Eastern Utah
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2010
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Eastern Utah
Looking for a route in Eastern Utah south to Arizona. We are going thru Yellowstone on our way home from Sturgis, and need a route headed south thru Utah. Want to avoid the freeways as much as possible. Just looking for some nice roads. Any help would be appreciated. Thx
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2008
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From: Salt Lake City, UT
Not sure how you're planning on exiting Yellowstone, but this is a nice route from the South Exit:
South out of the park towards Jackson. At the Junction, stay south on US-189/191. When those split around Daniel, WY, stay on US-191 towards Rock Springs, WY. South of Rock Springs, you'll be on a nice plateau overlooking Flaming Gorge Reservoir. After a bit you'll enter Utah.
Stay on US-191 to Vernal, UT. You'll merge with US-40/191 and head west to Duchesne, UT (pronounced Doo-Shane...I wouldn't want the locals to make fun of you). At Duchesne, stay south on US-191 to Helper, UT. A few miles south at Price, UT, head south on UT-10 all the way to I-70.
At I-70, UT-10 ends and UT-72 begins. Go under I-70 and make a right on UT-72. Take this south to Loa, UT. UT-72 is one of the best-kept secrets in Utah. It is such beautiful scenery and a great curvy road. At Loa, pick up UT-24 and head east to Torrey, Capitol Reef NP, Caineville and finally to Hanksville. There is a great drive-in in Torrey called "Slackers Burger Joint." Stop there for sure!!
At Hanksville, stay straight and the road turns into UT-95. Take it south through White Canyon, the top of Lake Powell and Natural Bridges NM. South on UT-261, go down the Moki Dugway and merge onto US-163 at Mexican Hat, UT. Roll through Monument Valley and into Arizona...
South out of the park towards Jackson. At the Junction, stay south on US-189/191. When those split around Daniel, WY, stay on US-191 towards Rock Springs, WY. South of Rock Springs, you'll be on a nice plateau overlooking Flaming Gorge Reservoir. After a bit you'll enter Utah.
Stay on US-191 to Vernal, UT. You'll merge with US-40/191 and head west to Duchesne, UT (pronounced Doo-Shane...I wouldn't want the locals to make fun of you). At Duchesne, stay south on US-191 to Helper, UT. A few miles south at Price, UT, head south on UT-10 all the way to I-70.
At I-70, UT-10 ends and UT-72 begins. Go under I-70 and make a right on UT-72. Take this south to Loa, UT. UT-72 is one of the best-kept secrets in Utah. It is such beautiful scenery and a great curvy road. At Loa, pick up UT-24 and head east to Torrey, Capitol Reef NP, Caineville and finally to Hanksville. There is a great drive-in in Torrey called "Slackers Burger Joint." Stop there for sure!!
At Hanksville, stay straight and the road turns into UT-95. Take it south through White Canyon, the top of Lake Powell and Natural Bridges NM. South on UT-261, go down the Moki Dugway and merge onto US-163 at Mexican Hat, UT. Roll through Monument Valley and into Arizona...
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2010
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Thanks for the info. Since we have done Monument Valley and Mexican Hat, how would it be if we took 12 out of Torrey so we could hit Bryce, Zion, and the North Rim? Is that a good route also? Thanks again.
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2007
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From: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Hwy 12 is a great ride especially the Escalante/Boulder area.
Burr Trail heading east out of Boulder takes you into Long Canyon and then to some serious unpaved switchbacks where most people turn around and ride back through the canyon and out to 12 again. It's about a 20 mile one way ride to the switchbacks.
It's a spectacular, up close and personal kind of ride through the canyon, well worth the detour.
If you plan on going into the National Parks be sure and buy a National Park Pass. It's $80 but it gets you, a passenger and another motorcycle w/passenger into the parks. It makes entrance into the parks quick and easy plus it'll pay for itself if you visit more that 2 parks. The North Rim itself was $25 per car so it's really worth the money.
Also the tunnel at Zion was closed 8 to 4 on weekdays for road construction but open all day on the weekends.
This was in mid June, it might have changed by now.
Burr Trail heading east out of Boulder takes you into Long Canyon and then to some serious unpaved switchbacks where most people turn around and ride back through the canyon and out to 12 again. It's about a 20 mile one way ride to the switchbacks.
It's a spectacular, up close and personal kind of ride through the canyon, well worth the detour.
If you plan on going into the National Parks be sure and buy a National Park Pass. It's $80 but it gets you, a passenger and another motorcycle w/passenger into the parks. It makes entrance into the parks quick and easy plus it'll pay for itself if you visit more that 2 parks. The North Rim itself was $25 per car so it's really worth the money.
Also the tunnel at Zion was closed 8 to 4 on weekdays for road construction but open all day on the weekends.
This was in mid June, it might have changed by now.
Last edited by silvrbill; Jul 6, 2010 at 07:28 AM.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 471
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From: Salt Lake City, UT
UT-12 is great! I thought you wanted Eastern Utah??
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2010
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Sorry for the confusion, I just wanted to stay away from SLC and the other metro areas. All in all I think we have a great trip coming up. Not counting the side trips we will end up just over 3k. Can't wait, since we didn't do a roadtrip last year(took the grandkids to Disneyland, and that took all our money)<G>.
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