Panguitch, Utah was established in 1863 under the name of Fairview.    Panguitch sits at an elevation of 6,600 feet, and this elevation allows for a shorter than normal growing season.   In 1864 significant snow storms came too early and the wheat crops were unable to mature, and therefore difficult to grind into flour.

A reenactment of the historic Quilt Walk of 1864

The pioneer settlers boiled the wheat but it was not palatable. Without  flour, the pioneers faced starvation.   This video is the reenactment of the story of how the men of Fairview were forced to use their quilts to walk across a snow covered mountain to Parowan where they could obtain flour for their families.  This is known as The Quilt Walk of 1864, and is now celebrated annually in Panguitch.

           Join us for the Quilt Walk Festival – June 7-9, 2012.

Ecalante Utah - Hole In The Rock - Heritage Center

The pioneers faced down the challenge by carving and blasting through the canyon wall to build a steep, rough road to the river’s shores. They nicknamed the crevice Hole in the Rock, through which they successfully managed to transport their supplies, 250 wagon-bound settlers, and more than 1000 head of livestock.

Artist rendition of the pioneers beginning their trek down through the Hole In The Rock crevice.

Today, the Escalante Hole in the Rock Heritage Center stands as a testament to that determined pioneer spirit. The nine-acre heritage site sits along Scenic Byway 12 near the entrance to the Hole in the Rock Road, and at the north end of the town of Escalante.  The plaza was designed to share the stories of the Hole in the Rock expedition through murals, interpretive panels, and a museum. Murals by Escalante artist Lynn Griffin depict scenes from the grueling journey.

A wagon skids out of control through the narrow crevice carved into the cliffs of the Colorado River Basin. Artwork provided by Lynn Griffin.

The Escalante Hole in the Rock Heritage Center was in the works for twenty years.  Phase One, completed in May 2011, includes a pavilion, outdoor murals, interpretation and orientations signs, a fire pit, drinking fountain, restrooms, and a gravel entrance road with a parking area for cars and busses.  Phase Two will include a museum building.  The plaza was funded by donations from the Utah Department of Transportation and the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Association.  The LDS Church donated 9.5 acres of land for the memorial plaza.  For more information visit EscalanteHeritageCenter.org.

Interpretive signs like this and other interpretive resources are found all along Utah's Scenic Byway 12, a 120 mile long scenic drive.

A series of interpretive trails, pullouts, signs and small exhibits along Scenic Byway 12 accents Bryce Canyon Country’s rich history, providing footnotes about many of the scenic overlooks and the small local communities that keep history alive.  The guiding interpretive topic along Scenic Byway 12 is ‘Journey Through Time,’ strategically designed for both leisure travelers who plan to stop at many of the interpretive sites, or passers-by who chose to stop only at key destinations.  Primary interpretive sites offer informational overviews about the area, while secondary sites exhibit more detailed interpretation.  This allows travelers to stop at whatever scenic vista or historical site catches their eye, or plan ahead according to personal interest.

Interpretive information is found in visitors centers all along Scenic Byway 12, in Red Canyon, Cannonville, Escalante, Boulder, and Torrey.

More than a dozen primary interpretive sites highlight the route, including the visitor centers at Red Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Cannonville, and Anasazi State Park, plus pullouts and waysides at Lower Blue Overlook, Upper Valley Graineries, Head of the Rocks Overlook, and Boulder Overlook, and the new Escalante Hole-in-the-Rock Interpretive Center.  These primary interpretive sites offer local orientation and an overview of the geology, culture, ecology, archaeology, and human history.

Secondary interpretive sites have a more specific focus, and include the Bryce Canyon Airplane Crash Pullout (history), Mossy Cave Trailhead (natural history), Tropic Wayside (cultural history) and Visitor Information Cabin (orientation), waysides at Cannonville and Henrieville (history and culture), Hole-in-the-Rock Pullout (history/culture/geography), Boynton Overlook (natural history), Calf Creek Recreation Area (recreation), and the Hell’s Backbone Wayside (natural history).

Interpretive planning along the byway was initially completed in 1990, when the road was officially designated as a state byway.  Interpretive signs along Scenic Byway 12 also offer important information about safety, resource protection, and land management policies.  Bryce Canyon Country encourages visitors to ‘leave no trace and tread lightly,’ in order to maintain this beautiful region for years to come.

Continuing east from the Upper Valley Graineries along Scenic Byway 12, Head of the Rocks Overlook is located in the Escalante Canyons between Escalante and Boulder.  The overlook offers panoramic views across the slickrock canyons, with the Boulder Mountains to the north, the Henry Mountains to the east, and the Navajo Mountains to the southwest.  This overlook is a photographer’s paradise, with vistas stretching as far as the eye can see.

Overlooking the Escalante River with the Henry Mountains in the distance

Also located between Escalante and Boulder, Boynton Overlook offers a bird’s-eye view of a winding section of the Escalante Canyons that once served as an outlaw hideout. The vista is named for local rancher John Boynton, wanted for murder in 1878.  Today’s occupants are far less criminal, primarily dozens of small animal and bird species that have found a haven in the canyons’ life-sustaining riparian habitat.

The Escalante River can also be accessed from this location north of the town of Escalante, Utah

The Escalante River Trailhead is located along Scenic Byway 12, just upstream of the Escalante River Bridge.  Be sure to see Escalante Natural Arch and Escalante Natural Bridge as you hike or horseback ride along the river beneath towering sandstone canyon walls in the shade of cottonwood trees.  Be sure to check river conditions before heading out on the Escalante River Trail or into its side canyons.

The Upper Falls of Calf Creek are also accessible from a trail-head near Boulder, Utah

Calf Creek Recreation Area is just five minutes east on Scenic Byway 12 from Boynton Overlook.  This stop deserves a few hours of your time to picnic, wade in the creek, or hike six miles to the lovely 126-foot Lower Calf Creek Falls.  A 13-site campground offers the option to enjoy this high desert oasis just a bit longer.

The Hogback begins about five miles from Calf Creek Recreation Area.  This world-famous stretch of road just east of Escalante is known as ‘The Million Dollar Road to Boulder.’  Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935, it was the first road to offer vehicular access into remote Boulder.  Rising above the Escalante River, The Hogback offers an exhilarating drive along a narrow, paved slickrock ridge with 2,000-foot drops on each side, and unbelievably beautiful views of this majestic canyon country.

Scenic Byway 12’s dramatic views abound, with Homestead Overlook offering panoramic views from a 9,400-foot perch.  The vista sweeps from Capitol Reef to Navajo Mountain, with the Henry Mountains to the east, the Kaiparowtis Plateau to the west, and the Waterpocket Fold below.  Homestead Overlook is located 11.5 miles east of Anasazi State Park, along a paved stretch of Scenic Byway 12 that ascends Boulder Mountain.  Services include a picnic area, restroom, and interpretive signs.

Scenic Byway 12 winds through the heart of scenic Bryce Canyon Country, beginning just five miles south of Panguitch and running for 124 miles through the wealth of archaeological, natural, and recreational wonders this spectacular canyon country has to offer. Whether you have three hours or three days to experience Scenic Byway 12, you’ll find the route breathtaking, intriguing, and well worth the trip.

Red Canyon in the Dixie National Forest on Scenic Byway 12

Heading east on Scenic Byway 12, spectacular Red Canyon is one of the first waysides you’ll encounter. Located in Dixie National Forest near Bryce Canyon National Park, you’ll find hoodoos sculpted from red rock Claron limestone much like those found within the national park’s boundaries.  Red Canyon’s hoodoos, which follow the byway for about four miles, can be explored up close and personal with short hikes along the many trails, or by biking the paved five-mile Red Canyon Bike Path.  Mountain bikers will enjoy exploring the 7.9-mile Thunder Mountain Trail, while ATV riders can access the Casto Canyon Trail from the north side of Red Canyon.  Losee Canyon Trail is another popular hiking and mountain biking trail in Red Canyon.  The Red Canyon Visitor Center, run by the U.S. Forest Service, is about four miles from the beginning of Scenic Byway 12.  A campground across run by the U.S. Forest Service near the visitor center gives you the option of spending the night so you can spend more time exploring scenic Red Canyon.

The Blues between Henrieville and Escalante and below Powell Point - south end - Boulder Mountains

Continuing along Scenic Byway 12, about 12.5 miles east of Henrieville, you’ll encounter a section of mudstone and sandstone badlands known locally as The Blues.  The almost unnatural blue-green-gray landscape is a striking contrast to the red rock canyons typically found in Bryce Canyon Country. The badlands are the result of an ancient ocean which covered the area about 80 million years ago.  Yet this seemingly sparse section of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, part of the the Kaiparowits Formation, is rich in fossil history from the Cretaceous Period.  From Upper Blues Overlook, you’ll have a fantastic view of Powell Point’s pink limestone cliffs.  Scenic Byway 12 descends through the valley to Lower Blue Overlook, for more stunning views of The Blues and of Powell Point, named for famed expeditioner John Wesley Powell.

These structures are found just southwest of Escalante on the north side of Scenic Byway 12

After a short stop overlooking The Blues, the next wayside along Scenic Byway 12 is the Upper Valley Graineries, just eight miles east.  The Ancestral Puebloan relic is nestled into a cliff face, and believed to have been used as a storage structure for grains, corn, and other foods. A viewing tube helps visitors zoom in on the structure, which blends in well with the surrounding cliffs.

The Heritage Festival in Boulder Utah is the event you'll want to experience this summer!

Come and join us for three days of fun for all ages at the Boulder Utah Heritage Festival.  - Learn more here!

The 2012 theme is “Roads, Trails, & Cow Paths.”

Friends meet - Boulder Heritage Festival

Visitors will enjoy stories from the past, dancing, musical performances, historic experiences, games and fun for the kids and adults.

Musical performances and stories of history are just part of the fun.

It’s an event that will bring back the best of yesterday’s memories and send you home longing for life that way it still is in Boulder, Utah.

Children and adults will enjoy participating in many activities.

View more videos for the Boulder Heritage Festival – here!

Boulder, Utah is located on Scenic Byway 12, to the south of Torrey, Utah and north of Escalante.   Boulder, Utah is the gateway to Boulder Mountain, the Burr Trail, the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, and a host of other scenic and historic attractions.  Learn more about Boulder, Utah – by visiting this link.

Click on the video button below to view this musical slide-show of last year’s festival.

Fishing and camping opportunities abound on the East Fork of the Sevier River and at Tropic Reservoir

King Creek Campground is a located near the northwest tip of Tropic Reservoir. Limited amenities include drinking water, tables, campfire rings, and flush toilets. The maintained yet primitive campsite is ideally located for access to Tropic Reservoir, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and a large network of ATV trails. The Fremont ATV trail can be reached a quarter-mile from the campground. Dirt trails near the reservoir are ideal for horseback riding. Hiking is available on the nearby Aqua Canyon Connecting Trail and Sheep Creek Connecting Trail. A boat ramp within a half mile of the campground offers lake access.

The East Fork of the Sevier River Scenic Backway ends at the Podunk Guard Station, built in 1928. The maintained gravel road is appropriate in good weather for passenger cars and RVs. Learn more about fishing in Bryce Canyon Country here.

East Fork of the Sevier River Scenic Backway and Tropic Reservoir

Utah fishing is excellent along the creeks in the Bryce Canyon region.

Antimony Creek is located just south of the bucolic community of Antimony and Otter Creek State Park. At an elevation of 6,500 feet and just thirty feet across at its widest, the small but productive cold water creek is a quiet fishing spot nestled in the shade of cottonwood and willow trees. Fly fishing is popular here, with wild populations of rainbow and brown trout averaging ten to twelve inches in length. Antimony Creek, located in Dixie National Forest, can be reached by vehicle and then by foot via an unpaved road. From Antimony, head south for three miles to the Dixie National Forest boundary, then travel east on Forest Service Road 138.

Fishing in the southern Utah streams and creeks in Bryce Canyon Country is great for trout.

The East Fork Sevier River runs upstream from Tropic Reservoir for fifteen miles. Located just west of Bryce Canyon National Park, most of the high-elevation stream (7,800 to 8,400 feet) is located on Dixie National Forest public access lands. The pristine waters feature abundant populations of wild brook and cutthroat trout, as well as some wild brown and stocked rainbow, especially downstream near Black Canyon.  Trout here typically range from eight to fourteen inches long.  The East Fork Sevier River creek is accessible by gravel road between Antimony and Bryce Canyon mainly during the summer months, with road closures limiting winter fishing.  Some of the lower section of the stream is located on private land.  Tributary streams such as Robinson Canyon, Crawford Creek, and Podunk Creek also contain abundant trout populations, with the most of the fishable waters located above Kanab Creek.

Mammoth Creek is located fifteen miles south of Panguitch. At an elevation range of 6,900 to 9,680-feet, most of the 23-mile long stream is located on private lands. Wild brown trout and hatchery stocked rainbow trout are the most likely catches in Mammoth Creek, with occasional brook trout, cutthroat trout, and mountain whitefish. Large trout up to 19 inches long often populate the nine-mile section between Hatch Meadow and Canal Diversion.  The upper Sevier River forms at the confluence of Mammoth Creek and Asay Creek, where brown trout fishing peaks during late fall, winter, and early spring. The extreme upper end of Mammoth Creek is located within the Dixie National Forest, and the lowest end falls on public BLM lands. Public access is available west of Highway 89.  Most of Mammoth Creek is accessible on foot, although anglers should obtain permission before entering private lands and obey no trespassing signs when posted.

Panguitch Creek extends from Panguitch Lake to the Sevier River near the town of Panguitch. Following Scenic Highway 143 for several miles, the creek flows through Dixie National Forest, private lands, and a five-mile section of remote canyon. Cutthroat trout once populated the waters but now Panguitch Creek is primarily stocked with hatchery rainbow trout, especially along the highway section.  Wild brown trout populate the lower section of Panguitch Creek.

Please do your part to preserve Bryce Canyon Country’s creeks and streams by packing out what you bring in.  Keep in mind that creek water is non-potable and must be purified before drinking.

Box Death Hollow view from Hell's Backbone Bridge

Box Death Hollow Wilderness Area is vast and remote with very few marked trails and a rugged backcountry that challenges even the most experienced hikers.  There are only three maintained trails in Box Death Hollow: Roundy Trail, Coleman Trail, and The Box.  The Box begins at the Upper Box Trailhead around 7,740 feet, following and sometimes crossing the swiftly moving Pine Creek for roughly nine miles. Box Death Hollow’s canyons frequently flood after rains, so hikers should take extra precautions through this remote wilderness. Late spring, summer, and fall are usually the best time to explore. Vehicle access is restricted in much of the Wilderness Area. The view from Hell’s Backbone Bridge, with sheer drops on either side, is one of the most scenic in southern Utah.

A view into the depths of Box Death Hollow Wilderness Area

Located just north of Escalante and west of Boulder, Utah, Box Death Hollow is within the Dixie National Forest, and was designated as a Wilderness Area in 1984.   This Wilderness Area gets its name from events relative to the loss of livestock that were trying to cross the steep canyon.

Hell's Backbone Bridge over Box Death Hollow Wilderness Area

The Sevier River in the foreground runs along the side of Scenic Highway 89

Traveling Scenic Highway 89 is an adventure through living history and scenic wonder. The Headwaters section of the National Mormon Pioneer Heritage Area includes Hatch and Panguitch, two of Bryce Canyon Country’s historical gems. Located along Sevier River and Scenic Highway 89, Hatch is an emerging tourist community with hardy pioneer roots, offering western hospitality, lodging, nearby Mammoth Caves, and fantastic fishing. Fifteen miles north along Scenic Highway 89, the entire town of Panguitch is a designated National Historic District. A stroll through the charming downtown reveals original and restored brick pioneer homes and public buildings such as The Old Firehouse, Social Hall, and Carnegie Library. Downtown shops showcase the works of local artisans, and nearby attractions include the Paunsagaunt Wildlife Museum and Triple C Arena.

The historic town of Panguitch is a great place to stop for lodging, dining or shopping, or can also be used as a base to explore this scenically diverse region.

Panguitch, nicknamed “The Center of Scenic Utah,” is a great starting point for exploration in all directions. The junction of Scenic Highway 89 with Scenic Byway 12, Utah’s first All-American Road, leads to Bryce Canyon National Park 26 miles east, Tropic Reservoir, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Bryce Valley, Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, Anasazi State Park and more. Beginning and ending on Scenic Highway 89, the Boulder Loop is a scenic side trip along Scenic Byway 12 and Highway 24, passing through Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and Capital Reef National Park.

From Panguitch, Scenic Highway 89 south leads toward the Highway 9 junction to Zion National Park, or through Dixie National Forest to the north via Scenic Highway 89’s junction with Scenic Byway 143  to Panguitch Lake and Cedar Breaks to the west.