Utah State Route 12

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State Route 12 marker

State Route 12

A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway
SR-12 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by UDOT
Length122.863 mi[1] (197.729 km)
Existed1914 as a state highway; 1920s as SR-12–present
Tourist
routes		 Utah's Scenic Byway 12 - A Journey Through Time
Major junctions
West end US 89 near Panguitch
Major intersections
East end SR-24 near Torrey
Location
CountryUnited States
StateUtah
CountiesGarfield, Wayne
Highway system
  • Utah State Highway System
← SR-10→ SR-13

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]

SR-12, as seen from the Head of the Rocks overlook

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]

Red Canyon, Dixie National Forest

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]

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
GarfieldBryce Canyon Junction0.0000.000 US 89 – Panguitch, Kanab, Zion National Park
​10.71317.241East Fork of the Sevier Scenic Backway
Tropic Junction13.59821.884 SR-63 / John's Valley Road – Bryce Canyon, AntimonyFormer SR-22
Cannonville25.65741.291Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Backway – Kodachrome Basin State Park
​54.64387.939Main Canyon RoadFormer SR-23
Escalante58.96894.900Smokey Mountain Scenic Backway
59.83096.287Posey Lake Scenic Backway
​64.392103.629Hole-in-the-Rock Scenic Backway
​83.270134.010Hell's Backbone Road
Boulder86.352138.970Burr Trail Scenic Backway
Wayne​118.179190.191TeasdaleFormer SR-117
​122.863197.729 SR-24 – Loa, Hanksville
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.
    SR-12 goes north up the canyon in the upper left of the photo after crossing the Escalante River.
  • The canyons after the Escalante River.
    The canyons after the Escalante River.
  • Red Canyon, in Utah's Dixie National Forest, is near the western end of Route 12.
    Red Canyon, in Utah's Dixie National Forest, is near the western end of Route 12.
  • An overlook from the eastern portion of Highway 12.
    An overlook from the eastern portion of Highway 12.
  • Calf Creek Canyon runs near Route 12.
    Calf Creek Canyon runs near Route 12.
  • The bridge on Hell's Backbone Road.
    The bridge on Hell's Backbone Road.
  • Red Canyon Scenic Drive.
    Red Canyon Scenic Drive.
  • State Route 12 in Utah - Panorama looking north and east from Head of the Rocks Overlook.
    State Route 12 in Utah - Panorama looking north and east from Head of the Rocks Overlook.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Highway Reference Information-Route 12". Utah Department of Transportation. Jan 10, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  2. ^ Long, Denise. PULL OVER! Roadside Attractions From Reno To Denver. Lulu.com. p. 12. ISBN 9781312241626.
  3. ^ "Utah National Highway System". UDOT Data Portal. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  4. ^ UDOT Traffic Counts, page 6
  5. ^ a b Utah Department of Transportation, Highway Resolutions: "Route 12". (9.72 MB), updated September 2007, accessed May 2008
  6. ^ State Road Commission, Utah State Trunk Lines, 1923
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Utah State Legislature (1935). "Chapter 37: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah.
  10. ^ Utah Department of Transportation, State Route History Archived 2007-02-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 2007.
  11. ^ Utah State Legislature (1927). "Chapter 21: Designation of State Roads". Session Laws of Utah. 23. From Widtsoe easterly to Escalante.
  12. ^ Utah State Legislature (1941). "Chapter 34". Session Laws of Utah.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Utah Department of Transportation, Highway Resolutions: "Route 117". (1.56 MB), updated November 2007, accessed May 2008

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Utah State Route 12.

Route map:

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