Utah State Route 12
A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway | ||||
SR-12 highlighted in red | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by UDOT | ||||
Length | 122.863 mi[1] (197.729 km) | |||
Existed | 1914 as a state highway; 1920s as SR-12–present | |||
Tourist routes | ![]() | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | ![]() | |||
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East end | ![]() | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Utah | |||
Counties | Garfield, Wayne | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Route 12 or Scenic Byway 12 (SR-12), also known as "Highway 12 — A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway", is a 122.863-mile-long (197.729 km) state highway designated an All-American Road located in Garfield County and Wayne County, Utah, United States.
Route description[edit]
Proceeding west to east for 122 miles (nearly 200 km), the highway starts south of Panguitch at an intersection with US-89, crosses part of Dixie National Forest and Bryce Canyon National Park, continues through the small towns of Tropic, Cannonville, and Henrieville. It crosses various parts of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GS-ENM), continues northeast through Escalante and over the Escalante River, then over the Hogback,[2] a narrow ridge with no guardrails or shoulders and steep drop-offs on each side. It then proceeds north through more of GS-ENM, Boulder, the Aquarius Plateau, Grover, ending in Torrey at an intersection with SR-24, five miles (8 km) west of Capitol Reef National Park. The 30-mile (48 km) long portion of the highway that ascends and descends Boulder Mountain on the Aquarius Plateau is known as Boulder Mountain Highway.
The segment of SR-12 between the US-89 and SR-63 junctions is part of the National Highway System.[3]
Traffic volume[edit]
The Average Daily Traffic (AADT) on SR-12 is at its greatest at its western junction with US-89, where the count for 2005 was 2,430. At its other end, at the junction with SR-24, the traffic bottoms out at 435.[4]
History[edit]
The road from Bryce Canyon Junction to Tropic was added to the state highway system in 1914, and in 1923 a branch from Tropic Junction to Bryce Canyon was built as a forest road.[5] The State Road Commission numbered the route to Bryce Canyon SR-12 in the 1920s,[6] and in 1927 the state legislature assigned it to both branches, to Bryce Canyon and Tropic,[7] but split off the branch to Tropic as State Route 54 in 1931. That same year, a new State Route 120 was created, continuing the road from Tropic to Henrieville,[8] and in 1935 it became part of SR-54.[9] Another road was also added to the state highway system in 1914, connecting SR-22 at Widtsoe with Escalante,[10] and it was numbered State Route 23 in 1927.[11] An extension took SR-23 northeast to Boulder in 1941,[12] and in 1947 SR-54 absorbed SR-23, with the Widtsoe-Escalante road dropped in favor of Henrieville-Escalante.[13] State Route 117, running southeast from SR-24 near Teasdale to Grover, became a state highway in 1931,[14] and was extended south to Boulder in 1957, becoming part of SR-54 in 1966.[15] In 1969, SR-54 became part of SR-12, but most of former SR-117 was dropped, leaving SR-12 to stretch from Bryce Canyon Junction to the north limit of Boulder (at the Dixie National Forest boundary), with a short spur to Bryce Canyon. This spur became a new SR-63 in 1975, and in 1985 the route was extended back north from Boulder to SR-24, using a different route than old SR-117 north of Grover.[5]
Major intersections[edit]
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Garfield | Bryce Canyon Junction | 0.000 | 0.000 | ![]() | |
| 10.713 | 17.241 | East Fork of the Sevier Scenic Backway | ||
Tropic Junction | 13.598 | 21.884 | ![]() | Former SR-22 | |
Cannonville | 25.657 | 41.291 | Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Backway – Kodachrome Basin State Park | ||
| 54.643 | 87.939 | Main Canyon Road | Former SR-23 | |
Escalante | 58.968 | 94.900 | Smokey Mountain Scenic Backway | ||
59.830 | 96.287 | Posey Lake Scenic Backway | |||
| 64.392 | 103.629 | Hole-in-the-Rock Scenic Backway | ||
| 83.270 | 134.010 | Hell's Backbone Road | ||
Boulder | 86.352 | 138.970 | Burr Trail Scenic Backway | ||
Wayne | | 118.179 | 190.191 | Teasdale | Former SR-117 |
| 122.863 | 197.729 | ![]() | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also[edit]
Gallery[edit]
- SR-12 goes north up the canyon in the upper left of the photo after crossing the Escalante River.
- Moonrise over SR-12 in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
- Red Canyon, in Utah's Dixie National Forest, is near the western end of Route 12.
- The bridge on Hell's Backbone Road.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Highway Reference Information-Route 12". Utah Department of Transportation. Jan 10, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ Long, Denise. PULL OVER! Roadside Attractions From Reno To Denver. Lulu.com. p. 12. ISBN 9781312241626.
- ^ "Utah National Highway System". UDOT Data Portal. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- ^ UDOT Traffic Counts, page 6
- ^ a b Utah Department of Transportation, Highway Resolutions: "Route 12". (9.72 MB), updated September 2007, accessed May 2008
- ^ State Road Commission, Utah State Trunk Lines, 1923
- ^ Utah State Legislature (1927). "Chapter 21: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah.
12. From Hillsdale, about 7 miles south of Panguitch, southeasterly via Tropic Junction; to Bryce Canyon; also from Tropic Junction to Tropic.
- ^ Utah State Legislature (1931). "Chapter 55: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah.
(54) From Tropic junction on route 12 to Tropic." "(120) From Tropic southerly via Cannonville to Henrieville.
- ^ Utah State Legislature (1935). "Chapter 37: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah.
- ^ Utah Department of Transportation, State Route History Archived 2007-02-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 2007.
- ^ Utah State Legislature (1927). "Chapter 21: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah.
23. From Widtsoe easterly to Escalante.
- ^ Utah State Legislature (1941). "Chapter 34". Session Laws of Utah.
- ^ Utah State Legislature (1947). "Chapter 49". Session Laws of Utah.
Route 54. From Tropic Junction on route 12 via Tropic, Cannonville, Henrieville, and Escalante to Boulder.
- ^ Utah State Legislature (1931). "Chapter 55: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah.
(117) From junction with route 24 east of Bicknell, southerly via Teasdale to Grover.
- ^ Utah Department of Transportation, Highway Resolutions: "Route 117". (1.56 MB), updated November 2007, accessed May 2008
External links[edit]

Route map:
- Map and more from the DOT's American Byways website
- State of Utah's website for the highway
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. UT-83, "Red Canyon Tunnel, Through Rock Fin on State Highway 12, 5 miles east of U.S. 89, Panguitch, Garfield County, UT", 3 photos, 1 color transparency, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. UT-80, "Escalante River Bridge, Spanning Escalante River at State Route 12, 9.5 miles East of Escalante, Escalante, Garfield County, UT", 11 photos, 16 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- All-American Roads
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Dixie National Forest
- Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument
- Historic American Engineering Record in Utah
- Landmarks in Utah
- National Forest Scenic Byways
- National Scenic Byways
- State highways in Utah
- Utah State Routes in Garfield County, Utah
- Utah Scenic Byways
- Utah State Routes in Wayne County, Utah
- Tourist attractions in Garfield County, Utah
- Tourist attractions in Wayne County, Utah