The best way to get to the Burr Trail Road, one of the best roads in all of the American Southwest, is to turn onto the Notom-Bullfrog dirt road that heads south from Highway 24 in Capital Reef National Park. It’s a beautiful road in snow or sunshine (I’ve driven it in both) but it can be a little bumpy. You’ll pass tons of opportunities to hike such as Muley Twist Canyon and lots of spots to pull over for photos. My wife (then girlfriend) and I camped at the Cedar Mesa campground, which is a first come first serve spot that has a nice hike from it into the Waterpocket Fold. It also probably has a nice view of the Henry Mountains, but not on that cold, windy, snowy afternoon. But then the following morning, the precipitation had stopped, the air had warmed, and the sun had come out and as we ascended the fantastic Burr Trail Switchbacks, we knew we’d found something incredible.

The start of the Burr Trail really is an adventure. Shortly after the breathtaking switchbacks you approach the 4WD High Clearance Road for the Upper Muley Twist Canyon. It was a rough 3 miles in my Tacoma and I had to occasionally put 4WD Low on with that constant beeping to creep over some rather large rocks in a wash. It’s a beautiful drive through the deep canyon but be warned, it’s a jaw breaker. Along the drive though, you pass the amazing Double Arch! Don’t miss it! You’ll need to be on the lookout on the western half of the canyon. Once you reach the parking lot and pit toilet, you can hop out, grab your camera, and head up to the Strike Valley Overlook where you’ll get an amazing view of the Strike Valley and the Henry Mountains and the San Rafael Swell in both directions for as long as the eye can see. It’s amazing.

Once back on the main road heading west towards Boulder, you follow the gravel road until it turns into pavement but very importantly, LOOK BEHIND YOU! The view east of the SRS and the sandstone and mountains is incredible. Spot the window!

But then at some point you come to the top of the road before going back down westward and the scene that erupts in front of you is absolutely gorgeous. The Boulder Mountains, the red sandstone of the circle cliffs… the entire area is magic.

But you’re not done! You then climb up to an amazing viewpoint of bentonite hills, the Henrys, and the Burr Trail. You then drive down and through Long Canyon, one of the prettiest and most special places on earth for me. The steep red desert varnish cliff walls are breathtaking. There’s hoodoos, boulders, slot canyons, long hikes, all the colors you need, and the most perfect winding desert road.

The road winds through the Long Canyon past hikes and viewpoints and amazing unforgettable spots before ending in Boulder, a wonderful little town which houses plenty of cabins and the neat Anasazi State Park Museum which has Anasazi Fremont Ruins and quite a few artifacts.

Both Capitol Reef and Glen Canyon are some of those places I end up driving through and in and around quite often but never just stoping and hanging out in yet there’s SO MUCH to see! On top of Cathedral Valley, which weather has stopped me from seeing three years in a row now, there’s awesome hikes to natural bridges and natural rock sculptures, tons of viewpoints, and one of the coolest roads in the entire southwest. That road would be the Burr Trail and I thought it was so freakin’ awesome that I got married on it (well in a slot canyon right off of it).