Jean

Next week we will be driving from Green River down Hwy. 24 through Capitol Reef and on down Hwy. 12 to Bryce. Does it have sections where I fear my husband and I will have Thelma and Louise in mind--constantly? I still panic when I remember riding on a large bus into Yosemite. Nothing but space outside my window!!

GP

Went over 12 two weeks ago I would not say it is white-knuckle. But I am use to steep narrow roads. It is all paved and two buses could fit side by side on it, there are pull outs to enjoy the views.

Have fun!
GP

RB

Took me a minute to locate Green River- off I-70? I've not done Hwy 24 from that point to Hanksville - but when you get to Hanksville, stop at the gas station that's burrowed into the side of a sandstone wall at the intersection. The ride from Hanksville to Torrey (Capitol Reef NP) is very pretty- expansive, not twisty-turny. The ride from Torrey to Escalante on Hwy 12 is more the situation you describe, but don't deny yourself of this experience- it is truly awe-inspiring. There are many scenic overlooks, so you can pull off, orient yourself to the landscape, then start off again. I highly recommend "Scenic Driving Utah" by Joe Bensen (Falcon); it helped me prepare for what we would see. You will love this trip.

Utahtea

From Torrey to Boulder you are in the Boulder Mountains and if you are headed south you are on the inside lane You have wonderful views but this is not a hairy mountain pass. After leaving Boulder you will go up in elevations a little and then over the Hogsback. This will probably be the worse area if you don't like drop offs. There is one very, very, very SHORT section called the neck and the road does have drop off on both sides. Then you do another very short bit of windy road that will remind you of Yosemite, but then the rest will be very relaxing.

Please go...hopefully the views will keep your mind occupied.

Check out these web site for pictures and more information.

http://www.byways.org/travel/place.html?CX_PLACE=3505

http://www.byways.org/travel/byway.html?CX_BYWAY=2020&CX_STATE=UT

http://www.byways.org/travel/story.html?TYPE=Virtual%20Tour&CX_PLACE=3505&SUBJ=S

Utahtea

Bob Brown

I don't intend to sound blunt about this matter, and I grew up with a mother who was afraid of heights.
But if a road like Utah 12 is going to bother you, there are many many other sections of road out there that will do the same thing. Compared to some of the Swiss passes I have driven over, Utah 12 is nothing.

I drove it, south to north, and thought it highly spectacular.
It is a tremendous drive that I would do again.
But if roads that traverse mountains bother you, I suggest you stay off of them and drive only in Lousiana, Mississippi, south Alabama, south Georgia, Florida, and Texas, east of the Guadelupe Mountains.

If that type of road scares you, how is it you can look over the edge of a canyon while standing within 2 feet of the brink?

Jean

Thank you, Bob. I,too have been over mountain passes in Switzerland. The reason I can stand at the brink of a canyon is that I trust my own two feet. It is more of a matter of trusting my husband's driving on the roads in this case. Really appreciate the relative information from others, thanks.

Jean

Hi: Back to Missouri after two weeks at Utah Parks. Hwy. 12 was worth the concern about the drop offs. We even parked on the "neck" of the Hogsback to look down on both sides of the road. The largest threat to our safety were deer. They are everwhere, and can appear in front of your car in an instant because you are traveling quite fast on such good roads. There is construction between Bryce and the eastern entrance to Zion that may delay you up to an hour according to posted signs. Our wait was fifteen minutes on April 24th. The parks of Utah were beautiful and it was quite a change to see snow in Vail and Estes Park, CO on the way home.

Dayle

Hi Jean!

Glad you survived & enjoyed your trip! Please share what you liked & your impressions of the parks - for the many other travelers still planning!

Jean

Dayle, We are retired from active farming, but still live on a farm with rich black soil and green fields which are not irrigated. It took awhile to appreciate the beauty of Utah's rocky landscapes. My husband liked Bryce where we had most of the scenic overlooks to ourselves--so vast and silent. We had frost on the windshield one morning, but days were warm. My favorite was Zion and the hikes we took along the Virgin River area. A rain had created shortlived waterfalls and the wild flowers were lovely. We should have planned more time for Capitol Reef, because it's beauty was a surprise to us. We saw all of Arches we could from near the car and found the formations fascinating. Going down there from I-70 was a last minute choice on the way home, so had to hurry through. We have advised our son who is pulling a large camper to this area in July to avoid Hwy 12 and the eastern entrance to Zion through the tunnel while pulling the camper. Precipitous grades, heat, and heavier traffic would
be stressful for his family, but we enjoyed this drive in our car.(except for the close encounter with that huge deer--had to watch out for elk in Colorado)I was so thankful for the information given to me on this forum, because I might have missed the scenic views from Hwy. 12. As I stated on another post, we were very pleased with our room in Aspen Lodge at Ruby's Inn. With the car at the door, we were able to be at Sunrise Point in a few minutes.

Dayle

Jean, glad to hear about the trip. Sounds like you had a great time. May is just about the perfect time for southern Utah.

Hope you can get out to northern Utah, Jackson & Yellowstone sometime. A whole different experience!

Happy trails...

Jean

Thanks, Dayle We have enjoyed the beauty of northern Utah several times. Especially remember staying in a room in Old Faithful Inn that was right off the inside and outside balcony. The floor was uneven, but was so much fun a to enjoy the park after the daytime crowds were gone. Early morning in Yellowstone and around Jackson Hole is magical. We have been to every state and most of Western Europe, with a little of Asia thrown in. However, we have not been to Ireland and --having never been part of a tour group--we are wondering if we have the courage at the age of 73 to go on our own. Time will tell!!

Dayle

Hi Jean! My parents' last trip to Europe was Ireland at age 70. They loved it, but sure didn't like driving the NARROW roads! A ditch on one side & a rock fence on the other. They said the cars were small for good reason. Most were missing their mirrors & had a lot of scratches on the sides.

Makes the Amalfi Coast sound easy....

judith

i'm so glad you made the trip, jean. i took it last fall all by myself at age 69 with no problems. absolutely stunning drive. i agree about capitol reef and everything else. if you return, you can actually go where thelma and louise went over the cliff in canyonlands. however, you have to take a white-knuckle jeep tour or try it yourself i understand. only for dummies like me or the very brave.

Dayle

You can also see the "Thelma & Louise" spot by float trip on the Colorado River. The guides alway point it out. They had to do the scene twice cause the first car didn't go off right. Of course, since it's a National Park, the film crew was responsible for removing both cars from the bottom of the canyon. They had to use helicopters.