Discovery Road – Winner of Best In State 2022 – Best Documentary

Since its debut in 2012, Discovery Road has produced over 60 episodes, taking viewers on immersive journeys down U.S. Highway 89 through six historic counties in central and southern Utah.

 

Each 30-minute episode blends history, mystery, heritage, and natural beauty into family-friendly storytelling that educates as much as it entertains.

 

Broadcast locally on KUED-TV and across the country through the National Educational Television Association, or NETA, the series has become a public media touchstone for anyone seeking a deeper connection to the region’s past. It is also used in classrooms across the state as part of Utah’s history curriculum.

Mormon Pioneers traveling to the west Covered Wagons Courtesy of Shaun Messick

The Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area is the only National Heritage Area designated and named for a specific people, the Mormon Pioneers – as they forged to the west. Their remarkable story of dedication, fortitude, and extraordinary efforts offers one of the best features of the Mormon colonization experience in the United States. The Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area has been identified by Congress as a factor in the expansion of the United States and contributing to the United States.

Districts

travel planner for the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area

Cowboys, Outlaws, and the Movies 

The unique landscape features a geological wonderland that has been the backdrop for feature films including; “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid,” and “Jeremiah Johnson.” While traveling through the picturesque scenery, you might recognize a scene or two. Included in the heritage area is the birthplace of Utah outlaws, Butch Cassidy and Matt Warner. Matt was a lifelong friend and a gang member alongside of Butch.  Many movies were filmed in the scenic Under the Rim District of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area.

Mormon Colonization 

In the later part of the 1800s the Mormon pioneers began their great relocation to the west. They trekked 1,400 miles from Illinois to the Great Salt Lake. This mass-Exodus brought about colonization in Utah, Nevada, the southwest corner of Wyoming, the southeast corner of Idaho, southeast Oregon, and a large portion of southern and eastern California.

log cabin with Mormon Pioneer Family Echo City Utah
Family Portrait of Mormon Pioneers in Echo City, Utah

Heritage Self Driving Tour Route #2

You can take this tour route originating in the north and traveling south or from the east and venture west.  You will want to schedule 4 days for this trip through the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area to allow yourself enough time to fully explore the vast offerings of this region.

Day 1:

Payson option:

Begin with the Mt. Nebo Scenic Byway to SR 132

Nephi option:

Begin at Nephi, start from SR132

Museums:

  • Fountain Green
  • Redmond
  • Gunnison
  • Richfield

Historic Districts:

  • Mt. Pleasant, Wasatch Academy
  • Spring City
  • Manti
  • Sterling

Day 2:

Richfield

Museums:

  • Annabella
  • Monroe
  • Joseph
  • Sevier
  • Junction
  • Panguitch

Along the way you will be delighted by the Pioneer architecture, the Scenic Byway of Beaver Canyon and if you desire:

State Parks:

Historic District of Panguitch

Day 3:

You might rather visit the gateway cities to the parks that have living examples of the houses and agriculture of the early Mormon Pioneer settlers.  Here you can spend time learning about their stories.

Day 4:

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area,  Lake Powell

Museums:

  •  Hatch
  • Springdale
  • Glendale
  • Mt. Carmel
  • Kanab
  • Big Water / Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument

Historic District:

  • Kanab

Scenic Byway:

  • Mt. Carmel

The Heritage Tour has a wide variety of:

  • Arts
  • Crafts
  • Artisans

Plan enough time into your schedule to see the Heritage of the areas that are shown through the arts.

 

This program receives Federal financial assistance for identification and protection of historic properties. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in its federally assisted programs. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to: Office for Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 849 C Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20240.

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