Utah Scenic Byway 12 RV Trip – Driving An All American Road!

September 2016 – One of America’s most dramatic and beautiful scenic drives goes between Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.

Classified as an All American Road by the (now defunct) National Scenic Byways Program, this drive is an awe-inspring drive through 123 miles of the most spectacular scenery anywhere.

We began our drive just outside Bryce Canyon National Park and drove between towering sandstone walls that rippled in whites, greys, and pinks.

At the beginning of the drive we passed farmland and ranches that stretched across the vast landscape to cliffs in the distance.

Occasionally a cow standing by the side of the road watched us pass.

Soon, the ranch land gave way to exotic red rock formations that rose up on either side of us.

The road climbed and fell and swooped this way and that in big wide bends and tight hairpin turns.

There wasn’t a lot of traffic, as this road goes between tiny communities in a vast area. Many of the vehicles on the road were RVs.

But this drive isn’t for the faint of heart or for RVs that are underpowered. One of the climbs we did was a 14% grade! We stopped at the top to get a photo of the sign for cars and trucks that were starting the descent.

Last year, we upgraded to a more powerful truck just so we could tow our 14,100 lb. trailer on roads like this and climb double digit grades without worrying about whether the truck could handle it.

As we had hoped, the truck didn’t even flinch even once on this stunning scenic drive. Lighter on their feet, lots of motorcycles were having a blast!

This would also be a stunning road for riding a bicycle, and we saw a van from Trek Tours providing sag support to their riders.

The patterns of colors on the red rocks were just gorgeous, and we stopped many times to look out across the incredible landscape and soak it all in.

We had driven this route years ago with our popup tent trailer, but this is a road that is worth driving many times. Such views!!

There are many things to see and do along the way on Utah’s Scenic Byway 12. Kodachrome Basin State Park, which was named for the film because the colors are so magnificent, is a true highlight.

We didn’t stop at Kodachrome Basin State Park this time, but we did the jaw-dropping Burr Trail drive, which we’ll share in an upcoming blog post.

We also hiked to the majestic Lower Calf Creek Falls, which we’ll share soon too (smile).

But for RVers who don’t have the time to make any stops on Utah’s Scenic Byway 12, the road itself is so breathtaking that it is well worth a detour to experience.

To help you plan an RV trip on Scenic Byway 12 in Utah, there are some links below.

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More info about taking an RV trip on Scenic Byway 12 in Utah:

• Utah Scenic Byway 12 – Tourism Website
• Utah Scenic Byway 12 Map – Tourist Website Map
• Location of Scenic Byway 12 in Utah – Interactive Google Map
• America’s National Scenic Byways Program – Defunded and now officially defunct.

More blog posts from our RV trips on Utah’s Scenic Byway 12:

• Utah Scenic Byway 24 RV Trip – Capitol Reef National Park 04/16/18
• The Burr Trail – A Fabulous Side Trip on Utah’s Scenic Byway 12 11/15/16
• Grand Staircase Escalante Nat’l Monument – Lower Calf Creek Falls Hike 11/11/16
• Red Canyon Utah and the Bryce Canyon Bike Trail! 10/13/16
• Red Canyon Utah is an Overlooked Treasure 09/02/11
• Zion NP, Kodachrome Basin & Snow Canyon, UT – Great Red Rocks! 10/31/07

Other blog posts from our RV travels about magical and historic scenic drives:

• Chief Joseph Scenic Byway – Mountain Majesty Near Yellowstone NP 07/20/18
• Beartooth Highway Scenic Drive – Dazzling All American Road – WOW!! 07/06/18
• East Glacier Scenic Drive – Treasures OUTSIDE Glacier National Park 06/15/18
• Utah Scenic Byway 24 RV Trip – Capitol Reef National Park 04/16/18
• Colorado’s Stunning Scenic Drives…by Porsche! 07/23/17
• The Burr Trail – A Fabulous Side Trip on Utah’s Scenic Byway 12 11/15/16
• “Going to the Sun” from Glacier National Park’s East Side – Breathtaking! 08/21/16
• Icefields Parkway – True Blue Lakes, Avalanches & Grouse! 06/16/16
• Icefields Parkway – Canadian Rockies Scenic Drive – WOW! 06/14/16
• Schoodic National Scenic Byway – Downeast Maine at its best! 07/04/15
• Blue Ridge Parkway (Virginia) – Waterfalls & Rhododendrons 06/18/15
• Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina) – Wildflowers Everywhere! 06/07/15
• Georgia’s Antebellum Trail – Milledgeville, Eatonton & Madison 05/23/15
• Natural Bridges National Monument & Utah’s Bicentennial Highway 06/15/12
• Natchez Trace Parkway, MS – Echoes of History! 04/30/08

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