Utah Highway 12

Scattered across the United States are roads recognized by the United States Department of Transportation as offering unique archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic features known as "National Scenic Byways".  While I maintain that the best way to experience the continent is on foot, these drives are certainly a decent way to get off of the beaten path and sample what lies away from the interstates.  In the case of Utah 12, one can experience most of the west has to offer in general, from deserts to forests to mountain meadows.  Many people start at the western terminus of the road at US 89, though in my opinion the best starting place is at the other end in Torrey, for reasons that will become obvious.

First of all, where is it?

Utah 12 may seem to be off the beaten path, but it is surrounded by a handful of national parks, monuments, forests, and includes a few smaller towns with services along its length.   Drivers can expect to see at least a few cars and pedestrians along the way, though there will be many places that are absolutely deserted and incredibly wild looking, despite the popularity.

Starting from Torrey, the landscape is fairly even, dry, and low.  The surrounding environment is very typical scenery of the neighboring Great Basin desert, despite being located on the Colorado Plateau and within the Colorado river watershed.  The relative height of the land (4,000 feet and higher) and residual precipitation and moisture from the nearby Wasatch mountains give it a noticeable contrast from the rest of the lower portions of the Colorado Plateau and Escalante desert.  This is a land of sagebrush and juniper shrubs.

The junipers increase in size and are joined by pinyons with the passing miles, until they become more tree-sized.  See here for a more detailed description of the Pinyon-Juniper woodland.  Eventually, these trees are overtaken by Ponderosa pines and the odd Lodgepole pine.

The views start to become more dramatic here, and pull outs are available for those who wish to gaze across the lower lands to the distant Henry mountains.  There were trails leading every which way up there, and the area seemed pretty sparsely occupied.  Here, as well as portions further down the road, are sections of Dixie National Forest, which is broken into four divisions that stretch across much of the southwestern quarter of Utah.

The pines begin to give way to spruces and aspens, which serve as indicators that the road is nearing its highest point.  The forests here were somewhat unexpected; the southern Wasatch seem so much lower and isolated from the rest of the Rockies that it can be easy to forget such "sky islands" exist.  They do, however, and the experience of driving from desert to sub-alpine forest is like taking a trip clear north to northern Alberta and Saskatchewan, where the forests are remarkably similar (though the Engelmann spruces and Subalpine fir are replaced by White spruce and Balsam fir, which look close enough like them).  If there were no grand views or interesting curves, Utah 12 could be a great drive just for being a sample of entire ecosystems.  

At the highest points of the road, elevations level off at 9,600 feet, and the exposure the land receives creates balds and meadows, over which distant horizons of contrasting desert can be seen.

In many obvious places along the way, a traveler can see first hand the root colonization reproduction habits of Quaking aspen.

Aspen are truly remarkable trees that can reproduce by root clones.  The Pando tree/colony of aspens not far north of this area are said to be close to 80,000 years in age, which, if true, means that the groves would have migrated with the glaciers during the last ice age.  The tree/colony is located in Fishlake National Forest, and unlike Methuselah, the oldest known individual tree, is not kept secret in location.  This is probably because Pando is simply too expansive to be easily violated; the trees in the picture above could very well be part of a branching of the clones tens of thousands of years ago, despite being over a hundred miles away and on a separate mountain body.  

The great thing about Utah 12 is that no one driving it, even avid followers of things tree, will likely even give a passing thought to how amazing aspen are, because these trees are but part of a huge buffet of wonders that have already opened up along the way.  Case in point, the road suddenly gets straight and becomes set on a gentle gradient that drops like a very long ramp.

Forests pass by, transitions from biome to biome can be easily seen, and the desert returns.  This time, however, it is very different from what was left behind to the north.

The road also becomes quite the adventure, with thousands of feet of nothing but air serving as the "shoulder".  The experience was so breathtaking that I did not think to take a picture at the most dramatic point, though this would probably do:

Why yes, that sign does indicate a 14% grade.  At this point, Utah 12 is literally paved on the spines of mountains.  "Watch your step" takes on a whole new meaning, and even if the heights were not enough, careless feet can run into other fun little surprises.

Mindful of cacti, cliffs, and careless footing, one can now rejoice knowing that things are only going to get more incredible from here on out.  The road now passes through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, one of the nicest surprises in protected lands.  The breadth of land really is a staircase, if perhaps tilted on its side.  Starting from the top, one passes through age upon age of geological history that ends at the bottom of the Grand Canyon in Pre-Cambrian granite, a younger version of the rock that makes up the Canadian Shield.  Again, the miracle of that plays second fiddle to the views alone.

Travelers need not be kept in the dark, however, as one of the best visitor centers anywhere sits conveniently off the road in the town of Escalante, Utah.  The place had the most informed staff I have ever encountered from a government office, and were truly passionate about their land.  In the interest of education, the store there is subsidized by the Western National Parks Association, and nearly everything was at cost if not lower in price.

Now, if by some chance the desert would start to get monotonous, green fields and lush riverbanks pop up between here and Tropic, Utah.  As one approaches Bryce Canyon National Park, the forests re-appear, though not beyond the altitude of the pines.  Of course, they would probably not be on the mind either:

Bryce is a destination in an of itself (as if the rest of these mileposts were not), so that picture will suffice for now until a better post can cover the place.  Anyway, moving on from there, the land opens up into lovely prairie of green, rich grass that is dominated by Utah prairie dog colonies.  The poor creatures have not fared well, and despite being an endangered species, are considered more of a nuisance by local farmers.  Yes, there are farms around here, mainly down in the warmer desert elevations.  You know, where there is no reliable water source?  Ranches are understandable, but farms?

As the prairies and meadows are closed in by encroaching cliffs, one heads down into the final leg of the highway, known simply as Red Rock canyon.

The pines stand lovely against the red cliffs.  There are several rock tunnels one drives through to complete the tour of Utah 12.  Mind you, the roads beyond are no less exciting from here on out; US 89 continues south to the town of Orderville, Utah. On the way, despite the lower elevations, the land is lush, green, and heavily forested.  Mind the dirty windows!

At Orderville, US 89 branches off south to Arizona and a slew of destinations like the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, or west to the eastern approach of Zion canyon.

This approach leads down to the Mojave desert, which is bounded on neatly all sides by incredible transitions.  Zion in the afternoon, though, has to be the most amazing way to enter the land of the Joshua tree.  The road leading into Zion is no less amazing.  Elements of the Ponderosa pine forest, Escalante desert, and Mojave desert co-exist in a delightful combination of pine, sand, yuccas, shrubs, and boulders.  That particular leg of this great adventure, however, will wait for a more detailed post.