UTAH Hwy 89, 12 and 24

X2 for the Colorado River Recreation Area on Hwy 128 out of Moab.

Goblin Valley State Park is also worth a visit.

Take the time to hike into Bryce Canyon. Looking at the scenery from the paved overlooks is nice, however, getting down into the canyon and experiencing the hoodoos, fins, spires, slot canyons, and colors up close is mind blowing. 360 x 360 kaleidoscope.

Zion is nice, and there is more to the park than the main canyon. We really liked the Kolob Terrace area. The main canyon was filled with people -- no solitude at all. You could not get away from the crowds, while the trails elsewhere in the Park were completely empty. We hiked for miles without seeing another soul.

Kodachrome basin state park may be worth a quick side trip, not worth any extended visit IMHO. The Petrified Forest State park may be worth a stop and do the hike to see the logs, if you have time. The National Park in AZ is far larger with a greater variety of petrified logs.

pjcnlv, thanks for the link. We're planning to head back to UT this Spring (hopefully before it gets too hot).

I would suggest two base camps for route 12 & 24. Either Ruby's or the KOA at Cannonville for the area of Bryce Canyon, Kodachrome State Park, Red Canyon and possibly for a day trip to Zion. After that, drive route 12 to Torrey. We have used Thousand Lakes RV Park there. Capital Reef NP is near Torrey and the drive on route 24 to Hanksville is easy and scenic. If you want to move on to Moab for Arches, Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point State park, you will pass Goblin Valley State Park on the way up to I70. Lots of parks for your size rig in Moab. Assuming you have a car in the enclosed trailer (which you are going to need), drive route 128 along the Colorado River at least as far as Fischer Towers for some great scenery.

Thanks all for the tips. CloudDriver, I am use to Colorado 550 which is not as bad as Idaho 129/Oregon 3.

I found this page: http://www.so-utah.com/hwy-12-scenic-byway/

The trick is to figure out where the best place to base from. Any suggestions?

You should have no problems with route 24 from Torrey north to I70. Not sure about taking your rig over route 12 from Bryce Canyon to Torrey. There are some short ( a mile or less) sections of 14% grades, plus the hogsback section for about a mile with long steep drop offs on both sides of the pavement. Actually no different than any 2 lane road with no shoulders, but folks with a fear of heights don't like that section.

Our hogsback pictures

We stayed at Thousand Lakes in Torrey and the KOA in Cannonville. I believe both campgrounds could accommodate your rig. Two National parks and several state parks are along the route. Make sure to stop at the Red Canyon Forest Service visitor center and do a short hike. Just beautiful.