Utah State Route 12

Image:UtahSR12 HeadOfTheRocks.jpg

Proceeding west to east for 123 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",{{cite book |last=Long |first=Denise |title=PULL OVER! Roadside Attractions From Reno To Denver |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y5XVBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA12 |publisher=Lulu.com |page=12 |isbn=9781312241626}} 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, and Grover, ending in Torrey at an intersection with SR-24, five miles (8 km) west of Capitol Reef National Park. The {{convert|30|mi|km|adj=on}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://data-uplan.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/utah-national-highway-system|title=Utah National Highway System|publisher=UDOT Data Portal|access-date=January 23, 2019}}

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.{{UDOT AADT |year=2005}}

Image:RedRockUtah.jpg

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.{{UDOT Resolutions |routenum=12 }} {{small|(9.72 MB)}}, updated September 2007, accessed May 2008 The State Road Commission numbered the route to Bryce Canyon SR-12 in the 1920s,State Road Commission, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070108073910/http://www.nps.gov/archive/pisp/adhi/fig23a.jpg Utah State Trunk Lines], 1923 and in 1927 the state legislature assigned it to both branches, to Bryce Canyon and Tropic,{{cite UTSR|year=1927|quote=12. From Hillsdale, about 7 miles south of Panguitch, southeasterly via Tropic Junction; to Bryce Canyon; also from Tropic Junction to Tropic.}} 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,{{cite UTSR|year=1931|quote=(54) From Tropic junction on route 12 to Tropic." "(120) From Tropic southerly via Cannonville to Henrieville.}} and in 1935 it became part of SR-54.{{cite UTSR|year=1935}} Another road was also added to the state highway system in 1914, connecting SR-22 at Widtsoe with Escalante,Utah Department of Transportation, [http://www.udot.utah.gov/download.php/tid=1348/StateRouteHistory.pdf State Route History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225155542/http://www.udot.utah.gov/download.php/tid=1348/StateRouteHistory.pdf |date=2007-02-25 }}. Retrieved July 2007. and it was numbered State Route 23 in 1927.{{cite UTSR|year=1927|quote=23. From Widtsoe easterly to Escalante.}} An extension took SR-23 northeast to Boulder in 1941,{{cite UTSR|year=1941|chapter=34}} and in 1947 SR-54 absorbed SR-23, with the Widtsoe-Escalante road dropped in favor of Henrieville-Escalante.{{cite UTSR|year=1947|chapter=49|quote=Route 54. From Tropic Junction on route 12 via Tropic, Cannonville, Henrieville, and Escalante to Boulder.}} State Route 117, running southeast from SR-24 near Teasdale to Grover, became a state highway in 1931,{{cite UTSR|year=1931|quote=(117) From junction with route 24 east of Bicknell, southerly via Teasdale to Grover.}} and was extended south to Boulder in 1957, becoming part of SR-54 in 1966.{{UDOT Resolutions |routenum=117 }} {{small|(1.56 MB)}}, updated November 2007, accessed May 2008 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 the old SR-117 north of Grover.

{{jcttop|state=UT|length_ref=}}

{{UTint

|county=Garfield

|cspan=10

|location=Bryce Canyon Junction

|mile=0.000

|road={{jct|state=UT|US|89|city1=Panguitch|city2=Kanab|city3=Zion National Park}}

}}

{{UTint

|location=none

|mile=10.713

|road=East Fork of the Sevier Scenic Backway

}}

{{UTint

|location=Tropic Junction

|mile=13.598

|road={{jct|state=UT|SR|63|road|John's Valley Road|city1=Bryce Canyon|city2=Antimony}}

|notes=Former SR-22

}}

{{UTint

|location=Cannonville

|mile=25.657

|road=Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Backway – Kodachrome Basin State Park

}}

{{UTint

|location=none

|mile=54.643

|road=Main Canyon Road

|notes=Former SR-23

}}

{{UTint

|location=Escalante

|lspan=2

|mile=58.968

|road=Smokey Mountain Scenic Backway

}}

{{UTint

|mile=59.830

|road=Posey Lake Scenic Backway

}}

{{UTint

|location=none

|mile=64.392

|road=Hole-in-the-Rock Scenic Backway

}}

{{UTint

|location=none

|mile=83.270

|road=Hell's Backbone Road

}}

{{UTint

|location=Boulder

|mile=86.352

|road=Burr Trail Scenic Backway

}}

{{UTint

|county=Wayne

|cspan=2

|location=none

|mile=118.179

|road=Teasdale

|notes=Former SR-117

}}

{{UTint

|location=none

|mile=122.863

|road={{jct|state=UT|SR|24|city1=Loa|city2=Hanksville}}

}}

{{jctbtm}}

• Paunsaugunt Plateau

Image:Escalante_river_2003.jpg|{{center|SR-12 goes north up the canyon in the upper left of the photo after crossing the Escalante River.}}

Image:Highway_12_2005.jpg|{{center|The canyons after the Escalante River.}}

File:Moonrise over Escalante wilderness.jpg|{{center|Moonrise over SR-12 in Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument}}

Image:011107-Red-Canyon,-Utah.jpg|{{center|Red Canyon, in Utah's Dixie National Forest, is near the western end of Route 12.}}

Image:Hwy_12_Overlook.jpg|{{center|An overlook from the eastern portion of Highway 12.}}

Image:Calfcreek.jpg|{{center|Calf Creek Canyon runs near Route 12.}}

Image:Hells Backbone-Bridge.jpg|{{center|The bridge on Hell's Backbone Road.}}

Image:RedCanyonScenicByWay.JPG|{{center|Red Canyon Scenic Drive.}}

Image:UT12East.jpg|{{center|State Route 12 in Utah - Panorama looking north and east from Head of the Rocks Overlook.}}

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Utah State Route 12}}

{{Attached KML|display=title,inline}}

• [http://www.byways.org/browse/byways/2020/travel.html Map and more] from the DOT's American Byways website
• [http://www.utah.com/byways/highway_12.htm State of Utah's website] for the highway
• {{HAER |survey=UT-83 |id=ut0536 |title=Red Canyon Tunnel, Through Rock Fin on State Highway 12, 5 miles east of U.S. 89, Panguitch, Garfield County, UT |photos=3 |color=1 |dwgs= |data= |cap=2}}
• {{HAER |survey=UT-80 |id=ut0420 |title=Escalante River Bridge, Spanning Escalante River at State Route 12, 9.5 miles East of Escalante, Escalante, Garfield County, UT |photos=11 |color= |dwgs= |data=16 |cap=1|link=no}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:State Route 012}}

Utah State Route 012

Category:Bryce Canyon National Park

Utah State Route 012

Category:Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument

Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Utah

Category:Landmarks in Utah

Category:National Forest Scenic Byways

Utah State Route 012

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Category:Tourist attractions in Garfield County, Utah

Category:Tourist attractions in Wayne County, Utah