Spring break is right around the corner. So take your family on a trip away from the crowds to see some cool sights!
Bob Grove shares the best road trips that you can’t go wrong with.
Find more vacation ideas from Bob on his website, www.roadtrippinwithbob.com.
Best Spring Break Road Trips
Many Utah families love to hit the road to check out local attractions. Spring break is the perfect opportunity to experience some nearby road-trips your whole family will love. Here are Bob’s all-time favorite road-trips, including recommendations for everything from places to eat and where to stay, to scenic views and roadside attractions.
HIGHWAY 12 UTAH’S ALL AMERICAN ROAD
Torrey to Panguitch
Utah’s Scenic Byway 12 is one of only 31 All-American Roads.
To receive a National Scenic Byway designation a road must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation as possessing one or more of the following intrinsic qualities: archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic.
The most-scenic byways are designated All-American Roads, which must meet two out of the six intrinsic qualities of a national scenic byway. The designation means they have features that do not exist elsewhere in the United States and are unique and important enough to be tourist destinations unto themselves. In other words, Highway 12 is one of the best of the best!
Bob takes people from all over the country and other parts of the world on Highway 12. They spend a full day on the road, but could easily spend a week visiting the many sights along the route. It’s a highlight of the tour.
Click here for a list of things you can do and places to visit and explore on this amazing road.
UTAH’S BICENTENNIAL HIGHWAY
& Trail of the Ancients
Utah’s Bicentennial Highway (SR 95) is located in the southeast section of Utah. This is the shortest route from northern Utah and Colorado to Lake Powell where Bullfrog Basin and Hite Outpost are located. Wahweap Marina at Page Arizona is nearly 100 miles farther from Salt Lake City. The highway runs through the northern section of Glen Canyon and over Cedar Mesa where Bears Ears, Natural Bridges National Monument, and countless archaeological and dinosaur sites are located. It forms part of the Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway.
The highway runs 122 miles from the SR-24 junction in Hanksville to the junction of U.S. Route 191 four miles south of the Blanding.
It crosses Cottonwood Wash just west of the US-191 junction; follows and crosses White Canyon; and crosses the Colorado River and the northeast end of Lake Powell at Hite Crossing Bridge, near the confluence of the Dirty Devil River, which it crosses just two miles later.
Click here for more details and a full list of things to see on the Bicentennial Highway.
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
When you hear Death Valley mentioned, images of a vast, extremely hot and desolate place far from civilization may come to mind. This would be a pretty accurate description of what Death Valley is much of the year. However, left out from this description is the mention of its beauty. A beauty unique to this parched region of the west that quickly comes to life with the passing thunderstorms.
Death Valley might seem out of the way and inconvenient. It really isn’t! It’s an easy trip from Las Vegas and can be done in a day. However, Bob suggests taking two or three if you really want to experience the park with its many attractions, trails and sights.
Bob’s first impression of Death Valley…beh! Desolate, barren, and bland compared to the red rock country. But after spending some time in the park visiting the various sections, he became a HUGE fan. Bob quickly warmed up, so to speak, to its stark beauty and colorful landscape. Not colorful like Bryce, Yellowstone, or Canyonlands, but a unique beauty of its own.
President Herbert Hoover designated the 2 million acre Death Valley a national monument in 1933, but it didn’t receive national park status until 1994. On October 31, 1994, the monument was expanded by 1.3 million acres and re-designated as a national park making it the largest national park in the lower 48 states.
Bob hasn’t yet visited all the popular spots but has had a good taste of what can be done in a day or two depending on how much time you spend at each stop. He’ll be back to check out the rest!
February to April is prime wildflower season, and October to January is the best time to visit the park when it’s least crowded without the blistering heat.
Click here for information on a few of Bob’s favorite things to do in Death Valley.
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