Utah national parks trip in June

2gypsies and I don't always agree and this is one of them! :-) I do NOT recommend driving the Hogsback section with any kind of an rv; no matter how much mountain driving experience you have. This is the really dangerous part of Hwy 12.

It is standard width (kinda) asphalt, basically no shoulder, no guardrails but reasonably straight. You have control over everything and can do it, right? Then you are up there and the guy coming against you is right down the middle and scared poopless. Or, yes, so scared he / she is weaving back and forth.

You do NOT want to be in an rv in that case.

It is a beautiful drive with all kinds of diverse scenery.

Be safe.

2gypsies wrote:
...Don't avoid Hwy 12. It's an absolutely gorgeous drive. Stop for a night or two in Escalante and take your vehicle to do more exploring. That area is fascinating. Hike some of the slot canyons. Ask at the Visitor Center...

This is always my recommendation as you will be able to see and do a lot more than if you just drive through with the RV. If you decide not to take the RV on UT-12, go North on US-89 to UT-62. Turn right. In Koosharem, turn right on Brown's Lane to UT-24. Turn right on UT-24 to Torrey/Capitol Reef. It is good two lane with no real steep slopes or steep drop offs. It is more miles, but will not take that much longer.

There's nothing bad about Hwy 12 for big rigs. The road is not narrow. It's a standard highway width. You can easily make the turns. If you look at aerial views of it you'll see that it's not a straight down dropoff in that small area. It has a gradual contour. A dropoff would be Hwy 550 in Colorado. We've done that one, too - multiple times. Don't avoid Hwy 12. It's an absolutely gorgeous drive. Stop for a night or two in Escalante and take your vehicle to do more exploring. That area is fascinating. Hike some of the slot canyons. Ask at the Visitor Center.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S3siTrjUJk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXTjiXA8M5Q

dedmiston wrote:

fanrgs wrote:

dedmiston wrote:
Last year . . . my wife suggested we continue driving on the "Scenic Byway" on Highway 12. That sounded interesting.

Oh man.

Yes, it was scenic, but that Hogsback stretch of ridge line wasn't pleasant at all. It's a narrow ridge with sheer drops on both sides of the road and no guardrails. Not my cup of tea.

Heh, heh, UT 12 on that knife-edge ridge is one of my favorite scenic drives in Utah! We did it twice, with and without the trailer, and stopped at one turnout for photos. Unfortunately, the photos don't do it justice--we should have taken a 360-degree video.

Wow. I can't imagine towing a trailer on that road. Our 45' toy hauler would have been over the line most of the time on that twisty road. Good for you though.

You guys have me a little freaked out now. We have a 33' MH towing a jeep and we planned on taking 12 all the way through. After Escalante, I was going to take 12 to 24 and up to 70 to get to Moab. Is this safe? Should we plan a different route? Where's the bad part?

fanrgs wrote:

dedmiston wrote:
Last year . . . my wife suggested we continue driving on the "Scenic Byway" on Highway 12. That sounded interesting.

Oh man.

Yes, it was scenic, but that Hogsback stretch of ridge line wasn't pleasant at all. It's a narrow ridge with sheer drops on both sides of the road and no guardrails. Not my cup of tea.

Heh, heh, UT 12 on that knife-edge ridge is one of my favorite scenic drives in Utah! We did it twice, with and without the trailer, and stopped at one turnout for photos. Unfortunately, the photos don't do it justice--we should have taken a 360-degree video.

Wow. I can't imagine towing a trailer on that road. Our 45' toy hauler would have been over the line most of the time on that twisty road. Good for you though.

dedmiston wrote:
Last year . . . my wife suggested we continue driving on the "Scenic Byway" on Highway 12. That sounded interesting.

Oh man.

Yes, it was scenic, but that Hogsback stretch of ridge line wasn't pleasant at all. It's a narrow ridge with sheer drops on both sides of the road and no guardrails. Not my cup of tea.

Heh, heh, UT 12 on that knife-edge ridge is one of my favorite scenic drives in Utah! We did it twice, with and without the trailer, and stopped at one turnout for photos. Unfortunately, the photos don't do it justice--we should have taken a 360-degree video.

I did a big write up on Moab last year. Check it out here:

A primer on Moab

Last year we spent a week hiking at Bryce. It was fantastic. My kids hiked my wheels off. On one of the days, my wife suggested we take a break from hiking Bryce and go explore other areas. We drove to the petrified forest (and hiked!), and then my wife suggested we continue driving on the "Scenic Byway" on Highway 12. That sounded interesting.

Oh man.

Yes, it was scenic, but that Hogsback stretch of ridge line wasn't pleasant at all. It's a narrow ridge with sheer drops on both sides of the road and no guardrails. Not my cup of tea.

I really enjoyed hiking the Narrows at Zion. Step carefully and have walking sticks. Also, I enjoyed taking my bike on the front of the bus to the Temple and riding (mostly coasting) all the way back.

In Bryce, consider a horse ride into the canyon. It sure beats walking back up.

In Capital Reef, you might enjoy the South Draw-Pleasant Creek 4wd road and the Strike Valley Overlook road off the Burr Trail Road. In Canyonlands, you might try the White Rim road if you have lots of time or just the Potash Road if you don't.

We enjoyed the pull-thru, FHU sites in the campground at Kodachrome Basin SP and the Fruita cg at Capital Reef is nice, but no hookups. We stayed at the North cg at Bryce and walked/hiked a lot from there.

And don't miss camping at Dead Horse Point SP (take plenty of water, they don't provide it). It could be your favorite of all the parks for its incredible views!