The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument tour

Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > Utah

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 10 visitors

State: Utah
Date Submitted: February 1, 2007
Submitted by: Roger Jellison
Motorcycle Road Length: 130 Miles

Written Directions

Start in Panguitch, Utah and head south on US-89 and in about 8-10 miles you'll want to take the turn towards Bryce Canyon on Rte 12. Then just head east on Rte 12 the whole way to Torrey, UT which will be over 100 miles. I suggest you make sure you first enjoy Red Canyon with brilliant red cliffs then continue another 25 miles before turning right onto Bryce Canyon road and be sure to get lunch at Ruby's Inn. Get back onto Rte 12 and continue east for an about 3 hours through Dixie National Forest to Torrey, Utah. There are a few hotels there and you will be near Capital Reef National Park. It's a must do in the west.

Scenery

Unbelievable views of Red Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. The Staircase is an incredible collection of multicolored cliffs, buttes, plateaus, mesas, and canyons. Bring a camera with plenty of memory space/film for this one!!! You'll also be passing through the Dixie National Forest.

Overall, it's a fantastic ride with many opportunities to stop hike and enjoy panoramic views. You need to plan a day of this trip to have enough time to take in all the great views which you really need to stop at!

Additional input from "hunnerbunner" (Sep 08): Red canyon, Bryce canyon, Hell's Backbone, Calf Creek and Boulder Mtn. give you a little taste of every type of scenery Utah has to offer, from red rock to slickrock to pine and aspen covered mountains.

Road Quality

Plenty of open road with hills, woods and canyons.

Additional input from "hunnerbunner" (Sep 08): A few miles of straights on either side of Escalante leave the rest of the road to writhe and twist over the landscape. Little heavy truck traffic keeps the surface in good shape, and I don't recall a whole lot of tar snakes.

Roadside Amenities

A few small town along the way to enjoy and fill up at. I particularly recommend checking out Red Canyon and getting lunch at Ruby's Inn (see directions below).

Additional input from "hunnerbunner" (Sep 08): Hiking in Red Canyon, camping/lodging in Bryce Canyon, hiking at Calf Creek Falls, quaint restaurants in Escalante and Boulder, more camping on Boulder Mtn. A short detour in Cannonville takes you to Kodachrome Basin for more hiking and camping.

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .

Nickname (optional) Roger Jellison

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Reviewed by Guest on April 3, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Ryan
Comment: As we drove through this area on a longer trip, we decided it was worth a return visit dedicated to this route alone. We came back later that summer and camped in Escalante for 4 nights. Two days we rode back north towards Capitol Reef and did various hikes and activities along the way. Two days we rode south and west towards Bryce Canyon for other hikes and attractions. The views from the roads are amazing and there's even better scenery to be seen a light walk off the highway. Some of the best views we've enjoyed on a bike tour. Campground in Escalante was affordable and comfortable, not to mention an extremely convenient base location to spend a few days in the area. Everyone in our group loved this trip!
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Reviewed by Guest on April 3, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Guy Abrahamson
Comment: Awesome stretch of why. We plan to do it again. I was to caught up in the scenery to notice the dangers.
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Reviewed by Guest on May 31, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: DeDe
motorcycle_year: 2010
motorcycle_make: Yamaha
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Excellent technical road!!!!! I had a blast even with 30mph winds!!! Right up front, if you have issues with heights, no guard rails, 1000ft. cliffs, or extremely narrow twisty roads with lots of rent a motor home tourist traffic, don't ride this road. Oh did I forget to mention high gusting winds, sand/gravel on the road, and slippery tar snakes. This road is NOT for a new rider! I�m making my partner an �I survived the Hogs Back� T-shirt as he put aside his fear of heights to ride this road with me. Once he survived he said he would ride it again! We started in Torrey and road north to south May 2010. Boulder Mountain summit is 9600ft. This section of road is a wonderful winding Mt. road. Shortly after Boulder you will cross the �Hogs Back�, 5 little curves with cliffs on each side, and as Ken mentioned it is a �hair raiser�. Then twisting though the rocks down to Escalante was lots of fun. Riding from South to North puts you on the inside of the cliffs most of the way, so it may seem a little less hairy. Bryce Canyon is a must see.
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Reviewed by Guest on February 17, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Mikesworld1515
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: This is one of the best motorcycle roads to ride. Elevations climb from Torrey heading south to the 9000' range among the high meadows and aspen forests of the Dixie Natioanl Forest. Then you descend down to Boulder and enter the Grand Staircase Escalante Nat'l Monument and the temps rise dramatically. We left Torrey at 8am and the temps on top of the mountains were in the high 40's to low 50's but as we descending into the Escalante they rose to 95 degrees by noon. So be prepared for a 50 degree change in less than a 100 miles of road. The scenary here is extremely diverse and well worth the ride. Be sure and try to ride up and over Hwy 14 from Long Valley Jct to Cedar City if you are in this area as its another wonderful road close by. The downgrade into Cedar City is long and steep so watch the brakes and enjoy the ride.
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Reviewed by Guest on October 8, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Jason
motorcycle_year: 2008
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: The route south from Boulder UT to Escalante UT includes an absolutely amazing stretch of road. You ride a high ridge line with cliff faces dropping away from the road on both sides. There are several miles of tight twisties as you ride your way down to the bottom of the gorge. This is the best piece of road I have ever ridden. There may be roads that match this one, but not that exceed it.
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Reviewed by Guest on July 26, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Ken Lake
Comment: Scenery is off the chart. This road is considered one of the top 10 in North America by various travel magazines. The road runs south from Torrey, over Boulder Mt. Great views of Capital Reef Nation Park, looking east. From the town of Boulder, you go along the "Hog's Back" which will make the hair on your back stand on end!!! Nothing but beautiful sandstone, pine and red rock scenery...you have to see it to believe it. Boulder is a good half way place to stop of food, fuel, or lodging
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Reviewed by Guest on April 16, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Marty
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Enduro
Comment: My great grandfather was part of the first pioneer party sent to this area and my family and I are planning a reunion ride/4x4 trek next summer. We are planning to ride the original 'Hole-In-The-Rock' Trail. Do you ave any insight on resources, guides, maps... anything that may help us. We are a family group with experience in off-roading but this area is going to be a new experience for us all.. Any help would be much appreciated. - Marty
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Reviewed by Guest on October 13, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: duke mccauley
motorcycle_year: 2001
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: we made this trip from az to sturgis, every turm was nothing short of breathtaking, 12 scenic byway and 24 scenic byway, will definately do it again.
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Reviewed by Guest on May 8, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Richard
motorcycle_year: 2008
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: I rented a new Goldwing in Phoenix first weekend of May and made this drive. One of the best and most scenic roads I have been on, highly recommend.
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Reviewed by Guest on January 20, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Charlie
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: I rented a goldwing in Salt Lake the 2nd week in Sept 07. We mad a loop down to Bryce, Zion, Canyon Land, MOAB back to SLC. The ride through Escalante was fabulas. We must go back.
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