While touring the national parks in Utah, we were advised to take the US Route 89 Scenic Highway between Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park and beyond. While the road was very scenic, it was also very harrowing.
Driving the Utah 89
The Scenic 89 Highway winds from Zion National Park, north through the hills of the Dixie National Forest. We picked up the highway after the north rim of the Grand Canyon to get to Bryce, and after Bryce, we took 12 east to Capitol Reef.
The route offered some truly stunning views as it climbed valley walls and meandered along stream cuts. However, all these ups and downs are HARD on a big rig like Tad Cooper. The grading in the route goes as high as 10%, which is incredibly steep. When driving the bus, I can typically keep the speed safely manageable on up to a 7% downgrade just by using the transmission. On 10%, your best bet is to start slow, hit your hazard lights, and baby the breaks as much as possible.
Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel
To get from Zion to Bryce, before you can get to 89, you have to drive through a tunnel that is over a mile long. We elected to do this drive in our little car, and we’re so glad we did! It’s a beautiful drive, but our bus would not have made it. From Zion to the tunnel is an 800-foot elevation gain, many tight curves, and not many places to pull off and cool the bus down. Furthermore, in order to go through the tunnel with an oversized vehicle, you have to purchase a special pass and only go during certain hours. This is because they have to stop all other traffic to let you drive down the center of the tunnel; it’s just not big enough for another lane of traffic with an oversized vehicle.
Instead of going straight from Zion to Bryce, stop at Grand Canyon North Rim! You’ll be so glad you did. The north rim was amazing but had fewer crowds. And while driving from the north rim to Bryce was difficult on the bus, it wasn’t nearly as hard as getting up to that tunnel would have been.
Alternative Routes
If you’re traveling in a large rig, I highly recommend you seek an alternate route between the parks. Unfortunately, any alternate routes will be much longer, which is why we didn’t take them. That said, if you’re traveling in a car, it’s an absolutely beautiful experience. Our route took us about 4 hours crawling along, but that’s not too bad for a day trip. If you decide to experience it, stay safe, baby your breaks, and take your time.