BRYCE CANYON COUNTRY
Boulder Mountain Scenic backways itinerary
Boulder Mountain Area
The high plateaus of the Aquarius Plateau (Boulder Mountain), are heavily forested and covered in countless
winding roads that showcase the rugged beauty of this dramatic landscape. The area is one of only two major
high-elevation lake areas in Utah, containing approximately 80 small lakes, giving travelers not only the chance to
experience the highest wooded plateau in North America, but ample opportunity for fishing, photography, hiking,
ATV riding or other outdoor experiences.
Main back-roads through this area are well graded but if you venture off the beaten path expect some roads to be
rough which may require high clearance, four-wheel drive vehicles.
These roads are accessible during the summer months and spring and fall depending on weather conditions.
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Travel to Area. Hotel Check-in, Relax
Just getting to Bryce Canyon Country is a scenic drive
in itself, so allow yourself a day to travel to the area and
check-in to your choice of lodging. Travelers will find
a variety of lodging options in local communities that
surround Boulder Mountain from country style cabins to
full service hotels. Be sure to check out the area’s local
restaurants.
Visitors can access the back-ways on this itinerary from
Interstate 15 or Highway 89 to Scenic Byway 12, or from
Scenic Byway 24 from Interstate 70. Check out the maps
shown on our web-site (see web-address below) to gain
an overview of the best route for you.
Day 1
Check In
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Hell’s Backbone - Scenic Backway
Start your desert exploration with one of the most
scenic and remote back roads in southern Utah. Hell’s
Backbone is a narrow, winding gravel road that travels
through the Grand Staircase and Waterpocket Fold.
This 38 mile road acquaints travelers with deathdefying drops, staggering switchbacks, and arid desert
plant life. Built in 1933 as an access for vehicles to
drive between Boulder and Escalante, Hell’s Backbone
continued to be used by mule for mail and other
goods until 1940, this “secret” back road is still rarely
traveled. Hikers will enjoy the nine mile, mountain
view hike to box canyon.
Expect rough terrain. Most travelers avoid the road in
bad weather. This gravel road is 44 miles (one way).
Closed in winter.
Day 2
Hell’s Backbone - Scenic Backway
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Explore Box Death Hollow or Boulder Mountain
Box Death Hollow feels as if you’ve stepped into an Old Testament
desert in Jerusalem. This is deep canyon country – full of grey rocks,
wild cypress and juniper, and the lonely echoes of a ghostly wildlife.
The areas fault lines have carved sharp layers of stacked rock, revealing
multi-colored sediment and a staggered desert backdrop. The vertical
gray-orange walls of Navajo sandstone stand above two canyon
tributaries of the Escalante River in Box-Death Hollow Wilderness.
Named for the number of livestock that plunged to their death in
attempt to cross the steep canyon, this landscape is hollow isolation
resounds with ghosts of the lives it has consumed.
Fast running waters often flood these narrow canyon carves after rainfall, filling the steep diving monoclines of
Pine Creek and Death Hollow Creek (east of “the box”). Brown and rainbow trout are plentiful in Pine Creek and in
portions of Sand Creek. Hiking along the creek banks, travelers glimpse mule deer, an occasional cougar, and even
elk in winter. The Box trail weaves around nine miles of the area. Further hiking in this vast wilderness area requires
following drainages or undesignated routes.
Day 3
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Explore Box Death Hollow or Boulder Mountain
Boulder Mountain
This mountain is crisscrossed with many connecting
roads that are just waiting to be explored and these
roads provide access to the 80+ lakes that are found
here. Some lakes are within hiking distance of the
nearest roads. You’ll find ample opportunities for
hiking, sight-seeing, classic photography spots, and
plenty of fishing.
Four-wheel drive high-clearance vehicles are
recommended exploring many of Boulder Mountain’s
scenic back-country roads. Scenic Byway 12 crosses
the high plateau on the eastern edge of Boulder
Mountain. Use Highway 22 to access roads on the
western edge of the mountain.
Day 3
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Explore Box Death Hollow or Boulder Mountain
Posey Lake/Pine Creek Road - Scenic Backway
This 40 mile gravel road ventures north from Escalante
and journeys far onto the mountain. Meandering
around areas of the Dixie Nation Forest, this backway
provides travelers access to Posey Lake and it’s
campgrounds. Their are many lakes to enjoy on
Boulder Mountain with a variety of the area’s native
fish, and the nearby forests gives the adventurous
travelers the chance to hike through remote desert
wilderness under the canopy of pine.
ATV and mountain bikes are excellent ways to enjoy
the magic of this mountain plateau. Connect to other
roads that provide opportunities to loop toward other
lakes and communities in the valleys.
Day 4
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Posey Lake/Pine Creek Road - Scenic Backway
Griffin Top - Scenic Backway
You have the option each night of staying in nearby
local communities and venturing on mountain forays
each day.
You can connect to the Griffin top from Posey Lake
or from the western edge of Boulder Mountain and
Johns Valley. Pine Lake sits on a western bench of
Boulder Mountain and from here you will ascend an
enchanting road that climbs to the top of the Aquarius
Plateau, displaying a panoramic view of open meadows
and towering scatterings of spruce and fir. Weaving
through the trails travelers enjoy more pristine
mountain lakes, elk sightings, and more interaction
with desert wildlife. Griffin Top is a climatic ending to a
perfect desert vacation.
Day 5
Griffin Top - Scenic Backway
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Departure
Depending on your schedule and your point of origin, you can again experience various Scenic Byways as you
depart Bryce Canyon Country. After relishing in the remote pleasure of Boulder Mountain and the Aquarius
Plateau, take a day to have a late breakfast, gather up your belongings, and begin your journey home.
Scenic Byway 12 can carry you north toward Capitol Reef or southwest toward Highway 89 and Interstate 15. On
Scenic Byway 12 you’ll enjoy options to catch Kodachrome Basin State Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Red
Canyon, Anasazi Museum State Park, Escalante Petrified Forest, Calf Creek Falls,
Use the maps and other resources on our web-site to complete your planning process for this multi-day vacation
experience in Utah’s Bryce Canyon Country.
Day 6
Departure
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