One Of Utah's Most Scenic Roads Ends At A Breathtaking Canyon With Endless Outdoor Thrills

Utah is a great vacation destination because it has so much to do and see, including a whopping five national parks that can all be visited on one road trip and some criminally-underrated state parks like Dead Horse Point. However, as a state that is filled with so much natural beauty, it is easy to overlook areas that are further away from the most popular stops (which are oftentimes located in the central and southern parts of the state). In particular, Northern Utah is an often-overlooked but breathtaking area of the Beehive State that should be visited more often, and one great way to take in the raw natural beauty of the northern corner of Utah is to take a drive down the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway.

This scenic byway starts at the aquamarine Bear Lake in Northern Utah and takes travelers on a drive through the green mountains and stunning canyons of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. The byway goes through mountains and even takes travelers over the Bear Mountain Pass which reaches 8,000 feet above sea level at its highest point. While this scenic byway can be driven in spring, summer, and fall, most travelers recommend going on this drive in autumn when the trees of the surrounding mountain forests turn a brilliant red. As described by one reviewer on TripAdvisor, in autumn, the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway is "wall to wall reds" and "was by far the best show of Fall colors [they] had ever seen in the USA."

The Logan Canyon Scenic Byway starts in Garden City (on the shore of Bear Lake) and then follows the Logan River west along UT-89 until it passes through Logan Canyon and ends in the city of Logan. Despite the drive taking only around 50 minutes, there is plenty to do and see along the way — including hiking trails, like the Jardine Juniper Trail, and the Bear Lake Overlook.

Although you can start your drive along this national scenic byway in Logan and then end in Garden City, we recommend doing the trip the other way around so that you end up in the Logan Canyon area which is absolutely gorgeous and full of outdoor activities — including hiking, biking, and rock climbing. Two of the most popular hiking trails in the area are the Wind Cave and Crimson Trails. The Wind Cave Trail is particularly popular because it ends at a rock formation that has large holes, making it look like a stone archway. The Green Canyon Trail is popular with mountain bikers and is even a good snowshoeing spot in the winter months. The Logan Canyon area also contains around 400 rock climbing routes and a few gorgeous alpine lakes.

While there are a few different roads that will take you to the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway from Salt Lake City, we recommend choosing UT-39. This is a good idea because this route allows you to also check out the Ogden River Scenic Byway and Bear Lake Scenic Byway on the way. Plus, if you choose to join all three byways into one trip, you can make a loop that starts and ends in Salt Lake City. This loop will take around five hours to traverse by car; however, to really appreciate the scenery you may even want to add an extra night and stay somewhere along the way.

There are some hotel options in Garden City; however, you will get the best views of the Bear Mountains if you choose to stay along the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway or in the canyon itself. For this, the Beaver Creek Lodge located on a popular skiing mountain along the byway is a great option. You can also camp at one of the many campgrounds in Logan Canyon including the Spring Hollows Campground, Wood Camp Campground, and the Guinavah-Malibu Campground. Most of these campgrounds close in winter and reopen in spring or summer. 

If you are looking for a classic and comfortable chain hotel, then you will find plenty of options in the city of Logan. You will also find lots of options in Salt Lake City. If you do spend some time in the capital of the Beehive State, make sure to also check out the nearby Stansbury Island, which is home to America's only pink salt lake.