The Road
Is the
Destination.

The Logan Canyon Scenic Byway on US-89 is where Northern Utah residents go when they need beauty without effort — 41 miles from Logan to Bear Lake following the Logan River through one of the most dramatically beautiful limestone canyons in the American West. The canyon walls are high and close, the cottonwood, maple, and oak on the slopes turn explosive orange and red every fall, and the drive culminates in one of Utah’s greatest single-moment revelations: you round a bend on the plateau above Bear Lake and the impossibly turquoise water appears below. Bear Lake’s Caribbean blue-green color comes from limestone particles suspended in the water refracting light — it looks edited, and it isn’t. The canyon is accessible, spectacular in every season, and within reach of anyone living north of SLC for a half-day without planning. The full round trip with time at Bear Lake is an excellent full-day outing.

Little Cottonwood Canyon is arguably the most dramatic of the Wasatch canyon drives — granite walls press in tightly as the road ascends, and the scale of those walls dwarfs everything built at their base. The canyon’s geological character is specific: the Wasatch Granite intrusion produced the white and gray faces that Alta and Snowbird sit against, and in winter with fresh snow those faces glow against blue sky in a way that photographs and compels the drive. The road to Alta on a bluebird powder morning — skiers already visible on the Alf Engen Museum bowl above, the canyon walls white, the creek running under ice below — is one of the quintessential Utah winter experiences available to non-skiers and skiers alike. Summer brings excellent hiking from trailheads at road’s end. Albion Basin above Alta in July is Utah’s best accessible subalpine wildflower meadow. The UDOT LCC Gondola now operates during avalanche control closures, eliminating the old powder-day canyon lockout.

Big Cottonwood Canyon has a softer character than LCC — a broader canyon with more vegetation, the Big Cottonwood Creek running alongside the road, and a varied landscape of granite outcrops, aspen groves, and dark spruce forests. BCC is where SLC families go for a Sunday drive — accessible, beautiful, and ending at Brighton’s lake and Silver Lake trailhead. The Silver Lake Boardwalk is one of the most accessible short walks in the Wasatch: a 1-mile loop around a high-elevation lake with wildflowers and direct views of Mount Millicent. BCC is particularly spectacular in fall when mid-canyon aspen groves turn gold — typically October 5–20. Donut Falls, 9 miles up, is the canyon’s signature family hike — a waterfall that flows through a hole in a large boulder into a cave-like pool, 1.8 miles roundtrip. Note: No dogs permitted in BCC — it is part of SLC’s drinking water watershed.

Provo Canyon is Utah County’s most-driven scenic route — the primary connection between the Wasatch Front and the Heber Valley — and delivers extraordinary scenery even at highway speed. The canyon narrows dramatically in its middle section where the Provo River runs directly alongside the road through tight limestone walls, then opens into the broad Heber Valley — one of Utah’s most beautiful agricultural valleys, ringed by mountains and anchored by Timpanogos rising to the north. Bridal Veil Falls on the canyon wall is the drive’s signature landmark: a double cascade falling 607 feet visible from the highway. The UT-92 turnoff mid-canyon leads 4 miles to Sundance Mountain Resort. The Provo Canyon corridor is also the gateway to the Heber Valley Railroad — vintage steam train excursions through the valley that are among Utah County’s most unique family experiences. The Heber Valley beyond the canyon end is genuinely beautiful agricultural country: dairy farms against Timpanogos, ranches in the valley bottom, seasonal roadside stands in harvest season.

The Nebo Loop is Utah’s most underrated scenic drive — a 38-mile arc around the southern end of the Wasatch Range, circling the flanks of Mount Nebo (11,928 ft, the range’s highest peak) and connecting Payson to Nephi through terrain that changes dramatically with elevation. The drive begins with a limestone canyon section, climbs through aspen forests and meadows past viewpoints above 9,000 feet, and descends through open terrain to the central Utah high desert near Nephi. The Mount Nebo Wilderness Overlook at 9,300 feet is the centerpiece — three summits visible above the canyon systems below. The byway in fall is extraordinary: an unbroken corridor of aspen gold visible from ridge overlooks for miles, with dramatically fewer crowds than American Fork or Logan Canyon. Payson Lakes at the northern end is a popular camping area; the drive to Nephi completes a clean loop back to I-15 south of SLC.