. Top regional destinations include Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park.

Highway 211 from Junction with US 191 to Canyonlands National Park

Called the Indian Creek Scenic Byway, this route begins at the junction with US 191 fourteen miles north of Monticello. Drive west on the two-lane paved road across a high sage plain before descending into a series of 'switchbacks' to Newspaper Rock--a sheltered alcove featuring rock art by several different ancient American cultures. Beyond Newspaper Rock the Byway continues through Indian Creek Canyon where cottonwood trees glow in gold...surrounded by red sandstone cliffs. The cottonwoods follow Indian Creek down to Dugout Ranch. Views encompass North and South Sixshooter Peaks. Cliffs rising from the valley floor reach 1,000+ feet to the Canyon Rims Recreation Area and Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands. Read More

Harts Draw Road from the Junction with Utah Highway 211

On the return trip from Indian Creek Scenic Byway (previous tour), three miles east of the 'switchbacks' and eight miles from the junction with US 191, you come to the junction of the Harts Draw Road. Turn south and start an easy climb on this paved two-lane road into the Manti La Sal National Forest.

Utah Highway 46 from US 191 east to the Colorado border

Resting on the southern slope of the Manti La Sal National Forest

Cedar Breaks National Monument to Brian Head to Dixie National Forest

The drive from Parowan up to the mountain resort community of Brian Head.

A less challenging route that presents some of Utah's most stunning fall colors is UT 143 from Panguitch up to Cedar Breaks. The area around the junction of UT 143 and the Sidney Valley Road in particular hosts massive aspen groves that tend toward red in mid-late September. Regional attractions include Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. Read More

St. George to Zion National Park

You are deep in the heart of "Utah's Dixie" now. Take UT 9 off I-15 and proceed east through the Virgin River Valley to Springdale and Zion National Park. Option: continue east on UT 9 through Zion to US 89, then north to UT 12 and on to Bryce Canyon National Park. Read More

Bryce Canyon National Park

The red rock spires, pinnacles and canyons of this Utah landmark form a perfect setting for the golden aspens that line the amphitheaters of Bryce Canyon. Reach Bryce Canyon from UT 12. At the junction of UT 12 and UT 63 turn south toward Ruby's Inn. No matter what your point of origin, you'll wind up on UT 12, the All American Road described above in the Aquarius Plateau tour. The drive from the junction of US 89 and UT 12 east to the Bryce turnoff at UT 63 takes you through the Dixie National Forest and Red Canyon, a brilliant "teaser" of what's ahead at Bryce. Read More

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