Highway 89 Road Trip

The Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area follows U.S. Highway 89, Scenic Byway 12, and SR 24. The Heritage Area spans roughly 250 miles from Fairview to the Arizona border. The full drivable network, including those loops, is about 400 miles.

The Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area is a road-trip corridor through central and southern Utah. Its main routes are U.S. Highway 89, Scenic Byway 12, and State Route 24.

The Heritage Area stretches roughly 250 miles from Fairview to the Arizona border. Scenic Byways 12 and 24 branch away from Highway 89 to reach additional historic communities, parks, and landscapes. Altogether, the full drivable network is about 400 miles.

Is Highway 89 a good road trip?

Yes. Highway 89 runs through the heart of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area and connects many of its historic communities, landscapes, and attractions.

You can spend one day exploring a single district, take three or four days to travel a larger part of the corridor, or spend a week or more exploring the highways, scenic byways, parks, and communities throughout the Heritage Area.

Highway 89 is the main north-south route. Scenic Byways 12 and 24 extend the trip into additional parts of the Heritage Area, including Capitol Reef Country and the communities along the Boulder Loop.

Can you drive the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area?

Yes. The Heritage Area is meant to be explored by road. You travel it on U.S. Highway 89, Scenic Byway 12, State Route 24, and connecting public roads.

This is different from the historic Mormon Trail used by nineteenth-century pioneers traveling west from Nauvoo. If that is the route you are looking for, see Can you drive the Mormon Trail?.

The road trip connects five Heritage Area districts:

Together, these routes pass through Sanpete, Sevier, Piute, Wayne, Garfield, and Kane counties.

The 2009 Management Plan describes Highway 89, Highway 12, and SR 24 as the main transportation arteries connecting the five Heritage Area districts.

The itineraries below are starting points. For the full printed map and visitor listings, open the Travel Planner. For more sample routes, see Tours & Itineraries. For more about the pioneer communities along these routes, see Utah Pioneers.

For a visual look at Highway 89, George Frey’s stills in the Discovery Road episode Road Trip were shot along this highway.

George Frey’s stills in this episode were shot along this highway.

Watch Road Trip on Discovery Road.

One day on Highway 89

If you only have one day, choose one district and spend your time exploring the communities and sites within it.

Little Denmark

Spend the day following Highway 89 through the Sanpete Valley.

Start in Fairview and Mount Pleasant, then turn east for a visit to Spring City, which is listed in full on the National Register of Historic Places. Return to the Highway 89 corridor and continue south through Ephraim, the largest town in the valley, and Manti, the county seat.

See the Little Denmark district page for more places to visit.

Sevier Valley

Or spend the day farther south in Sevier Valley, where Interstate 70 meets Highway 89.

Begin in Salina, continue to Richfield, the largest town along this section of Highway 89, and then add Fremont Indian State Park southwest of Richfield on Interstate 70. The park includes a visitor-center museum and interpretive trails.

See the Sevier Valley district page for more stops.

Before you go, download the Travel Planner. Its map shows Highway 89, parks, communities, and the scenic byways that branch from the main corridor.

Three days along the corridor

With three days, you can travel through several parts of the Heritage Area while still having time to stop in the communities along the way.

The route below works north to south, but it can easily be reversed if you are arriving from southern Utah or Arizona.

For a more detailed four-day version, use Heritage Self-Driving Tour #2.

Day 1: Fairview to Manti

Begin in Fairview and follow Highway 89 south through Mount Pleasant.

Turn east for a slower visit to Spring City, then return to Highway 89 and continue through Ephraim and Manti.

The Travel Planner lists museums and visitor information along the route. You can also use the Little Denmark district page to plan additional stops.

Day 2: Salina to Richfield

Continue south into Sevier Valley.

Start in Salina, then continue to Richfield, the largest highway town in the valley and a useful base for exploring the surrounding area.

Add Fremont Indian State Park for its museum, rock art, and interpretive trails. Fish Lake is another option if you want to add an alpine stop above the valley.

Day 3: Marysvale to Panguitch, or spend the day in a park

Continue south on Highway 89 through Headwaters.

The highway carries you through Marysvale, Circleville, Junction, and Panguitch, continuing toward Long Valley Junction.

You can also use the third day for one of the major parks connected to the Heritage Area:

Have a week? Explore Capitol Reef Country

If you have a full week, the Capitol Reef 7 Day Tour provides a more focused trip through Wayne County and Capitol Reef Country.

Use Torrey, Bicknell, or Teasdale as a base and take day trips into the surrounding red rock, desert, canyon, and alpine landscapes.

  1. Day 1: Capitol Reef National Park, including the visitor center, Fruita Historic District, Scenic Drive, and Hickman Bridge
  2. Day 2: Cathedral Valley, with high clearance recommended and current conditions checked with park rangers
  3. Day 3: Loop the Fold and short slot canyons, including Notom-Bullfrog Road, Burr Trail, Grand Wash, and Capitol Gorge
  4. Day 4: Torrey and Teasdale galleries, Pleasant Creek, and Fish Lake
  5. Day 5: Hiking, biking, horseback riding, ATV routes, fishing, or bird watching
  6. Day 6: Cainville and Hanksville along the Highway 24 corridor
  7. Day 7: Butch Cassidy country, Goblin Valley State Park, and Lake Powell

You can also use a week or two to explore the full Heritage Area instead of staying in Wayne County.

Start with the Travel Planner and work through the five districts, adding park days from the parks pages.

Two other ready-made routes are:

The five districts

The Heritage Area is divided into five districts, each with its own communities, landscapes, and stories.

  • Little Denmark: Sanpete Valley Main Streets and Scandinavian pioneer towns
  • Sevier Valley: Richfield, Salina, Fish Lake, and Fremont Indian State Park
  • Headwaters: Highway 89 towns from southern Sevier County to Long Valley Junction
  • Boulder Loop: a route that begins and ends on Highway 89 and follows Scenic Byway 12 and Scenic Byway 24 through additional Heritage Area communities and landscapes
  • Under the Rim: Kanab, the southern rim of the Heritage Area, and the Heritage Area approach to Zion National Park

Parks along the drive

Several major parks and monuments sit within or next to the Heritage Area, making them easy additions to a Highway 89 road trip.

The Parks page brings them together in one place. Check each individual park page for visitor information.

Maps and the printed planner

The free MPNHA Travel Planner is the easiest place to see the full route.

The map shows Highway 89, Scenic Byways 12 and 24, parks, communities, and other stops throughout the Heritage Area. The guide includes museums, itineraries, events, and visitor information.

You can read it online or download the print PDFs before your trip.

For more detailed trip ideas, visit Tours & Itineraries. From there, choose a route that fits the time you have, whether that is one day in a district, several days along the Highway 89 corridor, or a full week in Capitol Reef Country.

For more about the pioneer communities along the route, visit Utah Pioneers.

For more stories and film from Highway 89 and the surrounding Heritage Area, watch Discovery Road.