Discover 10 of the Best Scenic Drives in Utah!

visiting Utah and looking for some easy Scenic views in this video I'll cover my personal top 10 scenic drives in Utah my name is Matt with we're in the Rockies and on our Channel we help you travel to the west from the beautiful Wasatch mountains in the North to the world's most famous Red Rock in the South Utah has so much to offer so let's get into it I'm starting it off with a bang first up is the loop the full drive in Capitol Reef National Park which contains probably the most variety of any Scenic Drive that I've ever done this Loop actually consists of four roads and together they form a loop around a formation known as the water pocket fold this drive is over a hundred miles and takes five to six hours to complete and much of it is on a dirt road along the way you can see little hoodoos crazy purple Bentonite Hills and get this oysters yes you'll find oysters in the middle of a desert that was once under the ocean the road also crosses through the bizarre water pocket fold and up the scare very in memorable bird Trail switchbacks [Music] these switchbacks were originally created by John Burr to move his cattle up and down the canyon little did he know he was creating what would become one of the best scenic drives in Utah [Music] incredible and scary yeah we're not done yet long Canyon is gorgeous and a stop at singing Canyon is a must [Music] stop for lunch in Boulder at the sublime bird Trail Grill before traversing Boulder Mountain from which you can see Capitol Reef in the foreground and the Henry mountains Beyond finish off the drive with a sunset in Capitol Reef the loop the fold Drive is absolutely Unforgettable [Music] up next is the Mount Nebo scenic drive this drive traverses the tallest mountain along Utah's Wasatch Front Mount Nebo is named after the biblical Mountain Evo and reaches almost 12 000 feet above sea level you can't miss the imposing mountain peak while driving along I-15 through Utah and the great thing about this drive is it is so easily accessible from the freeway starting and pacing and ending in Nephi this road has been designated a national Scenic byway it's best driven in the fall when the Aspens and other trees are changing colors [Music] one of the crazy things about this drive is the Devil's Kitchen a small section of exposed Sandstone hoodoos that has been described as a mini Bryce Canyon found among an otherwise regular mountain range at 35 miles long this drive is easily doable in a few hours and can even be done as a side trip if you're just driving through the state on I-15 [Music] up next is a drive I discovered recently called Buckhorn wash and it's located in something called the San Rafael swell a bizarre formation found in the middle of the state I put off doing this drive for years because I didn't know much about the swell as it is called but I finally got to looking into it this year and it blew me away the drive gets to a Viewpoint called The Wedge which provides an Overlook of the Little Grand Canyon I thought the Little Grand Canyon was going to be a little let down but it absolutely was not I had this gorgeous Viewpoint all to myself for about 30 minutes staring down at the San Rafael River as it winds through the Deep Canyon the road continues through Buckhorn wash into an outstanding Petroglyph panel with tall ghostly figures I loved checking out these mysterious paintings especially the one with wings two Bridges cross the river a newer Road and an Old Bridge built in the 1930s that we can still walk on to take in the sights and sounds of the San Rafael River and the walls of the Little Grand Canyon look the drive takes half a day with stops and is entirely on a dirt road that is suitable for cars please see the link to my blog post in the description for how to do this drive wild donkeys incredible Canyons dinosaur tracks petroglyphs this drive is spectacular let's move back to the mountains of northern Utah Logan Canyon winds through the granite Mountains for 40 gorgeous miles connecting the city of Logan to the incredibly turquoise Bear Lake I've driven this Canyon a hundred times and I still enjoy the varied scenery it provides starting in Logan check out the historic buildings before heading into the canyon [Music] the canyon has quite a few great stops including The Hobbit caves caves a fun little scramble over the water and into some natural caves Tony Grove is a must-see stop it's an easy walk around this picturesque Lake situated at the top of the canyon and full of wildflowers thank you the Canyon Road ends at beautiful Bear Lake sometimes called the Caribbean of the Rockies the sleepy town of Garden City comes alive in the Summer where Lake goers can choose from a number of places to eat or get a shake and if you time it right you can attend the small town raspberry Days parade while you're there make sure to check out Lake Minnewanka a gorgeous and mostly hidden little Lake just across the border in Idaho and if you don't care about Comfort at all rent a surrey and take a regrettable ride with your friends foreign X's Highway 211 in southern Utah this is the entrance road to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park it's about an hour from the nearest town Monticello which isn't close to anything Church Rock before heading off into the increasingly Scenic Red Rock area newspaper rock is a quick roadside stop to see a panel packed with petroglyphs [Music] one section along this road is popular for rock climbers and you'll be able to see the six shooter Peaks from nearly anywhere in the valley the road ends at Canyonlands National Park where you can take a short walk to a cowboy camp or a long hike through the incredible chessler Park this District of Canyonlands is often overlooked in favor of the island in the sky District but this section is more intimate and fun to explore if you do this drive fill up on gas and bring a picnic of water since there are no Services out here and be prepared to be amazed by the views next up is Nine Mile Canyon which is a big misnomer located near Price Utah the canyon is actually 46 miles long it's usually done as an out and back Drive which makes this a half day or more activity Nine Mile is the world's densest concentration of rock art panels and images there are over 1 000 panels and over ten thousand images in this Canyon the canyon is often called the world's longest art gallery and sometimes it's called The Outdoor Louvre but I call it Utah's best scavenger hunt the fun of it is to stop and search for various images such as the owl the elk or this crazy juggler guy it's known for the rock cards but we enjoyed the scenic drive through this wonderful Canyon just as much there's also a ghost town and a spot to stop for a picnic the most famous panel is called the Great hunt in which four Hunters with bows and arrows set aim to take down a herd of bighorn sheep up [Music] this Canyon was one of the most peaceful and interesting Canyons we've ever explored make sure to check out my blog post about it before going which I'll link to in the description [Music] next up is Utah's only All-American Road Scenic byway route 12. this road travels from Bryce Canyon National Park to Capitol Reef National Park the road has a number of attractions to see along the way such as red Canyon Bryce Canyon Petrified Forest State Park Devil's garden and the aforementioned Boulder Mountain but the drive itself is an experience on its own in fact I just learned that this is one of the requirements to obtain the coveted All-American Road status it must be unique and a destination unto itself there are over 180 National Scenic byways in the country but only 37 All-American roads I happen to stumble on this road when I was younger having no idea what to expect and I was blown away one section is called the Hogs back in which the road travels on a ridge with Canyons on both sides though the road takes about two and a half hours to drive we devoted an entire day to doing this road and its attractions on our last road trip staying overnight in Escalante Utah at the Fantastic slot canyons Inn up next is Arches Scenic Drive in Arches National Park this 17-Mile Drive winds up and down through fun red rock formations this driveways no time getting to it after entering the park you'll climb steep switchbacks before it levels out you'll drive by Park Avenue before spotting the courthouse towers and the three gossips [Music] settle in next to the great wall and wave Balanced Rock on the way by the road descends through Salt Valley and into the fiery furnace before ending at the devil's Garden there are many easily accessible short walks and arches along this drive making it one of the most joyful Scenic Park drives in the country pack of lunch before going and try to time the ride back at Sunset when the walls are glowing up next is the Zion Mount Carmel Highway in Zion National Park this road also known as Highway 9 travels for 19 miles from the bottom of Zion Canyon to the top beginning in my favorite Scenic Canyon the road climbs six switchbacks with views of the East Temple and the towers of the virgin these switchbacks make great places to stop and take in the views of this Canyon within a canyon the road then enters the Zion Mount Carmel tunnel to one mile engineering Marvel from the 1920s the road is so narrow that if RVs want to go through it oncoming traffic must be stopped so they can drive down the middle of the road [Music] the road continues through very different yet spectacular scenery on top of the canyon [Music] the Petrified sand dunes offer fun scrambling opportunities and a wonderful Winding Way to enjoy Zion [Music] foreign Valley Loop this is a fun 24 Mile Loop that gets you behind the Wasatch Front into the hidden Scenic Gem of Ogden Valley the loop features a mountain pass called the North Ogden Divide which is listed as one of the most dangerous roads in Utah due to its insane 11 grade [Music] [Music] but the views it provides are awesome and there are easy hikes to get up on top of the range [Music] the drive continues through a bucolic Valley where one city in the valley is even named Eden this Valley is actually my happy place somewhere I go often to clear my head or get charged by a buffalo hahaha there are several barns around the valley with really nice murals painted on them which makes for a fun scavenger hunt in the winter Huntsville City makes its own hockey rink sure to stop at the Shooting Star Saloon for a burger at Utah's oldest bar we love the wheeler Creek hike which goes through wonderful Meadows with towering Mountain views this virtually unknown Loop will provide great views hiking opportunities small town America and hardly any people these are just some of my favorites let me know in the comments if I left any off or if you'd like a part two to this video [Music]

Channel: We're in the Rockies

Views: 28,734

Keywords: Utah, Scenic Drives, Bryce Canyon, zion national park, San Rafael Swell

Id: dX5G5g00on0

Length: 14min 59sec (899 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 09 2023