U.S. 89 enters the Beehive State in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, then passes through scenic Southern Utah. The highway initially heads west through the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, then turns north at Kanab. U.S. 89 then parallels Interstate 15, passing through the Virgin River Valley and Sevier River Valley before reaching Interstate 70 south of Richfield. This scenic highway connects to some of the most scenic areas in Southern Utah, including Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and Bryce Canyon National Park.
North of Richfield and Interstate 70, U.S. 89 continues to parallel Interstate 15, but it draws closer and closer to the freeway as it continues north. By the time it reaches Spanish Fork, Interstate 15 and U.S. 89 run very close to each other or on top of each other, with U.S. 89 disappearing on the stretches it shares with Interstate 15. U.S. 89 breaks away from the Interstate at most of the major cities it serves, such as Provo, Salt Lake City, and Ogden. U.S. 89 finally breaks free of Interstate 15 Brigham City, and it heads northeast toward Bear Lake and into southeast Idaho.
Perspective from Northbound U.S. 89
After passing the intersection with Utah 11, U.S. 89 proceeds through the rest of Kanab. U.S. 89 north of Kanab is a designated scenic byway from here north to Utah 12, at Bryce Canyon Junction. Even north of there, U.S. 89 is a beautiful drive. Photo taken 10/26/03.
We ate at the Rainbow Cafe, and it was a good meal, even the salad bar (it is difficult to find a good salad bar this far away from the salad-producing regions of the country). Kanab offers excellent accommodations throughout the city, including motels, hotels, and camping. Photo taken 10/26/03.
Now many miles north of Kanab and Mount Carmel and in northern Kane County, this U.S. 89 shield is located immediately after the Utah 14 intersection in Long Valley Junction. Photo taken 10/25/03.
U.S. 89 is served by two mileage signs on two separate sets of poles upon leaving Long Valley Junction. This first sign indicates the distance to tiny Hatch and Bryce Canyon National Park via Utah 12. Photo taken 10/25/03.
This second mileage sign provides the distance to two other locations: Panguitch, the Garfield County seat and Salt Lake City, the state capital. Photo taken 10/25/03.
After Long Valley Junction, U.S. 89 passes from one river canyon to another, and in so doing, is now following a river that drains to the Great Basin rather than the Colorado River/Pacific Ocean. Several photos of the Sevier River Valley follow. Photo taken 10/25/03.
On this cool yet bright autumn day, not much traffic traveled on U.S. 89 as evidenced in this photo along northbound between Long Valley Junction and Hatch in the Sevier River Valley. Photo taken 10/25/03.
Northbound U.S. 89 at the Garfield-Kane County Line. Utah uses fairly small signs to demark county lines. Photo taken 10/25/03.
Views of U.S. 89 in Garfield County along the Sevier River. Photo taken 10/25/03.
View along U.S. 89 north of Hatch and south of Bryce Canyon Junction. Photo taken 10/25/03.
Utah 12 scenic byway gets a special brown sign since almost all of its destinations are for tourist and recreational attractions, including several national parks and state parks. The right turn for Utah 12 is one-half mile ahead. Photo taken 10/25/03.
Junction Utah 12 shield on northbound U.S. 89. Photo taken 10/25/03.
Most travelers headed east on Utah 12 are most likely headed toward Bryce Canyon National Park, which is 15 miles east of here. Photo taken 10/25/03.
Northbound U.S. 89 approaching Junction Utah 12, next right. Utah 12 heads east toward Red Canyon, the northern end of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Cannonville/Kodachrome Basin State Park. Photo taken 10/25/03.
At the split between northbound U.S. 89 and Utah 12, note the erroneous Utah 89 shield in place. A similar error exists on westbound Utah 12 as it approaches U.S. 89. Even the billboard in the background uses the correct U.S. 89 shield! Photo taken 10/25/03.
U.S. 89 north & U.S. 50 west leave their respective overlaps with Interstate 70 at the Exit 54 off-ramps. The two highways share 1.7 miles of pavement with Business Spur Interstate 70 into Salina. Photo taken 10/18/04.
The first Business Spur Interstate 70 reassurance shield lies just north of the U.S. 50 west & 89 north assembly pictured above. The three highways follow State Street northward to Main Street. Photo taken 10/18/04.
State Street widens on the approach toward downtown Salina near Lost Creek Road. The north-south street features street lighting through the area. Photo taken 10/18/04.
U.S. 50 west & 89 northbound reassurance shields posted at the State Street intersection with 200 South. U.S. 50 west departs U.S. 89 via Main Street in two blocks. Business Spur Interstate 70 ends at the partition. Photo taken 10/18/04.
U.S. 89 continues north along State Street north toward Redmond, Axtell, Centerfield, and Gunnison. U.S. 50 turns west onto Main Street (former U.S. 89) and meets the west end of Utah 24 (former U.S. 89) in 0.7 miles. The federal highway arcs northwest 28 miles to Scipio near its merge with Interstate 15. The control point of Delta lies west of Interstate 15 along the overlap with U.S. 6. Photo taken 10/18/04.
A stop light governs the movements between Business Loop Interstate 70, U.S. 50, and U.S. 89 at State and Main Streets in downtown Salina. Photo taken 10/18/04.
U.S. 89 northbound continues along State Street from Main Street (U.S. 50) and Business Spur Interstate 70 within the town of Salina. Photo taken 10/18/04.
Pictured here is a northbound reassurance shield posted for U.S. 89 at the edge of Salina. Photo taken 10/18/04.
Utah 256 (200 East) meets U.S. 89 north of Salina. The state highway constitutes the old U.S. 89 alignment through the town of Redmond. Photo taken 10/18/04.
Utah 256 loops six miles west of U.S. 89 and returns to the federal highway near Axtell across the San Pete County line. Photo taken 10/18/04.
Continuing northward on U.S. 89 between the endpoints of Utah 256 east of Redmond. Photos taken 10/18/04.
The return of Utah 256 occurs at U.S. 89 northbound near the community of Axtell. Centerfield lies five miles ahead. Photo taken 10/18/04.
Perspective from Southbound U.S. 89
Southbound reassurance shield posted after the return of Utah 256 (former U.S. 89) from the town of Redmond. Photo taken 10/18/04.
U.S. 89 enters the town of Salina three miles north of its junction with Interstate 70. The federal highway follows State Street through downtown and joins U.S. 50 east & Business Spur Interstate 70 south of Main Street. A no services sign warns motorists of Interstate 70 between Salina and Green River. Photo taken 10/18/04.
Nearing the merge with U.S. 50 on U.S. 89 (State Street) southbound. U.S. 50 enters town after intersecting Utah 24 (former U.S. 89) 0.7 miles to the west. The federal highway shares 1.7 miles of pavement along State Street to the Exit 56 diamond interchange of Interstate 70. Photo taken 10/18/04.
A second reminder of the U.S. 50 connection with Utah 24. Utah 24 travels southwest from Salina to Aurora and junction Interstate 70 (Exit 48). The state highway comprises the pre-Interstate 70 overlap route of U.S. 89 from Salina to Sigurd. Photo taken 10/18/04.
A set of flashers govern the movements between U.S. 89 (State Street) southbound at Main Street (U.S. 50). Business Spur Interstate 70 begins and travels south with U.S. 50 & 89 to Interstate 70. Photo taken 10/18/04.
U.S. 50 east merges with U.S. 89 south at the State Street intersection with Main Street in downtown Salina. Pictured here is the first reassurance markers posted for the 1.7-mile overlap. An Interstate 70 trailblazer joins the shield in place of a Business Spur Interstate 70 assembly. Photo taken 10/18/04.
Business Spur Interstate 70 appears for the only time along State Street (U.S. 50 & 89) southbound in Salina. The business spur brings travelers back to Interstate 70 (Exit 56) at the south edge of town. Photo taken 10/18/04.
Travelers destined for Interstate 70 & U.S. 50 east of Salina are advised of the lack of services between Salina and Green River. That sign is not entirely true, as services do lie ten miles north of Exit 89 within the town of Emery. Otherwise no gas, food, or lodging establishments exist between Exit 56 (Salina) and Green River (Exit 158). Photo taken 10/18/04.
Business Spur Interstate 70 draws to a close at the Interstate 70 diamond interchange. U.S. 89 southbound joins Interstate 70 west between Salina and Exit 23. U.S. 50 merges onto Interstate 70 east for its duration through to Grand Junction, Colorado. Photo taken 10/18/04.
Mileage sign for Orderville, Mount Carmel (Junction Utah 9), and Kanab (Junction Utah 11/U.S. 89A). These are the last three major towns along southbound U.S. 89 before entering Arizona. Photo taken 10/25/03.
View of a scenic U.S. 89 curve as it leaves the Sevier River Valley and approaches the Virgin River Valley. Photo taken 10/25/03.
Having left the Great Basin and the Sevier River Valley, U.S. 89 now follows the path of the East Fork of the Virgin River, which drains into the Colorado River at Lake Mead southeast of Glendale, Nevada. This crossing is in Orderville. Photo taken 10/25/03.
U.S. 89 enters the community of Mount Carmel along the East Fork of the Virgin River. Photo taken 10/25/03.
Junction Utah 9 shield and scenic byway shield on southbound U.S. 89 in Mount Carmel. Photo taken 10/25/03.
For Kanab (seat of Kane County), Fredonia, Grand Canyon National Park, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Lake Powell), continue south on U.S. 89. Photo taken 10/25/03.
Utah 9 is a restricted route due to the fact that it passes through Zion National Park. All traffic must pay the $20 fee to enter the park, and semi-trucks are restricted from using the narrow highway and undersized tunnels through the park. An alternate route to St. George would be to use Utah 11/U.S. 89A south to Arizona 389, then east to Utah 59 and Utah 17. Photo taken 10/25/03.
Southbound U.S. 89 at west Utah 9 at Mount Carmel Junction. The next photos are from Kanab, since we traveled the intervening section at night. Photo taken 10/25/03.
Junction Utah 11 shield on southbound U.S. 89 in downtown Kanab. Omitted here is a Junction U.S. 89A shield. The city of Kanab offers full services for travelers, including restaurants, motels, and gas stations. Photo taken 10/26/03.
Southbound U.S. 89 approaching Junction Utah 11 and U.S. 89A. Both sets of signs are interesting in their own right, and they are described in the next two photoboxes. This is the only instance of a span wire used to support signs that we've seen in Utah, but we're sure span wires are used for signs on other state highways in Utah. Photo taken 10/26/03.
Suspended on hanging wires over the highway, the destinations for southbound U.S. 89 include Lake Powell (Glen Canyon National Recreation Area) and Page, Arizona. The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is omitted. Utah 11/U.S. 89A heads south to Arizona destinations, including Fredonia, Jacob Lake, and Grand Canyon National Park. As the U.S. 89A designation implies, U.S. 89A is an alternate to U.S. 89, and they rejoin at Bitter Springs, Arizona, south of Antelope Pass. Photo taken 10/26/03.
Close-up of the shields for U.S. 89, Utah 11, and U.S. 89A. To ensure that the signage in the field matches the legislative designation of Utah 11, both Utah 11 and U.S. 89A shields are present on the entire route of Utah 11. Utah 34, the business loop through St. George, is treated in the same manner, with both Utah 34 and Business Loop I-15 shields present. Photo taken 10/26/03.
Now at the intersection, U.S. 89 turns left, while Utah 11 and U.S. 89A continue straight ahead. Utah 11/U.S. 89A enters Arizona three miles south of here, but U.S. 89 chooses to remain in Utah by traveling east toward Glen Canyon Dam. This allows U.S. 89 to position itself to avoid Grand Canyon National Park, through which no north-south highway passes. Photo taken 10/26/03.
U.S. 89 passes through the rest of the city of Kanab after its junction with Utah 11/Alternate U.S. 89 south. From here, U.S. 89 approaches the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which is a newer monument that was created by President Clinton's declaration in 2000. Photo taken 10/26/03.
The Grand Staircase is visible in the distance along southbound U.S. 89 (actually looking east from here). Unlike most neighboring national parks and monuments, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is operated by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Separated into three distinct zones, the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante, the monument is over 1.9 million acres in size. Most of the monument is remote, with only U.S. 89 and Utah 12 offering primary highway access. U.S. 89 primary traverses the Grand Staircase area, which consists of five "steps": the Chocolate Cliffs, Vermilion Cliffs, White Cliffs, Gray Cliffs, and Pink Cliffs. With each rise, the biomes shift from Sonoran desert to coniferous forests. Photo taken 10/26/03.
As U.S. 89 exits Kanab, it follows an east-west alignment rather than north-south, preferring not to make the final drop into Arizona until reaching Lake Powell and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. There are no major services along U.S. 89 between Kanab and Page, Arizona; however, the scenery is breathtaking, especially for its lack of development. Photo taken 10/26/03.
Southbound U.S. 89 at Milepost 10; Arizona is only ten miles southeast of this point. Photo taken 10/25/03.
U.S. 89 south exits the Beehive State and enters the Grand Canyon State after paralleling the Utah-Arizona state line for nearly 70 miles. Photo taken 10/26/03.
