Utah’s 124-mile All American Scenic Byway 12 captured my heart with intense drama, diversity, and landscapes unfolding with stunning perfection across south-central Utah.
give yourself plenty of time
This All American Road has 11 amazing national or state forests, parks, monuments, and recreation areas. You won’t want to miss any! Each is a destination in its own right, so give yourself ample time.
Spanning from Bryce Canyon to Escalante and then Boulder, the diverse landscape includes lush ponderosa pine and aspen forests opening to sliprock canyons and then stunning mountain meadows full of flowers.
Desolate shale badlands and rugged limestone canyons filled with eroding rock formations and spirals of hoo-doos seem to keep watch over this infinite, quiet beauty. Breathtaking is an understatement.
Landscape of american pioneers
Scenic 12 crosses the Trail of The Ancients Scenic Byway where maps spiral beyond 
time in a land that has shaped resilient, tenacious people. The range spans Paleolithic societies to ancestral Pueblo’s, then on to nomadic Navajo, Apache, and Ute tribes and finally followed by white settlers.
Limited water, rugged topography, and powerful winds carve astonishing vistas in the landscape. It also carves an enduring faith and deep appreciation for life in the people of this region .
Vistas spanning hundreds of miles and eons of time offer a rare silence broken occasionally by the faint drone of airplanes. Sunrise and sunset delight the senses while expansive dark skies starscapes reveal glimpses of the universe beyond our galaxy.
how to get there
Scenic Byway 12 has two entry points.
The southwestern gateway is from U.S. HW 89, seven miles south of the city of Panguitch.
The northeastern gateway is from HW 24 in the town of Torrey near Capitol Reef National Park.
There are nine communities along the route. There’s quite an expanse between towns so be sure to keep an eye on your gas guage.
All American status
How does a road become an All American? These elite scenic byways are a portal to Nature’s stunning creations.
All American Roads offer inspiring vistas of natural, historic, recreational, archeological, and cultural significance.
I am transformed by each All American Road I meet.
A single lifetime is not nearly enough.